Confederate cush
| Alternative names | slosh, coosh, kush, cornmeal hash |
|---|---|
| Type | hash, hotcake or stew |
| Course | Main course / Side dish |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Southern United States |
| Created by | Senegambians |
| Invented | c. 17th century |
| Cooking time | 10 minutes |
| Serving temperature | Warm |
| Main ingredients | salt pork, bacon, cornmeal mush, cubed beef |
| Ingredients generally used | grease, water, garlic |
| Variations | meatless |
Cush is a dish that became popular following the Slave Trade. It is also known as cornmeal hash.
Origin
The dish likely originated in the Southern United States sometime shortly after the start of the American Civil War.[1] The name is likely a corruption of couche, related to the Cajun dish couche-couche (fried cornmeal mush).[2]
Popularity
The dish became popular during the American Civil War among the Confederate Army, due to the minimal amount of preparation needed to prepare it and the few ingredients required.[3][4]
Preparation
..chop up a small quantity of fat bacon into a frying pan, get the grease all out of it, put in a quart of water, when it boils crumble in cold corn bread and stir until dry, and you are ready for a dinner of ‘CUSH.’
— Texas Sergeant William W. Heartsill, October 1863[4]
Though it was usually served with the water cooked out, in the form of hash, sometimes it was served as a stew, with flour as a substitute for the cornmeal.[5] When corn pone went sour, it was often used in place of cornmeal.[6]
References
- ^ Akers, Merton T. (Dec 26, 1961). "Both Armies Spent Dismal, Cold Christmas In 1861". Lodi News-Sentinel. p. 4. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ^ Taggart, Chuck. "COUCHE COUCHE". Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ Bell Irvin Wiley (1978). "Bad Beef and Corn Bread". The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy. LSU Press. pp. 104–105. ISBN 978-0-8071-0475-0.
- ^ a b Rees, John U. (1 May 2007) [2004]. "Overview: Civil War and Reconstruction Foods". In Smith, Andrew F. (ed.). Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. Vol. 1. London: Oxford University Press. pp. 285–6. ISBN 978-0-19-530796-2.
- ^ John C. Fisher; Carol Fisher (17 November 2010). Food in the American Military: A History. McFarland. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-7864-6173-8.
- ^ Barry, Craig L. (Apr 2011). "Corn Pone & Jonnycake". Civil War News. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2014.