Johnny Cakes

We enjoyed making Johnny Cakes this week in book club. Laura and Mary used to help their mother cook these so the men would have something to eat when they came in from the fields. Laura never understood why they were called Johnny Cakes when it was more bread than cake. Ma thought maybe it was because they called the Southern soldiers Johnny Rebs and they ate so much of it. But she wasn't sure.
Recipe for Johnny Cakes
1 cup corn meal
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tbsp. salt
½ cup water
1 lb. of bacon (we used half)
Instructions:
In a bowl, mix the corn meal with the salt and sugar.
Add water and mix until you get a nice paste. Form the paste into patties and set aside.
Fry bacon. Remove bacon and fry the cakes in the bacon grease until golden brown.

Add the sugar, salt, corn meal,

and water

And then stir it all up.

Fry the bacon and set aside and place the Johnny cakes in the hot bacon grease.

We topped with fresh homemade butter. They tasted ok but not great. Some of the girls liked them better then others. There are other recipes that call for more ingredients and probably taste better but I really wanted to make them authentic, so the girls could see what food tasted like back then.