Kitchen Accents, A four-post food history series based on Joan Adams, "From the Kelvin Kitchen: The Creole Way," The Chicago Defender, November 3, 1934
Eat With a Spoon
Food writer Joan Adams closed this series with a dish that needed no translation for many readers. Spoon bread’s cornmeal tied Chicago migrants to their Southern roots and the land that lower-caste farmers fought to hold against dominant-caste lenders and officials. Adams rebelled against scarcity and against the notion that thrift meant dull food. The Depression that emptied pantries gave her column its purpose.
[Side Bar]
In the final recipe in Joan Adams’s column, Cornmeal was the cheapest grain in most Depression pantries, and spoon bread lifted it into a soft, egg-rich pudding meant for a spoon.
Southern Spoon Bread Recipe
Ingredients
¾ cup corn meal
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup boiling water
2 eggs, well beaten
2 teaspoons baking powder
Directions
Place corn meal, salt, and butter in bowl, [add] boiling water slowly, and beat until smooth. Add milk, eggs, and baking powder. Mix well. Turn into greased casserole or eight-inch pan, and bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) 40 to 50 minutes. Serve to be eaten with a spoon.
Joan Adams, "From the Kelvin Kitchen: The Creole Way," The Chicago Defender November 3, 1934, 7.