Confederate cush

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 derived from 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

A Confederate soldier gave this recipe for cush: "We take some bacon & fry the grease out, then we cut some cold beef in small pieces and put it in the grease, then pour in water and stew it like mash. Then we crumble corn bread or biscuit in it and stew it again till all the water is out. Then we have real Confederate cush." ^[1]

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

1. Akers, Merton T. (December 26, 1961). "Both Armies Spent Dismal, Cold Christmas In 1861". Lodi News-Sentinel . p. 4. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
2. Taggart, Chuck. "COUCHE COUCHE" . Retrieved 19 April 2021.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. John C. Fisher; Carol Fisher (17 November 2010). Food in the American Military: A History. McFarland. p. 75. ISBN   978-0-7864-6173-8.
6. Barry, Craig L. (April 2011). "Corn Pone & Jonnycake". Civil War News. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2014.