George Washington's Favorite Food Is One Of The Simplest Cakes To Make
Almost every American knows George Washington was a valiant war hero who won the hearts of people through his military prowess during the Revolutionary War. However, what most people don't know a whole lot about, is his personal life.
When he wasn't out fighting the British, our first president loved a touch of good old-fashioned Southern cooking. One of his favorite Southern specialties was a dish called hoecakes. These cakes are about as simple as they get and are made with three easy ingredients: cornmeal, water, and salt. After whipping up the simple batter, the cakes are fried to golden perfection and served on a steaming platter.
Similar to today's version of pancakes, Washington would often douse his hoecakes in honey and butter and pair them with a good cup of tea. However, also similar to pancakes, these are great to enjoy with syrup, jam, or whatever suits your fancy.
When did hoecakes originate and how did they get their name?
Hoecakes were first mentioned in a book by Washington Irving published in the early 1800s. But while that may have been the first record of their existence, these simple cakes could have been around for far longer than that!
Now, you might be wondering how hoecakes came to be called, well, hoecakes. After all, it is a very unusual name. Hundreds of years ago, these cakes were cooked on the flat part of a hoe over an open fire. This method was mostly used by enslaved people who didn't have any more conventional cooking tools. Because of the way they were cooked, people began referring to them as hoecakes.
Although these cakes don't rise the way fluffy pancakes do, they do get golden and crispy around the edges. That gives you a satisfying crunch when you bite into them.
How to make George Washington's favorite hoecakes
If you're interested in making George Washington's favorite hoecakes, you'll be happy to know that the old recipe has survived to the modern day. While traditional fried cornbread hoecakes can be made with just salt, water, and cornmeal, the recipe George Washington liked also included eggs and yeast.
For this recipe, you'll need ½ teaspoon of yeast, 2 ½ cups of white cornmeal, 3-4 cups of warm water, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 1 egg. Combine the yeast, cornmeal, and 1-1 ½ cups of water until thoroughly combined. Then, refrigerate the batter overnight. In the morning, add another 1-1 ½ cups of water, the salt, and the egg and mix the ingredients thoroughly. Finally, add the other 1 ¼ cups of cornmeal and stir the mixture again. You may also need to add more water before setting aside the batter for 15 minutes.
Heat a skillet and grease it with shortening. Add ¼ cup of batter and cook for 4 minutes on each side until the edges are golden brown and crispy. Repeat these steps with the remaining batter.
Once you've whipped up all the batter, you're welcome to top the batter off with your own toppings, such as blueberries and maple syrup. Or, you can follow in our Founding Father's footsteps and douse the cakes in honey and butter. Either way, enjoy these tasty treats!