Hush Puppies. and Elephant ears

[achookwoman]

Many years ago Hush Puppies were a brand of casual shoes,  here in Australia.  In the "Old Fashioned Bread " book that a friend found in America and posted to me,   Hush Puppies were.......".began as bits of fried dough thrown to dogs and horses to keep them quiet while the trail dinner was being prepared."   How cute 

Elephant ears were made from yeast dough,  rolled out flat and fried like donuts,  then sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

[Cuilidh]

Hope the dogs didn't get the elephant's ears as well, Chookie!

[faffa_70]

lol Elephants Ears are a plant to me (can't remember it's proper name though)

I love little bits of trivia like that 

[dede]

We have a plant we call Lamb ears as the leaves are real soft and furry.

[judydawn]

Wonder who came up with the name first Chookie

[Frozzie]

i only know hush puppies as shoes    love funny little trivia and names people used to call things...lots of slang in oz....so much I dont know even sometimes dad says something and im like what the hell is that lol!

There is a photo of lambs ears plant on amanda blog hence the name of it lol

 

[Delightful Den]

Interesting trivia.  In the southern US states hush puppies are fried balls of corn meal that are usually served with fried catfish.

[Carine]

hush puppies:  definitely refers to shoes for me, my bluey would lve the US version though 
lambs ears:  in English = "oreilles d'ours" in French (bear ears).

[ThermomixBlogger]

Okay, I just HAD to chime in with the Canadian version which we call .....

BEAVER TAILS !!!  -- big flats of dough that are deep fried and served with jam... or sugar... or chocolate or... or...

In Ottawa (our capital city in the colder eastern part of Canada) there is a river/canal that runs through the city and freezes over in winter. Many people skate to work along the canal and though I've never done it, I hear there are always Beaver Tails available "en route" to give the skaters a bit of warmth and sustenance on the way.

On the warmer west coast where I live, the same item is often called "Whale's Tail".  Hot, soft, chewy, doughy, fatty, fried and laden with home-made jam or chutney ... they are very hard to resist, but so far I've managed to stay away. (One bite and I think you get addicted.) 

Oh yes, I found a photo of Beaver Tails here:
http://befoodled.blogspot.com/2009/02/beavertails-on-canal.html

 

[judydawn]

Aptly named Helene - they look as big as a Beaver's tail in the photo too.

[achookwoman]

Thanks Helene,  I am still waiting for someone here to make a Wombat Tail or even an Echidna nose.

[cookie1]

It's nearly dinner time here and my mouth is watering. I think I had better go and have drinkies and nibbles.

[andiesenji]

There is a "Great Debate" in the southern states in America regarding where and when the Hush Puppy was invented.
Every state in the "deep south" and even Florida and Texas, claims that these little gems originated in their territories.  Even some cities have gotten in on the debate.  (Florida was never considered part of the "south" even though it is more southern than any other.)

Charleston, South Carolina ( there are any number of "Charles Towns"  named for King Charles II sprinkled throughout the "colonies")
has been one of the most vocal claimant cities but Atlanta, Georgia and New Orleans, where deep fried foods are a strong tradition, also make viable claims.

The fact is that there is no reliable written mention of hush puppy per se prior to 1915.  

Similar fritters have been around since Roman times but the corn meal version probably originated somewhere in the south.
They were always part of a "fish fry" when I was a child (in Kentucky, part of the "south" but not the "deep" south!)
The leftover batter from frying fish - catfish, sunfish, perch, bass or even crawdads, was dropped by spoonfuls into the hot fat.

Nowadays some restaurants sprinkle them with powdered sugar - this was not traditional in my area.  No sugar, these were savory, not sweet.  
Some are solid and incredibly dense and virtually inedible - as far as I am concerned.  They should be light and crunchy sort of a cornmeal crust around an airy center.  

[achookwoman]

Thanks Andi, all 'grist to the mill.'

[andiesenji]

After posting the previous note, I did a cursory search and was reminded of
The Food Timeline

which is a terrific way to research the "history" as well as the folklore of various foods. 

A caveat!   Don't click on this link unless you have some time to spare.  I managed to waste more than an hour wandering around there.