Early American Republic · United States

Johnny Cake

Name: Johnny Cake
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 200g yellow cornmeal; 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp sugar; 300ml boiling water; 2 tbsp bacon fat or butter, plus more for the pan

From American Cookery · Amelia Simmons · 1796

Verified from original source

A crisp cornmeal griddle-cake — the foundational bread of early America.

Historical note: From the first cookbook ever published by an American — using cornmeal, an ingredient European cookbooks ignored.

History

Johnny cake (also johnnycake or journey cake) is a cornmeal flatbread originating in colonial North America, particularly New England and the Mid-Atlantic regions. Native Americans taught European settlers to make corn-based breads, as wheat was initially scarce. The name likely derives from "journey cake" (portable travel food) or "Shawnee cake." Early recipes, including those in Amelia Simmons's American Cookery (1796), called for cornmeal, water or milk, and salt, cooked on griddles or hearths. Eaten by all social classes, johnny cakes were staple fare on farms and frontiers. Regional variations persist today, especially in Rhode Island, where thick versus thin styles spark debate.

Sources

Simmons, Amelia. American Cookery. 1796.
Smith, Andrew F. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. 2013.
Hooker, Richard J. Food and Drink in America: A History. 1981.
Stavely, Keith and Fitzgerald, Kathleen. America's Founding Food: The Story of New England Cooking. 2004.
Davidson, Alan. The Oxford Companion to Food. 1999.

Serves

Prep

10m

Cook

15m

Difficulty

Easy

Ingredients

· 200g yellow cornmeal
· 1 tsp salt
· 1 tbsp sugar
· 300ml boiling water
· 2 tbsp bacon fat or butter, plus more for the pan

Method

1
Mix cornmeal, salt and sugar in a bowl.
2
Pour on boiling water gradually, stirring, until you have a thick porridge-like batter.
3
Stir in the fat. Rest 5 minutes.
4
Heat a heavy skillet on medium and grease well.
5
Spoon in ~3 tbsp mounds and flatten to 1cm thick discs.
6
Cook 4 minutes per side until crisp and golden.
7
Serve hot with butter, maple syrup or molasses.

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