Source Attribution
Original Cookbook Name: big mama’s Old Black Pot
Published By: Stoke Gabriel Enterprises, Inc.
Year of Publication: 1987
Page Number: 20
Author / Contributor: Ethel Rayson Dixon
Heritage & Cultural Context
Fried Hot Water Cornbread is a staple in many Southern Black households, particularly across Louisiana and the Mississippi Delta. Unlike baked cornbread, this fried version offers a crisp, golden crust with a tender, moist center—made for quick preparation and maximum flavor. Traditionally cooked in cast iron with hot fat, this dish emerged from necessity and ingenuity, allowing cooks to stretch simple staples like cornmeal into something comforting and satisfying. Often served alongside greens, beans, or smothered meats, fried hot water cornbread is both a daily bread and a dish of celebration, grounding meals with its deep roots in African American home cooking.
Ingredients (As Written in the Book)
- 2 cups cornmeal
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup water
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
Original Instructions:
“Bring water to brisk boil in a sauce pan. Mix all ingredients. Add ½ cup of water and mix thoroughly. Add more water if needed to make mixture. Spoon and pat into ½ x 3 inch patties and deep fry in very hot fat until brown.”
Editor’s Note (Optional Modern Guidance):
Editor’s Note: Heat about ½ inch of oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Form the batter into patties about ½ inch thick and 3 inches wide. Fry for 2–3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving.
Cultural or Historical Insight
This form of cornbread reflects African culinary influences—particularly the practice of frying doughs and batters in hot oil, a technique shared across African and Southern food traditions. It was commonly cooked over open flames or wood-burning stoves in sharecropper cabins and rural kitchens, serving as a quick and filling accompaniment that didn’t require an oven.
Visual Reference
ALT Text: Scanned page from 1987 cookbook big mama’s Old Black Pot showing fried hot water cornbread recipe on page 20, under “breads” section, with sketch of pitcher and cornbread pan.
