Hush Puppies
By CarolDM
@CarolDM (203454)
Nashville, Tennessee
April 15, 2019 5:16pm CST
I wrote a post earlier about having hush puppies with my lunch today and forgot that many of you are in other parts of the country and may not be familiar. Gill asked what they were and I started thinking of others that may wonder as well.
Of course there is also the popular shoe brand called Hushpuppies that some of you are familiar with. They are great comfortable shoes that have been around forever it seems.
If you're eating a fried catfish or shrimp dinner at a seafood restaurant in the South (or, lately anywhere else in the country), usually it will be served with hushpuppies.
They are made from a cornmeal batter, dropped in balls into a deep fryer and cooked until crispy on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle. When I cook them at home, I fry them in a frying pan. They are delicious, but no one seems to have a clue where they came from.
I have eaten these delicious little cornbread bites my entire life and have no idea where the name originated.
Pixabay photo.
Does anyone out there know where the name originated? Have you had this fried cornbread before?
26 people like this
27 responses
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104632)
• United States
15 Apr 19
According to wikipedia...
The name is often attributed to hunters, fishermen, or other cooks who would fry some basic cornmeal mixture (possibly that they had been bread-coating or battering their own food with) and feed it to their dogs to "hush the puppies" during cook-outs or fish-fries.[4] Other legends date the term to the Civil War, in which Confederate soldiers are said to have tossed fried cornbread to quell the barks of their dogs.[5][6]
Yes, it's mostly served with seafood but can also be served with fried chicken at restaurants here in the South.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search For the footwear brand, see Hush Puppies. For other uses, see Hush puppies (disambiguation). HushpuppyA serving of HushpuppiesAlternative namesHush-puppy, cornbread ball, corn dodgersP
4 people like this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104632)
• United States
15 Apr 19
@CarolDM Your welcome. I mean, I assume it's true, but then it might not be.
I usually end up eating them with seafood. I'll have regular cornbread with soups or ham and pintos.
I dip my hushpuppies in tartar, honey mustard, ranch or ketchup. I know some who will soak them in buttermilk.
1 person likes this
@CarolDM (203454)
• Nashville, Tennessee
15 Apr 19
@ScribbledAdNauseum Yes I dip mine too. Good stuff. Soaking them in buttermilk is what my Grandmother used to do.
@LadyDuck (458091)
• Switzerland
16 Apr 19
As I visited the south of the United States many times, I know what hush puppies are, they are good with fried catfish. Someone told me that the name comes from the habit of hunters and fishermen to feed those fried balls to their dogs, to "hush the puppies" during cook-outs.
3 people like this
@1hopefulman (45123)
• Canada
15 Apr 19
I had to read what this post was all about. What is she eating? It is an unusual name for what you describe.
2 people like this
@1hopefulman (45123)
• Canada
16 Apr 19
@db20747 I usually bought cheaper shoes. I tried to use my resources wisely and alway put the family first.
1 person likes this
@db20747 (43427)
• Washington, District Of Columbia
16 Apr 19
@1hopefulman good man U R!!!
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (66921)
• United States
15 Apr 19
I've tried them once, and didn't like them. But I'm a picky eater, and don't like cornbread itself, so I'm not surprised.
2 people like this
@Courtlynn (66921)
• United States
15 Apr 19
@CarolDM I love fried dough, and fried chicken.
1 person likes this
@florelway (23134)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
15 Apr 19
I am one of those not familiar with it. Lol I only know it's my shoe brand.
2 people like this
@snowy22315 (169963)
• United States
16 Apr 19
Yeah, I had some just last week with my fish dinner. Ya gotta love hushpuppies!
2 people like this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
15 Apr 19
i love them . had them most my life also. no idea where the name comes from. probably some southern lady from way back. 
2 people like this
@Aquitaine24 (11653)
• San Jose, California
16 Apr 19
This looks similar to some Indian sides.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (40515)
• United States
16 Apr 19
My husband makes delicious hushpuppies when he fries fish. When made right, they really are yummy.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (79722)
• United States
16 Apr 19
I've never had hushpuppies but they certainly look delicious.
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (116860)
• Anniston, Alabama
16 Apr 19
Someone wrote about them before, I think they cooked them for the dogs, yes really.
1 person likes this
@MommyOfEli2013 (81990)
• Rupert, Idaho
16 Apr 19
I have only had them a few times when I went to Long John Silvers....they are okay to me. Don't know about the name though!
1 person likes this
@jvicentevalera (13671)
• Santiago, Chile
16 Apr 19
Carol those hush puppies look delicious. I hope you enjoyed your meal. I think I have eaten them before, I just did not know its name in English.
1 person likes this
