. . . that during The Civil War cornbread was very popular in both The North and The South? The North used flint yellow corn and The South Boone County white. The North generally preferred sweets and added molasses, while The South preferred salts, often frying bread with bacon fat.
Source: Food Timeline
Here are two original corn bread recipes, one from each region, so as not to show any favoritism.
Cracklin' Bread (South)
3/4 cup finely diced salt pork
2 cups corn meal
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs well beaten
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons salt-pork drippings
Fry salt pork over a low heat until nicely browned. Drain fat, saving both drippings and cracklings. Sift together cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine eggs, buttermilk and drippings. Stir into corn-meal mixture, together with cracklings. Spread dough in a greased 11 by 7 by 1-1/2 inch baking pan and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 25-35 minutes.
(note: if you can't get salt pork you can fry up some bacon, about 4-6 slices. It will create the same effect of taste/amount of cooking fat.)
Spider Corn cake (North)
1-1/2 cups corn meal
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs, well beaten
2 cups buttermilk
1-1/2 tablespoons melted butter
Preheat oven to 450 degrees and heat 12 inch iron skillet (spider). Sift together corn meal, sugar, salt and baking soda in a bowl. Combine eggs and buttermilk and stir into corn meal mixture, keeping it smooth. Last of all, stir in the butter. Pour into the well greased, hot spider (frying pan with legs) and bake at the same high temperature for 30 minutes.
