Been watching your videos in Scotland since I started with Turn WS. Thank you for showing what life was like in the 18th Century American colonies. Your videos should be used in history classes. Thank you from Chris.
My mamaw made these every morning with her cast-iron skillet on a little wood heating stove that had enough room to cook on. She lived like she grew up and liked it that way.
If you don't like the gritty texture of corn meal I found something out when I made corn meal pancakes from one of Jon's previous recipes. When I made them they had the gritty texture typical of corn bread and corn meal. I left the leftover batter in the fridge and the next day I made some more and they were a lot smoother. It seems the corn meal must soak a long time to soften up. This may be why they used warm or hot water, to try and soften the corn meal.
I think you're right about the water temperature, and I've had the same experience with letting corn meal batter sit overnight -- it gets much softer and smoother.
Mr Danforth 374 I make these when camping. Have the dry ingredients in a ziplock bag; add water about an hour or 2 before setting up camp so walking would mix it for me. Fry up half as a hearty rich side for dinner. Cook up the rest in the morning as a light fluffy pancake
Sounds great. I love simple foods when camping. going to add corn meal to the camp pantry. They used white corn meal. how different is it from my Yellow meal?
Trout Seeker Agreed! When I'm tired of drama, politics and news reports of people being extremely crappy to other people, I retreat here. Jon has to be the nicest, most humble man on TH-cam. I love the food but I also love to learn the history of the food he cooks and of the people who used to cook it.
I love how this lady has such a genuine and happy energy. And Townsends delivers a nice video as always. As a Gourmet chef by schooling that just cooks as a hobby now, its nice to see the root of many current day foods and tastes.
This is great! My grandfather, before he passed, used to make these __every__ time we came over to visit him and my grandmother. I was almost drooling watching this video! lol I still make these from time to time. I've never had them with the cayenne, but I bet my grandfather would have loved that addition; one of his favorite things to eat with fresh peas was a cayenne pepper relish that he made.
The actual source for hoecakes is the native ash-cake! Natives have been making these for thousands of years! I grew up on these and still make them today, I like to cook them in bacon grease. This time of year the blackberries are starting to ripen here in Virginia, its nice to pick some fresh in the morning and mix them in the corn.
katfish1234567 I actually wondered about that.I'm glad I read your comment .Thank you. I also imagined them cooked in bacon grease .My mom used to save hers in a coffee can.
When I was a young lad in Connecticut my dad would take me to one of the nearby Mills and get stone ground white corn flour. Mom would pour som in a bowl and add boiling water, the thick batter would make cakes at least a half inch thick. Served with butter and sorghum molasses. Great on a cold morning., I still make at times.
@@ronb4561 No joke. Right now he has creative control over where he goes, whom he interviews, and what he discusses. He gets to work from a place of passion with others in their own places of passion. It's better because they love it and it shows. Hope you're still alive and that you're doing well.
Just made these in 3 min. Had some cornmeal on hand and used paprika, vegetable oil and butter (no lard on hand). 1/2 cup of cornmeal and eyeballed the water and made 3 cakes. With honey and a cup of coffee, and I felt transported back to 1790’s!
i ate things like this all the time, growing up poor in southwest virginia. regular pepper, though not cyan. i still eat it from time to time. goes great with soup beans.
awe the memories of growing up in the country old fashion hoecakes and cornmeal mush yet still today cornbread is still favorite bread. great video thanks for sharing.
Eh, I see what you mean, but this is still waaaay friendlier and more civil than most comment sections. There's always bound to be some loss of comment quality as a channel grows.
I'm a new sub and I just left a comment about how great and non-toxic the comment section for this channel is...then not five minutes later I started noticing there was some semi-troll infiltration, not toxic, but slightly bitter, lol
Mt dad's family used the same ingredients but in larger quantities that filled the whole skillet and slowly baked the cake in an oven. Their topping was cane syrup.
Johnnycakes are the New England equivalent of tortillas, as they are a cornmeal flat bread. The simplest recipes call for nothing but cornmeal, boiling water, and a little salt. The batter should be fairly thin so that when fried on a hot griddle, the batter is no more than a quarter of an inch thick. Rhode Islanders take their johnnycakes so seriously that they hold baking and eating contests every year. In Rhode Island, traditionally, the cake is made only from fine white corn that has been ground by a water process Johnnycake History: Johnnycakes, johnny cakes, jonnycake, ashcake, battercake, corn cake, cornpone, hoecake, hoe cake, journey cake, mush bread, pone, Shawnee cake, jonakin, and jonikin. These are all regional names for this cornmeal flatbread. The origin of the name johnnycakes (jonnycakes) is something of a mystery and probably has nothing to do with the name John. They were also called journey cakes because they could be carried on long trips in saddlebags and baked along the way. Some historians think that they were originally called Shawnee cakes and that the colonists slurred the words, pronouncing it as johnnycakes. Historians also think that “janiken,” an American Indian word meant “corn cake,” could possibly be the origin. The settlers of New England learned how to make johnnycakes from the local Pawtuxet Indians, who showed the starving Pilgrims how to grind and use corn for eating. When the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in 1620, most of their wheat brought from England had spoiled on the long voyage. It is said that Myles Standish (1584-1656), the military leader of the Plymouth Colony, discovered a cache of corn stored by the Indians. An Indian named Tisquantum (1585-1622), also known as Squanto, was helpful in the settlers’ survival during the winter of 1621. Tisquantum was one of five Indians taken to England in 1605 by Captain John Weymouth, who was employed by Sir Ferinando Gorges of the Plymouth Company and set out to discover the Northwest Passage. In 1614, Tisquantum was brought back to American, assisting some of Gorges’ men in mapping the New England coast. Tisquantum lived out the rest of his life in the Plymouth Colony teaching the settlers how to grow corn, pound corn into meal, and how to cook with it. He also acted as interpreter and guide.
Yum! If made with MASA, and a little thinner batter, you can almost get a tortilla like cake. I make them from plain old cornmeal. Did not know they were made at Mt. Vernon! Thank you James for such fantastic videos! These videos are real history! Thankz
Very excited to try these! I made your crumpets for my class of 12 Japanese students and they LOVED them and were fascinated when I told them how old the recipe was. I get the feeling these will be another hit! Thank you for enabling me to spark an interest in history in my students, it's a priceless gift.
My mother made Hoe Cakes, but they were basically Bannock Bread. She made it with Bisquick, salt and whole milk. It was light and airy, white in color and cooked in a large cast iron skillet. My best representation is 1.5C of Bisquick, one TSP of salt and one cup of milk. My mother loved quick and easy and she was a Scottish lass. Her hoe cake is what I call a nicely formed and tight loaf, about 3/4 of an inch thick. I cook mine five minutes per side over medium heat and about nine inches in diameter.
I am surprised at the cayenne pepper that seemed to be so common in those times. After doing some research I found that it was one of the most common of spices along with lemon peel, Caribbean pepper (all spice), clove, and salt. Practically everything was hot!
Debra has the most ''merry' eyes! I've enjoyed her food and style so much and thank you Jon for you and your team with this great history work you are doing for us.
Thanks! I want to make them for camping which makes it difficult to bring eggs, just a simple warm way to start the morning or bring along on a hike. Thanks for the additional historical information.
Wow! I've tried to cook those crumpets yesterday. Oh sweet God, this is the same taste like pancakes my grandma were cooking to Christmas Eve more than 30 years ago ... Thank you very much indeed, Mr Townsend! Greetings from Ukraine :)
On a serious note: I grew up in Mexico, and home made tortillas are made with corn dough only, no salts or even oils to cook...if you want to call lime (calcium oxide) an ingredient, it's used to cook the corn, and sometimes to fix the sourness of the dough if it needs it. So the simplicity is understandable, I'm sure the settlers got the ideas from Natives.
My great grandparents were from Oaxaca. My Grandmother made sopes from nixtamal/masa and water, and deep fried them. Then she filled them with a stew of pork, red chilies, and potatoes. The fusion of European and Native cuisines often makes the most glorious foods.
yeah, this definitely has native influence. one of my friends is Native and grew up in virginia, and they had a recipe going back that was pretty much exactly this going back and this was one of the things she grew up with. it's a great way to use the corn. so I'm pretty sure it must have spread from one community to the other. and you're totally right, it gets better if the corn is nixtamalized properly by adding the lime, it brings out more of the nutrition and also more of the flavor of the corn.
The history behind the food culture is fascinating! I love these authentic "connected" recipes. Thank you John Townsend. I love your series. Making these next!
@Townsends -- Hey, what about "leather britches," a style of string beans / green beans, I think dried and then reconstituted, or else fresh and reduced. My dad was not sure on how these were made, but remembered how good they were. (He said green beans allowed to cook or roast down when doing a Sunday roast beef, in the drippings of beef juice and salt and seasonings were close to what he knew.) -- Or how about potato pancakes? Or real cider or taffy or...so many early recipes would be worth exploring.)
Leather britches are green beans split once up to about an inch from the top & when you have a pile of them, using a thickish needle & thickish thread sew through the tops one after another. Spread them out a bit & hang to dry until completely brittle. Dried string beans a bit like dried apples.
Made these this morning and they're wonderful! Did add some cinnamon and they needed a little more salt but with maple syrup, they were sublime! Thank you, Jon, for sharing these historic recipes with the world!
What a great morning food to make and take in early morns for outdoors whether hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing or whatever the like. Really enoyed this video. And of course George Washington is my very favorite president followed closely by Thomas Jefferson then Abraham Lincoln. I will go watch the other videos. Good video. Thank You for sharing. Thumbs up!
I have to say, Jon Townsend, You are seem like just such a kind man, and Thank you for your series, I am really fascinated and grateful. I had forgotten alot of history, but I love learning about all of this, and being brought into it, not just your recipes but everything, its amazing, truly, I can't wait to learn more! - Deb Crawford
It's a shame that people are so brainwashed and terrified of lard these days. SHOCKING FACT: Lard contains less saturated fat than butter. --Butter is actually more unhealthy than lard. My g-g-g grandmother lived to be 104. She probably cooked everything in lard in a cast-iron pan.
@@russbear31 Neither lard or butter is unhealthy unless it comes from an unhealthy animal. Saturated fat get a bad rap for no reason, it is the most stable fat to cook with.
Flexible quantities are one of my favorite things about cooking period recipes! It's helped me develop some considerable skill as a cook because I learned to think about cooking by feel. You're more involved in the process when you're trying to get just the right amount to get the flavor or consistency you want and not paying too much attention to your measuring cups.
The bonnet looks like what was called a "mob cap", a simple thing gals wore at home in the morning before doing their hair up, or while working around the house.
We used to get these storebought when I was little, but they're much better homemade with buttered honey drizzle instead of maple syrup. They store well in the fridge and are a great toaster waffle substitute!
First time I've heard about hoecakes since "Boil them cabbage down, down. Turn them hoecakes 'round, 'round. The only song that I can sing is Boil them cabbage down"
Boil them cabbage down, boys Turn them hoecakes 'round, boys The only song that I can sing is boil them cabbage down, boys. That's how I learned it. Sounds better and more natural
When pressed for time and especially if I'm on the move I can make a meal out of tortillas. Nothing else. Bread, by itself fills you up and requires nothing but fingers and teeth (optional).
My mom used to make these all the time with the peppers. We would eat them with soup beans and fried potatoes whenever she wanted to make something different than regular cornbread and they're so easy to make.
When I was younger, my mom would make hoe cake in the cast iron pan. Or should I say I would make it after my dad got sick. We still have the pan that cake was made and it's been passed to me. And it makes awesome bacon.
Thank you so much for making this video! My daughter is studying this era in history right now and she has a project to make this little cakes. This really gave her some more knowledge behind the cakes than what her lesson gave her for school. Great video!! Thank you!
I grew up eating these in S. Georgia. Granny made the batter a bit thinner and the edges would be wide and thin like a chip but thick in the middle. She made them large enough that folks reached into the bread plate and broke them in half for a portion size piece. We ate them with greens, peas, or anything that was "soupy". Great Video as always!
They are forgetting the flavor coming fro the lard, too. That adds not only taste but 'mouth feel' crunch and oil. My mother used to put these on top of a huge batch of collard greens and they would fluff up nicely and suck up the juices from the greens. Heaven.
You literally seem to be the defenition of a nice & kind person :) have been binge watching your videos all day haha, I love to learn everything about history!
Could these be made with beer or buttermilk? I seem to remember my Grandma using beer, or buttermilk ( depending on what was available at) with a bit of onion and cracklings
Made a visit to Mount Vernon several years back as a unique and wonderful birthday gift. Though the estate is fascinating the thing that struck me most was that pristine view of the Potomac you feature in the video. It's amazing how serene and untouched it seems from the porch overlooking it. Great videos! They are very informative and certainly yield some delicious results!
I love hoe cakes. I grew up eating them at my great-grandmother's house. She would make them with some homemade chocolate to put on top. You could also use syrup. In this part of SC hoe cakes are very similar to fritters. I'm afraid they are becoming extinct due to nobody learning how to make them.
man I love me some cornmeal pancakes. they're appropriately good with corn syrup, but I see that stuff wasn't invented until the early 19th century. I suppose more likely they'd have put molasses on there if they felt like a sweet breakfast.
Kairu Hakubi interesting to think about. What food/ingredient do you think will be a staple of the modern diet 200 years from now that hasn't been invented or discovered yet?
Hi John: I just discovered your videos and your wonderful website.And WOW i have learned so much about the 18th century, and going to Mount Vernon is on my bucket list. Thank-you and your wonderful staff.
It's weird how this is one of my favourite channels. I've had basically no interest in 18th century America, or in cooking. But its just so damn wholesome. I love it.
![[Live] : ONE 169 วันนี้!! "อนาโตลี vs อูมาร์"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IK3YZVWuFJg/mqdefault.jpg)
I certainly am not confused about this simple quick bread.
Well said.
Nor am i!
nice pfp
This bread is a quicky
Well, not now you aren't! Video cleared up a lot of things for me and probably you (if you are Captain enough to admit it.) 😜
This channel makes me feel like everything is going to be just fine
I feel that. Stay safe!
Yes, because people in the 18th century weren't easily whipped up soyboys like you kids today.
@@BasedEngineer Isn't that the truth!
@@BasedEngineer Of course, they also have a shorter life expectancy so there's that.
@@BasedEngineer they also thought bleeding people to death cured them
Cayenne in pancakes. I'm telling you, Chef John over at Food Wishes needs to see this.
ChrisC I thought this! haha
I was thinking that too.
LOL.. was thinking the same.. no, wait! wrong channel!
the old shaka shaka !
LOL!!!!!!
My grandmother made these all the time. We ate them with sharp cheddar cheese. They were great!
PSquared1234 my grandma and mom always put fresh corn in ours and we drizzled molasses on them
I made mine tonight with cheddar cheese!
THAT sounds lovely!! Mmmm
This lady is a natural on camera. Wonderful woman!
yeah she realy is something else
@@the_Brumeister would not be so bad ^^
@Sans THANK YOU
Been watching your videos in Scotland since I started with Turn WS. Thank you for showing what life was like in the 18th Century American colonies. Your videos should be used in history classes. Thank you from Chris.
"TURN: Washington's Spies" season 3 was epic.
My mamaw made these every morning with her cast-iron skillet on a little wood heating stove that had enough room to cook on. She lived like she grew up and liked it that way.
If you don't like the gritty texture of corn meal I found something out when I made corn meal pancakes from one of Jon's previous recipes.
When I made them they had the gritty texture typical of corn bread and corn meal. I left the leftover batter in the fridge and the next day I made some more and they were a lot smoother. It seems the corn meal must soak a long time to soften up.
This may be why they used warm or hot water, to try and soften the corn meal.
I think you're right about the water temperature, and I've had the same experience with letting corn meal batter sit overnight -- it gets much softer and smoother.
Mr Danforth 374 I make these when camping. Have the dry ingredients in a ziplock bag; add water about an hour or 2 before setting up camp so walking would mix it for me.
Fry up half as a hearty rich side for dinner. Cook up the rest in the morning as a light fluffy pancake
Sounds great. I love simple foods when camping. going to add corn meal to the camp pantry. They used white corn meal. how different is it from my Yellow meal?
Layne Rossi You can definitely use yellow corn meal.
Layne Rossi theirs was probably made from silver "queen corn "meal .we mostly grew that on my papa's farm.
I grew up eating Hoe cakes. Still a staple in the Appalachians.
Me too!
And in east Texas!
Mike Gray looks like you need to lay off them a bit....
I see what you did there! You eat her out?
Mike Gray up in New England we eat its northern cousin "Johnny cakes"
Another awesome video. I don't know if there's a nicer gentleman on earth as you, John! Thanks for keeping interesting videos coming. Andy
Trout Seeker Agreed! When I'm tired of drama, politics and news reports of people being extremely crappy to other people, I retreat here. Jon has to be the nicest, most humble man on TH-cam. I love the food but I also love to learn the history of the food he cooks and of the people who used to cook it.
Trout Seeker, yes, I agree, thank you John for your time and consideration in teaching us this wonderful part of history.
Shady Queens. Your idiotic reply proves you're a troll. Go elsewhere to try to upset civility.
Trout Seeker ditto. he's a prince and this channel is a gem, an oasis of decency.
Shady Queens shame on you , please recant your comments
I love how this lady has such a genuine and happy energy.
And Townsends delivers a nice video as always.
As a Gourmet chef by schooling that just cooks as a hobby now, its nice to see the root of many current day foods and tastes.
This is great! My grandfather, before he passed, used to make these __every__ time we came over to visit him and my grandmother. I was almost drooling watching this video! lol I still make these from time to time. I've never had them with the cayenne, but I bet my grandfather would have loved that addition; one of his favorite things to eat with fresh peas was a cayenne pepper relish that he made.
The actual source for hoecakes is the native ash-cake! Natives have been making these for thousands of years! I grew up on these and still make them today, I like to cook them in bacon grease. This time of year the blackberries are starting to ripen here in Virginia, its nice to pick some fresh in the morning and mix them in the corn.
katfish1234567 I actually wondered about that.I'm glad I read your comment .Thank you. I also imagined them cooked in bacon grease .My mom used to save hers in a coffee can.
major disdain are you serious?
katfish1234567
Bacon grease is just wonderful for the heart.
He properly never caught the native part of native Indians.... XD
Major Disdain So I guess the indigenous people who have been here for 13 000+ years aren't native enough?
Lard melting in a cast iron pan. It's the simple things. Thank you for these wonderful videos.
When I was a young lad in Connecticut my dad would take me to one of the nearby Mills and get stone ground white corn flour.
Mom would pour som in a bowl and add boiling water, the thick batter would make cakes at least a half inch thick.
Served with butter and sorghum molasses. Great on a cold morning., I still make at times.
How could this be an 18th century recipe if it doesn't have my boy nutmeg?
LOL😄
Your "boy"?
LOL!
Lou Fazio it’s ya boi, nUtMeG
I want to die
I ate these growing up, but we called it hot water cornbread.
Me too!
I still call it that.
Me too
Yep.
Right!
Somebody give this man a TV show. I would actually DVR this.
this is it, it's better than TV. Who watches that anymore?
Too good for TV.
i had thought that very same thing, but i think tv would ruin the magic that happens on this channel.
@@ronb4561 No joke. Right now he has creative control over where he goes, whom he interviews, and what he discusses. He gets to work from a place of passion with others in their own places of passion. It's better because they love it and it shows.
Hope you're still alive and that you're doing well.
Probably makes better money as an independent creator. Also he's not making some executive rich for a few more bucks.
My exchange program was in Mount Vernon. What a beautiful view. What a bunch of kind memories. Thank you very much for this series.
My mother added creme corn to the mix, it was a great corncake.
Just made these in 3 min. Had some cornmeal on hand and used paprika, vegetable oil and butter (no lard on hand). 1/2 cup of cornmeal and eyeballed the water and made 3 cakes. With honey and a cup of coffee, and I felt transported back to 1790’s!
Thanks for the measurements!
i ate things like this all the time, growing up poor in southwest virginia. regular pepper, though not cyan. i still eat it from time to time. goes great with soup beans.
awe the memories of growing up in the country old fashion hoecakes and cornmeal mush yet still today cornbread is still favorite bread. great video thanks for sharing.
Ever since the parmesan ice cream episode, the comment section has gotten a lot weirder.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand no kidding. I left for a while and now the comment section looks like a regular comment section...
Eh, I see what you mean, but this is still waaaay friendlier and more civil than most comment sections. There's always bound to be some loss of comment quality as a channel grows.
I'm a new sub and I just left a comment about how great and non-toxic the comment section for this channel is...then not five minutes later I started noticing there was some semi-troll infiltration, not toxic, but slightly bitter, lol
Imagine being a TH-cam snob 😂
Cheese Ice cream is actually good.
Mt dad's family used the same ingredients but in larger quantities that filled the whole skillet and slowly baked the cake in an oven. Their topping was cane syrup.
Johnnycakes are the New England equivalent of tortillas, as they are a cornmeal flat bread. The simplest recipes call for nothing but cornmeal, boiling water, and a little salt. The batter should be fairly thin so that when fried on a hot griddle, the batter is no more than a quarter of an inch thick. Rhode Islanders take their johnnycakes so seriously that they hold baking and eating contests every year. In Rhode Island, traditionally, the cake is made only from fine white corn that has been ground by a water process
Johnnycake History:
Johnnycakes, johnny cakes, jonnycake, ashcake, battercake, corn cake, cornpone, hoecake, hoe cake, journey cake, mush bread, pone, Shawnee cake, jonakin, and jonikin. These are all regional names for this cornmeal flatbread.
The origin of the name johnnycakes (jonnycakes) is something of a mystery and probably has nothing to do with the name John. They were also called journey cakes because they could be carried on long trips in saddlebags and baked along the way. Some historians think that they were originally called Shawnee cakes and that the colonists slurred the words, pronouncing it as johnnycakes. Historians also think that “janiken,” an American Indian word meant “corn cake,” could possibly be the origin.
The settlers of New England learned how to make johnnycakes from the local Pawtuxet Indians, who showed the starving Pilgrims how to grind and use corn for eating. When the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in 1620, most of their wheat brought from England had spoiled on the long voyage. It is said that Myles Standish (1584-1656), the military leader of the Plymouth Colony, discovered a cache of corn stored by the Indians.
An Indian named Tisquantum (1585-1622), also known as Squanto, was helpful in the settlers’ survival during the winter of 1621. Tisquantum was one of five Indians taken to England in 1605 by Captain John Weymouth, who was employed by Sir Ferinando Gorges of the Plymouth Company and set out to discover the Northwest Passage. In 1614, Tisquantum was brought back to American, assisting some of Gorges’ men in mapping the New England coast. Tisquantum lived out the rest of his life in the Plymouth Colony teaching the settlers how to grow corn, pound corn into meal, and how to cook with it. He also acted as interpreter and guide.
Vito approves. I gotta warn you, they're addictive.
Im going to try this next time I go camping. Seems like good camp food.
Yum! If made with MASA, and a little thinner batter, you can almost get a tortilla like cake. I make them from plain old cornmeal. Did not know they were made at Mt. Vernon! Thank you James for such fantastic videos! These videos are real history! Thankz
this is Jon. I believe james is his father.
Use two masa cakes and sandwich some shredded chicken and cheese... You just made an OG style arepa, buddy.
I love John's personality it warms me after a long day in this sometimes crazy world.
Probably frying them in lard imparted a lot of flavour to them.
It's a good survival food for it's easy recipe and the lard adds flavor and extra calories.
I'm guessing it had similar flavor to a tamale
Very excited to try these! I made your crumpets for my class of 12 Japanese students and they LOVED them and were fascinated when I told them how old the recipe was. I get the feeling these will be another hit! Thank you for enabling me to spark an interest in history in my students, it's a priceless gift.
My mother made Hoe Cakes, but they were basically Bannock Bread. She made it with Bisquick, salt and whole milk. It was light and airy, white in color and cooked in a large cast iron skillet. My best representation is 1.5C of Bisquick, one TSP of salt and one cup of milk. My mother loved quick and easy and she was a Scottish lass. Her hoe cake is what I call a nicely formed and tight loaf, about 3/4 of an inch thick. I cook mine five minutes per side over medium heat and about nine inches in diameter.
Those would taste good with a modern day chili, too. You could even use them to scoop the chili if they were dense enough!
Needs a big ol' ladle of pinto beans over those .....
Slathered with rich creamery butter and drizzled with Vermont maple syrup
I am surprised at the cayenne pepper that seemed to be so common in those times. After doing some research I found that it was one of the most common of spices along with lemon peel, Caribbean pepper (all spice), clove, and salt. Practically everything was hot!
* Cayenne pepper.
I'd have thought there'd be mint too.
I love simple foods like this. This channel is perfect for food on a budget.
Debra has the most ''merry' eyes! I've enjoyed her food and style so much and thank you Jon for you and your team with this great history work you are doing for us.
I've made cakes like this before, but just a little stiffer dough. Absolutely excellent.
Thanks! I want to make them for camping which makes it difficult to bring eggs, just a simple warm way to start the morning or bring along on a hike. Thanks for the additional historical information.
Wow! I've tried to cook those crumpets yesterday. Oh sweet God, this is the same taste like pancakes my grandma were cooking to Christmas Eve more than 30 years ago ... Thank you very much indeed, Mr Townsend! Greetings from Ukraine :)
On a serious note: I grew up in Mexico, and home made tortillas are made with corn dough only, no salts or even oils to cook...if you want to call lime (calcium oxide) an ingredient, it's used to cook the corn, and sometimes to fix the sourness of the dough if it needs it. So the simplicity is understandable, I'm sure the settlers got the ideas from Natives.
My great grandparents were from Oaxaca. My Grandmother made sopes from nixtamal/masa and water, and deep fried them. Then she filled them with a stew of pork, red chilies, and potatoes. The fusion of European and Native cuisines often makes the most glorious foods.
the lime is to make the corn release vitamins or else u would get sick w/out it
Frank Pichardo
yeah, this definitely has native influence. one of my friends is Native and grew up in virginia, and they had a recipe going back that was pretty much exactly this going back and this was one of the things she grew up with. it's a great way to use the corn. so I'm pretty sure it must have spread from one community to the other.
and you're totally right, it gets better if the corn is nixtamalized properly by adding the lime, it brings out more of the nutrition and also more of the flavor of the corn.
I did too - I miss eating hot tortillas fresh from the tortilleria
The history behind the food culture is fascinating! I love these authentic "connected" recipes. Thank you John Townsend. I love your series. Making these next!
@Townsends -- Hey, what about "leather britches," a style of string beans / green beans, I think dried and then reconstituted, or else fresh and reduced. My dad was not sure on how these were made, but remembered how good they were. (He said green beans allowed to cook or roast down when doing a Sunday roast beef, in the drippings of beef juice and salt and seasonings were close to what he knew.) -- Or how about potato pancakes? Or real cider or taffy or...so many early recipes would be worth exploring.)
Leather britches are green beans split once up to about an inch from the top & when you have a pile of them, using a thickish needle & thickish thread sew through the tops one after another. Spread them out a bit & hang to dry until completely brittle. Dried string beans a bit like dried apples.
Made these this morning and they're wonderful! Did add some cinnamon and they needed a little more salt but with maple syrup, they were sublime! Thank you, Jon, for sharing these historic recipes with the world!
What a great morning food to make and take in early morns for outdoors whether hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing or whatever the like. Really enoyed this video. And of course George Washington is my very favorite president followed closely by Thomas Jefferson then Abraham Lincoln. I will go watch the other videos. Good video. Thank You for sharing. Thumbs up!
I love hoe cakes! Way better than pancakes, imo. Hoe cakes with honey and bacon is probably my favorite breakfast.
thanks John, lovely video! I like the speed/pacing of your videos, really well suited for your topics!
I have to say, Jon Townsend, You are seem like just such a kind man, and Thank you for your series, I am really fascinated and grateful. I had forgotten alot of history, but I love learning about all of this, and being brought into it, not just your recipes but everything, its amazing, truly, I can't wait to learn more! - Deb Crawford
I think a lot of the 'yum' comes from the lard!
It's a shame that people are so brainwashed and terrified of lard these days. SHOCKING FACT: Lard contains less saturated fat than butter. --Butter is actually more unhealthy than lard. My g-g-g grandmother lived to be 104. She probably cooked everything in lard in a cast-iron pan.
I almost got excited when I saw the lard sizzling in the pan. I thought 'ah some flavor"
just like ur daddy lol
sorry lol
@@russbear31 Neither lard or butter is unhealthy unless it comes from an unhealthy animal. Saturated fat get a bad rap for no reason, it is the most stable fat to cook with.
@@ricksmith4145 it does matter. Unhealthy fats cause inflammation and disease.
Flexible quantities are one of my favorite things about cooking period recipes! It's helped me develop some considerable skill as a cook because I learned to think about cooking by feel. You're more involved in the process when you're trying to get just the right amount to get the flavor or consistency you want and not paying too much attention to your measuring cups.
My mom would fry leftover corn mush in the griddle for supper; it was quite a treat.
Wonderful video. It’s amazing to know how people lived and ate in the past. Thanks!
Her bonnet is supreme.
As is her shawl.
All Things Harbor her shawl is like the Outlander shawls the women characters wear.
The bonnet looks like what was called a "mob cap", a simple thing gals wore at home in the morning before doing their hair up, or while working around the house.
I mix them with hot water. Bacon grease is better.
Such a great story on this recipe!!! I love My. Vernon...great place
We used to get these storebought when I was little, but they're much better homemade with buttered honey drizzle instead of maple syrup. They store well in the fridge and are a great toaster waffle substitute!
I made these last night. So quick and easy. Surprisingly tasty.
One of George Washington's favorite dishes was hoecakes with honey, and I can attest to its deliciousness.
I love this type of recipes, easy affordable and delicious 😋
Love how she wants him to be kind. I’m like, “lady, this man will happily eat almost anything from history!” Lol ☺️
Great video 👏🏻
You could put nutmeg on a boiled shoe and Jon would eat it.
Love your channel. Refreshing to see nice folks sharing knowledge. Thank you!
Brilliant work! Keep it up!
Again, you make historical cookery accessible and enjoyable. And I note with pleasure the return of your verve sir, that is most reassuring.
First time I've heard about hoecakes since
"Boil them cabbage down, down.
Turn them hoecakes 'round, 'round.
The only song that I can sing is
Boil them cabbage down"
"Possom in a simmin' tree, racoon on the ground, racoon says you son of a gun, throw some simmons down."
Boil them cabbage down, boys
Turn them hoecakes 'round, boys
The only song that I can sing is boil them cabbage down, boys.
That's how I learned it. Sounds better and more natural
David Foose..I guess it depends on who's making them. Yours is campfire, mine is home with a fine woman.
We've been eating these for years, they took the place of hushpuppies when we had fish fries. Wonderful stuff!
When pressed for time and especially if I'm on the move I can make a meal out of tortillas. Nothing else. Bread, by itself fills you up and requires nothing but fingers and teeth (optional).
Ive addapted that also, after a trip in mexico and the locals would do it.
My mom used to make these all the time with the peppers. We would eat them with soup beans and fried potatoes whenever she wanted to make something different than regular cornbread and they're so easy to make.
We still make these today, except we just call it hot water cornbread!
I am so thankful for your videos. They genuinely bring me a lot of happiness to watch and enjoy.
1:28 something's going on in the background
Scaevola Ludens what a hecking legend dude
😳😳😳😳
He's trying to get his Hoecakes
Grew up on these! Grandma always made them with a pot of beans. We put honey on them sometimes.
When I was younger, my mom would make hoe cake in the cast iron pan. Or should I say I would make it after my dad got sick. We still have the pan that cake was made and it's been passed to me. And it makes awesome bacon.
One of my favorite is having home cakes during an oyster roast while growing up with my mother's family in the Carolinas ...
She is beautiful, I love her laugh 😊
Thank you so much for making this video! My daughter is studying this era in history right now and she has a project to make this little cakes. This really gave her some more knowledge behind the cakes than what her lesson gave her for school. Great video!! Thank you!
I finally found the perfect dish for my ex!
You too funny!
200th like
Lmao! 😂
😂😂😂
😂
I grew up eating these in S. Georgia. Granny made the batter a bit thinner and the edges would be wide and thin like a chip but thick in the middle. She made them large enough that folks reached into the bread plate and broke them in half for a portion size piece. We ate them with greens, peas, or anything that was "soupy". Great Video as always!
I've been eating them for years, Mexican American. Gorditas or sopes, they're amazing depending on what you put on top.
I am loving this series at Mount Vernon! Thank you Jon and Co.
She reminds me of the mom from step brothers.
itscold dude yes 100%
Deborah really does look a little like Mary Steenburgen.
Hush up Nancy.
itscold
Spot on. Next episode they should make fancy sauce.
This channel is most enjoyable to watch. Thank you for being awesome!
They are forgetting the flavor coming fro the lard, too. That adds not only taste but 'mouth feel' crunch and oil. My mother used to put these on top of a huge batch of collard greens and they would fluff up nicely and suck up the juices from the greens. Heaven.
You literally seem to be the defenition of a nice & kind person :) have been binge watching your videos all day haha, I love to learn everything about history!
Could these be made with beer or buttermilk? I seem to remember my Grandma using beer, or buttermilk ( depending on what was available at) with a bit of onion and cracklings
It's your basic baked powder-liquid mix, you can add anything that makes sense.
My granny always used some garlic in hers. She was a master ! And her cracklin bread was amazing too
Shoutouts to mah man MF DOOM
Made a visit to Mount Vernon several years back as a unique and wonderful birthday gift. Though the estate is fascinating the thing that struck me most was that pristine view of the Potomac you feature in the video. It's amazing how serene and untouched it seems from the porch overlooking it. Great videos! They are very informative and certainly yield some delicious results!
>When she asks what's for breakfast
🤣
Lol, watch out for the frying pan
Interesting simple food, and you should bring Deb on the show more often. Thumb up.
That lady is so cool and calm, even making cakes over an open fire in a giant flamable dress. Respect
Our term is Hot Water Cornbread. I use yellow corn meal, a bit of bacon grease mixed with hot water. Fry them up!
I appreciate that she's not leaving the slaves out of history on this one
I get the feeling they're uncomfortable giving them the credit due. Seems like she's whitewashing a bit.
@@danem2215 what do you mean?
Kind of like the tortillas I make at home. Simple and yummy. Thank you John. Always a pleasure to watch and learn. Greetings from Costa Rica.
I love hoe cakes. I grew up eating them at my great-grandmother's house. She would make them with some homemade chocolate to put on top. You could also use syrup. In this part of SC hoe cakes are very similar to fritters. I'm afraid they are becoming extinct due to nobody learning how to make them.
Grew up eating and cooking these regularly. Still do, one of my favorites.
Wondeful videos
May as well call it Jas Townsend and Son And Friends. :)
You got that Jr.
I make these quite regularly. They are great made with dried herbs and are a wonderful accompaniment to stew or soup.
man I love me some cornmeal pancakes. they're appropriately good with corn syrup, but I see that stuff wasn't invented until the early 19th century. I suppose more likely they'd have put molasses on there if they felt like a sweet breakfast.
George Washington's favorite breakfast was hoe cakes with honey and butter.
Kairu Hakubi interesting to think about. What food/ingredient do you think will be a staple of the modern diet 200 years from now that hasn't been invented or discovered yet?
Hi John: I just discovered your videos and your wonderful website.And WOW i have learned so much about the 18th century, and going to Mount Vernon is on my bucket list. Thank-you and your wonderful staff.
Washingtons cash crop was wheat?!? That blew my mind, I figured Virgina's heart and soul was tabacco.
It's weird how this is one of my favourite channels. I've had basically no interest in 18th century America, or in cooking. But its just so damn wholesome. I love it.