Eating Cornmeal Mush in Appalachia - Fried & Creamy

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

🍳Purchase my eCookbook - 10 of My Favorite Recipes from Appalachia here: etsy.me/3kZmaC2

[@annesweeney5552]

What’s his book??

[@heavyh3art]

bought immediately!! i absolutely adore your channel and can't wait to make some of your recipes!

[@jodybruch829]

Cornmeal Mush is at the top of my comfort foods. Mom would make this as much as oatmeal if not more and top it with honey or a little molasses. I do enjoy it fried if there is any left over ♥️

[@rexiedreams]

I collect cook books I’d love to add this to my collection to be passed on to my girls, is there an actual book? Paper in my house gets tossed. Books get placed on proper shelves. Do you have a book? Not just the pdf?

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

@@rexiedreams 😀You can see a cookbook I wrote with a dear friend here: www.etsy.com/listing/1467868257/celebrating-southern-appalachian-food

[@mikerhodes9198]

My mom was from Appalachia and I remember as a small child mom buying a loaf of cornmeal mush from the dairy section of the store. She would slice about 1/4 inch or a little thicker slices and fry them in her black iron skillet with some crisco till it was slightly crispy on the edges. I loved it and poured syrup or sorghum/molasses over it for breakfast with bacon and eggs. I am 74 now but this was back 68 years ago and I can still fondly remember mom making it and enjoying it so much. It was a treat.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

What great memories 😀

[@tammyhoushour8070]

@@CelebratingAppalachia my daddy use to make it. He would slice it thin salt it and fry it and we would eat it with butter and eggs and bacon. I haven't had any in years . I'm going to have to remedy that soon. Thank's for reminding me of that. Grits was eaten with salt and pepper and butter. Nrver eaten these foods with syrup. I also like white lilly. ☺

[@lyndacompton1846]

My grandmother would do similar it was very tasty

[@suemyers7685]

Yes it is a treat!!!

[@kathleenhannigan2487]

I am 65....I served cornmeal mush to my family this way with the molasses, and we still eat it today. My one son was here last week and asked me to make it and some fried scrapple. I fried up some apples with the plate and it was a wonderful breakfast.

[@kathyholcomb724]

My mom made cornmeal mush when we were little. She made it, sliçed it up into she fried it until it was crisp around the edges. We put maple Syrup on it! Yummy.

[@denisehogarth5433]

It's refreshing to hear someone else refer to this as mush. It is one of those recipes mother took to Calif when we moved from Pa. When times were tough she fried bacon, which daddy got to eat, but frying the mush in the bacon grease we got the tast of bacon. I loved it

[@Gardeninggirl1107]

My dad was born in OK and his mom and grandma would make fried cormeal mush. All of us kids were born in CA and my mom would make fried cornmeal mush for my dad, and all of us kids loved it. We never knew anyone else who made it or ate it. My mom would make fried bacon and eggs with it and we had maple syrup on top. Yes, it always took a long time for the mush to get crispy in the pan. Gosh I miss that so much! Thanks so much for the wonderful memories!

[@garyhobbins4746]

Thank you for expressing happiness, joy, and the state of peacefulness that comes from the creativity of cooking.

[@kctechie]

I've never had corn meal mush but I remember one time when I was a teenager and went over to my great aunt's to do yard work for her she said "guess what I made you!!" I asked what and she said "corn pudding!" It sounded gross to me as I was a picky eater but she looked so happy I didn't have the heart to tell her I had no interest in even putting it in my mouth. It was AMAZING! Whenever I visited her after I always asked her to make it for me. Side note, that aunt, aunt Jane, was the one child or of five that was chosen to not go to school but to stay home and help on the farm and to help take care of the other 4 kids. She always had self esteem issues for never having gone to school. She must've known how to read because she was always reading her Bible.

[@terryfinley7760]

Bless! ❤️

[@sandrasherritt9708]

Yes, an unfortunate circumstance in those days, when women had more children than they should have had and then burdened one of their older girls with the care of the babes. Not nice, in my view.

[@kctechie]

@@sandrasherritt9708 while I don't think it was right for one kid to have to suffer to take care of the others back when the USA was a mostly farming nation families had more kids so they could help work the farms. Same reason schools have summer vacation. It was originally so the kids could help in the farms not to play.

[@sandrasherritt9708]

@@kctechie yea well, to me having kids to help with the farmwork is pretty damned stupid and selfish. My dad was a farmer in Iowa when I was born, and my mom stayed with him until I was five years old. After that, hating all the hard work being a farm wife, she took me and my two older brothers and left. Life was not easier for her after that, just different. And my dad HIRED help on the farm, as I remember. I can remember my momma cooking the HUGE chicken dinners to feed the hired help during harvest for the midday meal. We kids always had to wait to eat until the hired hands were fed. I could write a book about my life. I am 82 years old now. I remember a LOT!

[@kctechie]

@@sandrasherritt9708 🤣🤣🤣 you are clearly from a more soft, fragile generation but that's not your fault and I understand how you might feel that way. In WW1 kids as young as 14 (many from farming families) went overseas to fight. How's that saying go "Hard times create strong men. Strong men created easy times, easy times create weak men. Weak men create difficult times." We've had it too easy and now we find ourselves entering difficult times again as a result.

[@loriannepresnell7951]

I'm 60 and still fry mush for my Daddy. My favorite way to eat it is to fill a deep bowl while it's piping hot and bury an egg yolk in it for a few minutes till its thickened and top it off with bacon or fat back. So creamy and comforting! thx for sharing mush!!!

[@susanhuber7969]

I remember my grandmother making this fried.I'm 68 years old and I can still remember how good it tasted!!! She fried her's for dinner with bacon grease, and served pork chops and green beans along with it. Sometimes she served it with ham and red eyed gravy and biscuits.I was just a kid of about 9 or 10,but boy I loved when she made it for dinner!❤️

[@osmadchlo]

Oooo... I bet that is so good with red eye gravy!

[@melissafoster1228]

Yum!!! 🤤

[@TheMrpiggyboy]

When your a kid you are always hungery. But those childhood meals and fiavours can never be forgotten, Ah. for the good old days.

[@nita-uk1ew]

Our mama would do this with leftover grits. Fried in bacon grease. We never sweetened grits. We mixed our overeasy eggs in the grits with butter, salt and pepper. Ate scrambled eggs or egg gravy with fried grits. Yum Yum😋

[@gayleconroy4641]

Fried cornmeal mush was one of my late Father's favorite foods--it reminded him of his Mom! He usually made Sunday breakfast and that was one of my favorite things that he made! He couldn't eat a lot of sweets so he would eat his buttered with a fried egg cut up into it, and I like it that way, too--although I have been known to use syrup, or jam/jelly on it, too! I make fried mush every now and then, and I also like just the soft, warm mush with butter, salt and pepper. Only myself and one of my cousins eat fried mush--the rest of the family turns up their noses to it--which means more for me! LOL! Thanks for stirring up such lovely memories Tipper; Celebrating Appalachia is always a treat for me!

[@debd353]

My Mom grew up eating mush. She was born in 1935, and was raised in central Pennsylvania. She never made it for us, though. But she did cook scrapple for us. Scrapple is "scraps" of pork and spices with mush. It's wonderful fried up crispy with eggs for breakfast.

[@dj393]

Love scrapple.

[@deltas4114]

Nice memories, in the 60s my Uncle Joe made us fried mush with syrup for breakfast. He spent his work life on the river, they'd have cornmeal mush for dinner, then slice up the leftovers for breakfast. 👍👍...he told us they were pancakes, they were so good. Thank you.

[@bobkluck9691]

My Granny was Italian, came here thru Brazil, then picked cotton in Mississippi, then Detroit factories.... She always spoke fondly of polenta... It was good, I'm making your fried style this weekend. Thanks very much for sharing your life with us.

[@annesweeney5552]

Amen .. I’ll second that Bob

[@tennesseesmoky9012]

“Cornmeal Flat Cakes” fried up in my grand-maw’s kitchen. She used a large cast iron skillet and I’m sure she used bacon grease she had saved in that old JFG coffee can. She would add butter and homemade fruit preserves most of the time. I always loved the strawberry or the peach preserves, they would make anything taste good to a little boy. She would also sometimes use leftover mashed potatoes to make fried “potato cakes” for us. We would add sorghum or maple syrup to those. I haven’t had a fried “Cornmeal Flat Cake” in many years. Thanks for stirring up those precious memories. - Tennessee Smoky

[@lynnclark4208]

You have a way with words Sir. 👍🙋

[@adamhawkins3036]

Your starvin me to death my good man...i miss my grandmas cookin but shes 98 yrs old and ain't able to cook anymore..she made us potato cakes I hadn't ever tried with sorghum tho ive never hat corn flat cakes either that sounds good i was raised on a small farm in South east TN at the foot of Starr Mt we raised everything with feathers we just didn't garden a whole lot my cousin a couple mile down the road had a little more land than us about 34 acres they raised hogs mostly so i always got good homeade bacon n sausage for breakfast and the hens n roosters i had we had good brown eggs....i miss my farm

[@debbieomi]

mmmmm Potato cakes! Several times a month, my mom would make extra mashed potatoes so she could make us potato cakes for breakfast. She made two kinds, a sweeter version which we topped with maple syrup, and a savory version with minced onion, salt and pepper, and some garlic powder. Those savory cakes were only made as a supper side dish and we melted butter and maybe added some gravy if available. Once in awhile, we had sour cream and a dollop was a great treat. Thanks for sparking that memory!

[@SgtAl]

I have almost the exact same memories from eating at my maw maw's. My grandmother was a truly phenomenal cook and could make anything from scratch. I wish I had the sense to pay attention and learn some of it.

[@murlthomas2243]

We always put sugar and cream on our mush. When Daddy made fried cornmeal mush, he fried it in bacon grease and used maple syrup on it. We loved it fried, and he made it on Saturdays so mom could sleep in.

[@11UncleBooker22]

Great demonstration, I love mush w/ any topping, still eat it. A Yankee cousin of mine in Akron, Ohio told me once that she'd never eaten grits or fried catfish. I was shocked as she had grown up around the huge number of transplanted southerners who had moved to Akron to work in the tire shops in the early 1900's. She went on to ask: "How many grits do you get on a plate per order?" I answered: "Like 3,000."

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

😀

[@gustyattaway6419]

I had a person ask "what is a grit?"I ordered hashbrowns.I still laugh at that memory,from that tiny diner in PA.

[@colleen4574]

I love fried corn meal mush. It's just like you said, it bring so many memories back from childhood. My mom made it for us. I love it with maple syrup. Mine is a little more set up, maybe less water. Sometimes a little dusting of flour can help the outside brown up. Thanks for sharing.

[@mollyfederle3604]

Oh Tipper I love fried Mush! This video makes me so hungry for it and I will make it Monday!! ❤ mom would make it for us as a special treat before school of for us on meatless Friday dinners! Her recipe was a little different than the one you made! She said you could use white or yellow cornmeal! I buy Quaker’s Yellow Cornmeal now, it comes in a box like Oatmeal! Mom’s recipe she mixes 3/4c Cornmeal with 3/4c cold water! It mixes without clumping. Then you add 2 1/2c boiling water and 1/2-3/4tsp salt! Cook to boiling stirring constantly until thickened then reduce heat and cover! Simmer 10 minutes. She then would pour into a greased 8” loaf pan, cover then refrigerate! The next day she would release from loaf pan and cut into 1/2” slices! She would coat the slices of Mush with flour to fry a crispy light brown in Butter! Once cooked the slices were served with warmed Maple Syrup or the BEST treat of all was if she had the fruit flavored Smucker’s Blueberry or Strawberry Syrup which were the favorite of mine and my sisters! Yummy!

[@papaw5405]

To me cornmeal mush is a savory dish. A little salt and pepper is all it needs. You can put pork liver and some spices in it and you have livermush. There are grits and there are grits. Most of the grits you find in stores are nothing but coarse ground cornmeal. But if you look around you can find hominy grits. Hominy grits are made from dried and ground hominy. Hominy is, of course, made from corn but the process that turns corn into hominy makes nutrients available that the human body cannot get from cornmeal. If you look on your cornmeal bag it says "enriched". That means the nutrient niacin has been added. Back in the early part of the last century people developed a horrible condition called pellagra because most of their diet consisted of corn and corn products. Corn has niacin in it but the human digestive system cannot extract it. So people went crazy and refused to eat. Many were sent to mental institutions because their families couldn't handle them. They were basically sent there to die. Most of them wouldn't or couldn't eat so they died of starvation. Then some doctor started studying the causes of pellagra and discovered that people from the rural south were more like to develop the disease. When he started studying their diet he found that a large part of what they ate was corn. That lead to the discovery that niacin, or lack thereof, what the culprit. The Native Americans had been living on a diet that also included a lot of corn for millennia. So, what was the difference? The Indians soaked their corn in lime water to remove the tough outer husk, which in essence is, hominy. They ate it as hominy as we know it but they also dried it and ground it into a coarse grind to make what we call hominy grits or a finer grind called masa or corn flour. The process the Indians used to make their hominy released the niacin so that their bodies could use it. So hominy, hominy grits, corn tortillas and the like don't have to be "enriched" although they often are. Our government requires that milled corn be enriched with not only niacin but also iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin and folic acid. They only require folic acid in masa.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Fascinating! Thank you Papaw!!

[@libbylauderdale1382]

This was very fascinating.

[@karenthesheepgirl1909]

I did not know that. It's amazing how little we know about what we eat. I am not a fan of mush but I DO love it fried. Just yesterday I had turnip greens and some fried slices. I call it corn pone but i am not sure if that is the right term. Sure do love it though.

[@deeannkirby8425]

@@karenthesheepgirl1909 a

[@laceybanter5937]

Very informative! Thank you

[@inthrutheoutdoor5849]

Oh my gosh. My Dad was born and bred in Appalachia in Pennsylvania. He moved to New Jersey for work, met my Mom, and raised us on corn meal mush and fried it. Us kids liked it fried better cause with some salt on it, it tasted just like Fritos chips.I still make it sometimes and remember Dad. It's funny how some things can bring you back to your childhood...

[@darlingusa2pettee57]

My dad sometimes let leftover grits solidify and fry slices of that in bacon grease. We often had grits with bacon and eggs for breakfast. My brothers always mixed their grits up with the scrambled eggs. They seemed to want to eat and run and I thought it was because they had fun things to do. Late on in life, I realized it was because whoever was left at the table was called on to do the dishes. Dang, I was slow to catch on. 😆

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

😀

[@contactjoy4140]

My dad used to make mush, cooked and fried. No mush ever tasted as good to us kids as my dad's mush, with Light Karo Syrup on it or Aunt Jemima Syrup. Dad was able to fry the perfect amount of crisp on the mush. One of my favorite memories of sitting at the kitchen table, watching Dad standing at the stove, frying mush for all of us. My parents have been gone since 1983 and 1985. Both were amazing cooks. We still miss them everyday. Sturdy Christian's raised on farms in Ohio they both taught us work ethic. I'll be 76 on Sept. 11 but neither of them saw 70. My brothers and their wives are in their 80s. Thank-you for your fabulous channel. It's terrific! 07.28.22

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Such wonderful memories-they sound just great 😀

[@dr.froghopper6711]

We ate a lot of cornmeal mush when I was a kid. I love it but haven’t had it in years. But my darling bride of over 41 years grew up eating grits and we almost always fry the leftovers in bacon grease. She refrigerates it to good and thick and then slices it to about 1/4” thick. She dries the slices off pretty dry and then dredges it in corn starch. Makes for a crispy crust that I really love. I’m gonna ask my wife to make me some mush! It’s a childhood favorite. I love making cornbread too so we have the meal! Heck, I might make it myself. I know how it’s done, just haven’t done it. Thanks for the reminder!

[@cindakellogg1307]

I love corn meal mush! My best friend Marcy, I loved staying all night with her because Grandma Opal would make us mush for breakfast. What a treat! She would fry it then put syrup on it...so good. I would ask my mother to make it and she never would...said it made too much of a mess when frying it! Thanks Mom! I used to make it for my kids and they loved it. Grandma Opal used to dust hers in flour...so I did, also.

[@Angie-bl5bx]

Scrapple is one of my favorites. It's pretty much corn meal mush with bits of pork thrown in and then fried. 😋 My grandma and mom used to make it all the time. Imma going to have to make me some soon.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Sounds really good 😀

[@lisaoreilly8815]

I actually never had that until I met my husband. His family was from Pennsylvania.

[@MrSleepwalkingawake]

That is NOT scrapple, lol

[@patneal3071]

My mother and a aunts often made what they called boiled dressing and was primarily the same concept as the much. They, however, added the cornmeal to boiling ham broth which had bits of ham in it from boiling a ham bone. They would add finely chopped green onions and cook til cornmeal was smooth and creamy. Oh my, was it ever good! I've attempted to make it a couple of times over the years but, needless to say, it wasn't nearly the same as I had growing up.

[@valorica3210]

@@MrSleepwalkingawake then what is scrappel?

[@phyllisbell8698]

With sugar and milk in a bowl, or fried with butter & syrup, and an over easy egg on top. On school mornings, I made breakfast for myself and my 3 younger sisters. We would have a bowl of cornmeal mush, or we'd have oatmeal with peaches, that Mom had processed and frozen. On weekends, Mom made a combination of fried mush, eggs and bacon, biscuits and gravy.

[@graceandglory1948]

In the 1950's, they had stores that everyday people went to shop..the butcher, the baker, etc. My dad would do our shopping like that, and he would bring home a rectangle block of this. He would cut it, fry it, and pour syrup over it. I loved it! Thanks so much for bringing back this wonderful memory. I will definitely make this. BTW...just made our second batch of your Chocolate oatmeal cookies..the non bake. My husband came in and made a point to remind me there were only two left.😀 It's a keeper 😊.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

That is wonderful 😀

[@kkranch2401]

When I was young we were on hard times and ate cornmeal mush often, both as a mush and fried. We loved eating fried mush with beans and side meat, if we had any, drenched in the pot liquor. My mother was from Oklahoma and her style of cooking was so similar to yours. In fact I almost aced your vocabulary quiz as mom used these terms also. Except for the looking at beans, she would always say "picking" the beans which meant the same exact thing. I'm 70 years old and my only living brother is 84 and we both enjoy your videos so much. It brings back memories of our mother and the more simple times in our lives. Those times were certainly hard but I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. Thanks for all the wonderful videos. God bless.

[@raeboyd5596]

And God bless you!

[@Sweetpea1128]

I love corn meal mush. It’s one of those things my Dad grew up eating during the Depression and carried over into his adulthood. He shared his love of it with me when I was little. As an adult, when he came to visit me twice a year from Texas, we would have fried corn meal mush. We put butter and maple syrup on it. 🥰

[@scottclay4253]

If I want to make my wife happy I bring her fried cornmeal mush. I slice it thin and fry it in butter until it is crispy. It takes a looong time to crisp. Served with butter and maple syrup. Boiled mush unsweetened serve with a bit of butter melting on top brings a smile to her face as well. If brings back go memories from her youth. Thank you for sharing, Tipper. You and yours are a national treasure.

[@S.Kay.Steffy]

I’ve mentioned before that I was born and raised in Southern California….but I have mid west and eastern Tennessee and West Virginia grandmas and aunties. I am always amazed at how many recipes you cook that I grew up with. Even your ‘vocabulary’ tests with the girls bring back memories because I grew up with many of those words too. We would have the fried mush cooked in butter and put maple syrup on it…. As kids we loved it. Haven’t had it in a while but the memories are nice 💕

[@mebpratt859]

My favorite breakfast food served with maple syrup along with thick cut bacon. Mother made mush from scratch out of stone ground cornmeal (a coarser grind) to fry. I still make it for myself sometimes. We used molasses with buckwheat pancakes. I eat grits, on the dry side, with butter as a breakfast cereal or sometimes that will be my supper. Thank God for good basic Appalachian food.

[@kathygomez99]

My Dad and I were just talking about this my last visit home! He told me in great detail how my granny would make this for breakfast, he said that she fried it and they put honey on it! He also said they had it as part of dinner sometimes ! I’m so happy you posted this next time I go home for a visit I’ll make him some fried mush! Thank you so much!

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

That's great 😀

[@davidbartlette3337]

When I was a kid, I'm 63 now we had corn bread and for some reason we called it Johny cake here in Michigan. We had it hot with milk and a sprinkle of brown sugar on top and we loved it .

[@jillowen8082]

My father in law would want cornmeal mush with liver & onions. Always said his mama made the mush for breakfast or to stretch a good supper.

[@neilschipper3741]

I'm one of the older ones I grew up eating fried mush for breakfast. Back in the 1950s you could get it in the grocery store. It came in a box like the Velveeta does today. Mother would fry the bacon then the marsh and then the eggs all-in-one big old iron pan. Now I have a hankering for fried mush, thank you!

[@wildasl1774]

Being ethnically Italian, we ate polenta. It's the same as cornmeal mush. It could be served creamy of fried. Fried polenta is very tasty with tomato sauce (which might seem strange to those used to eating it as a sweet breakfast dish). In any event, it's rather filling, and a great meal in the colder weather up here in Western New York.

[@karaporterfield7513]

I lived in Pittsburgh and all the bob Evans restaurant s had fried mush . We also had diners who served the fried with maple syrup. That was the only time we got to eat the fried mush. I loved getting some mush when we would go out. I love you. And your family. God bless you and your family. Jesus bless you and your family.

[@MrsNerfyattheendoftheworld]

Yes! This seems to be the fried cornbread I mentioned the other day. My mom always just fried it by the spoonful until it was dark and crunchy on the outside, but it was definitely creamy and what my boys call "guwy" on the inside. It was always a supper dish for us, usually with a pot of beans that had been in the crock pot all day. Wonderful memories!!!

[@monamartin3022]

I remember my Mom making the fried cornmeal mush when I was a child. We ate it with sorghum molasses. IF there was any leftovers, which was rare, we would have some as an afternoon snack, when we got home from school. There was 8 of us, plus our parents, so Mom did a lot of baking breads, canning, and she sewed all our clothes. Washed with a wringer washer, hung clothes on the line in any weather, except rain. We 5 girls did most of the clothes washing, and ironing. Cleaned house always on Saturdays. I'm almost 74 years old, and love watching your channel. By the way , I'm from Missouri. Mom cooked a lot of your recipes. SOOOO good.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

So glad you enjoy our videos! Thank you for sharing those memories 😀

[@allisonroyal315]

My grandma made us cream of buckwheat when I was a kid and I loved it! The recipe was very similar to this one. She would serve it with fresh butter & real maple syrup... I secretly loved when there were any lumps. I still crave it :) Thank you so much for this video!

[@marioangel7982]

Not only the way you talk, but what you talk...your family is blessed to have you..and some KZbin viewers..

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@jonathanbriefcase2748]

Hello… I must say that your combination of encyclopedic knowledge of your part of Appalachia, plus your ease of delivery sharing stories of family and friends, makes for such a pleasant and informative time on your channel’s video archive. It’s very fortunate to have fine folk like you on KZbin. Truly, thank you, and God bless ✨

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Wow, thank you!

[@sharonmccallister7957]

My grandmother had taught my mother to make fried mush so I remember it very well being something we ate quite often. I make it and my husband likes it too. I slice mine and flour it slightly and fry it in a combination of bacon drippings and oil. I pour it into bread pans like you did after cooking following the directions on the cornmeal box. The best way to eat is eith homemade syrup. Put water and brown sugar and a small amount of white corn syrup in a pan and boil to desired consistency. It thickens as it cools. Use when still warm A pinch of salt if desired can be added to syrup.

[@metalsomemother3021]

Imagine my surprise when I saw "polenta" as an exotic dish in a restaurant only to find out that it is corn meal mush.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

😀

[@darlingusa2pettee57]

lol, and those who eat polenta think grits are gross. We live and learn.

[@kristinbozeman5458]

I just love your videos Tipper. I’m from MS but so many of the things you share are part of my heritage here in central Ms as well. My life was heavily influenced by my Mamaw and the memories we share are just magical. She is 76 and came over yesterday and helped me put up rotel, and squash relish, and peas, and other things. We had the very best time. I even snuck a video and some pictures of her while we were working. I feel so out of place being a 31 year old mama to 3 youngins, I love to preserve, and homemake, garden, and homeschool my babies but watching your channel helps me feel connected to other like minded ladies who still hold the old ways and keep to them old paths. I would love a cabin tour of your home. It’s beautiful and love to see all your gardens out side and nature. ❤️

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you! So glad you still have her 😀

[@thegreatowl4912]

My Grammaw would make this regularly. Although, she called it "plain 'ol muush". I guess she called it that cuz it wasn't pork based like pawnhaus or scrapple. Either way, it was amazing! I haven't thought of this in many years. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@kathybrown3964]

I loved fried mush. I put honey comb honey on it. If I remember correctly my mama would fry it real crusty or crunchy. I love any corn dish put on the table whether it be corn bread, fried mush, hominy, grits, fried corn, or fresh corn. I love to watch your vlogs and all the history of Appalachia. Love your girls too. They are so sweet.

[@rhondabutler4172]

I’ve heard of this but have never had this but I dearly love grits so I imagine I would like this too. Thanks for the lesson Tipper! FYI…it’s been snowing here in NW Oklahoma for 24 hours now. It’s just beautiful. I wish you were here since you like snow as much as I do!! Sure makes me appreciate the fireplace even more!🔥❄️

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Glad you're getting snow!! We got a ton of rain over night the back yard is a lake 😀

[@hollycook2048]

I'm from Idaho country. My mother fixed cornmeal mush pretty regularly. She would wet the cornmeal before putting it into the boiling water. Mom would measure out the cornmeal and put some of the water measure into it and stir it to get the cornmeal wet. She would let the water and cornmeal sit for a few minutes so that the meal had absorbed the water. When the water was at a full rolling boil, she would stir in the wet cornmeal; stirring constantly. It would never get lumpy. We ate it with butter and sugar with milk in a glass. When she fried it, she used bacon fat. She would make milk gravy with some of the bacon fat, and that's what we ate it with. Lots of memories came flooding back while watching this episode. 😋

[@RandBWallace]

It's amazing how many traditions that Appalachia and the Ozarks share; it must be attributable to the migration patterns of early America. We ate mush for breakfast with sorghum and cream and what was left was poured into empty vegetable cans to set up. Later, it was slid out of the can, sliced about 1/2 inch thick in pretty rounds, and fried in leftover bacon grease. Sunday breakfast was often eggs, bacon or sausage, fried mush, and biscuits - enough to keep us through chores and until church let out at noon.

[@kristinwright6632]

I've been thinking that lately as well, Bobbie. I grew up in Albuquerque but my family for generations back are from southern MO. I didn't grow up with southern favorite such as grits but I did know some of the foods I grew up with were distinctly MO. Now after all the foods I've seen on this channel that are exactly like what I knew as a kid I am also thinking MO got part of its food culture from Appalachia.

[@RandBWallace]

@@kristinwright6632 What part of MO? I grew up in Pulaski County - our family goes back there to the 1840s.

[@raeboyd5596]

You are so right. Im in Texas but grew up on a farm in central Ohio, and my great grandpa was an Irish immigrant who moved from Pennsylvania in 1848 to central Ohio and was a barn builder who built most of the barns in Crawford and Wyandot county. My brothers didn't want to farm and moved to Texas to work for a company that they still work at 40 years later. I ended up in Texas because I married a man who worked in the oil field business. But I hate the heat and fire ants and have fond memories of growing up on a farm with hogs, dairy, chickens, a half acre garden, apple orchard, 2 cherry trees, rhubarb and fields of corn beans and wheat.

[@margaretthomas8318]

I grew up in West Virginia and we ate mush because we were poor and there were 5 kids with only my Dad working. We always ate it in a bowl with homemade butter. I'm so thankful that I grew up when and how I did. We had a farm and had plenty of pork and chickens and later on cows to butcher too. I'm only 66, but a lot of today's kids don't get to experience catching a chicken and watching momma cut their heads off. We helped pluck the feathers , and I'll never forget that nasty smell dipping them in and out of scalding water. And sometimes she'd have to scorch the pin feathers. Country life is good and it's hard work, but it teaches appreciation. Now I think I'm going to have to cook some mush tomorrow. Thank you for the recipe.

[@Jevea]

I love mush fried. I always put a slice of cheddar cheese on top of mine right before it is done. Let it melt and run down the side. My husband loves honey on his. I usually use bacon grease to fry it in. I just like the way it tastes. Been eating this since I was old enough to chew. 64 years and counting.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Sounds so good!

[@TrishSzymanskiArtist]

First generation European refugee, German and polish background here. We were not raised on corn because my German mother was not familiar with it, you fed corn to the pigs in Germany when she was growing up. But she came to understand that our corn was different, so she served it as a vegetable among one or two others sometimes. I have learned to love corn in all of its forms. I have a sack of coarse ground corn, and you have reminded me that I need to cook that up special.

[@nancyoffenhiser4916]

Tipper, you made some very happy memories for me today. My dad used to make mush for me and we would have it for breakfast. Thanks so much!!

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Glad you enjoyed the video 😀

[@roserollins9800]

She sure did for me too memories of 70yrs ago

[@shawnaweiss5407]

I ate this as kid all the time with mother’s homemade sugar syrup. Runny and hot. She made a large pot of cornmeal and layered in a cookie sheet and put in fridge over night. Cut in squares and fried it in bacon grease in the morning before school. I still love it.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@__seeker__]

I’ve never had this dish, however I grew up eating something made in identical fashion but with ground oat flour instead of corn. It’s made exactly the same way - either as a thinnish porridge or set up, sliced and fried. My ancestors were Scottish so I’m sure that’s where it comes from. Scots love oats. I’ll have to give this one a try. Thank you so much for what you do.

[@MissTippiLu]

@Manzo. That sounds like goetta to me. Still very popular in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

[@jonberry5816]

Funny coincidence. I'm at home recovering from everybody's favorite virus and my sweet wife brings me in a "treat" for breakfast, Fried cornmeal mush with syrup!!!! She picked it up from my family, who have been enjoying it as a rural winter meal, in Appalachia, for generations. I love the flavor and the tradition. I currently live in the Ozarks of Arkansas.

[@haroldarmstrong8285]

Watching you fry this Tipper makes me think if my Mom could have known you; she would have loved knowing you. You remind me so much of her. Boy, that mush looks wonderful. Thanks

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

I would have loved to have known her too 😀

[@beverlylynn7097]

Such fond memories. In the evening after supper, when we would see my dad get the yellow cornmeal container out, we knew we were in for a fine farm breakfast in the morning. He would always make the mush, and in the morning mom would fry fresh side pork. Then slice the solid mush and fry it in the pork fat. We would have fried potatoes with onions. And eggs. Maple syrup poured over the mush and that was a feast to us. Did not have it often as the expense for mom and dad. But it was sure a treat when we did have it. Thanks for the memories of this. I still love fried cornmeal mush.

[@suedoran4521]

My grandma made scrapple. I loved it. Have you made that too? I think it is a variation on plain mush. She made it by boiling pork bones and then would pick off the meat in little pieces and use the broth and meat as the liquid for the mush. She would congealing it in a loaf pain and then cut slices like you did and fry in bacon grease and then serve either with syrup or just with a little salt sprinkled on.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

I've never made it but would like to 😀

[@freddycookjr.2164]

what cut of pork did she use ?

[@suedoran4521]

I’m not sure but there were just little bits of meat so I am thinking they were maybe bones she had cut off of pork chops and then simmered then extracted the little bits of meat when tender enough to get off the bone. They were young marrieds during the depression and lived on the farm and made use of every little scrap. Even when more affluent and not living on the farm grandma used every little bit and hated waste plus it was just really good! Her homemade pork breakfast sausage was so amazing!!

[@christophergoen4042]

My Dad made scrapple. I think it had organ meat in it.

[@raeboyd5596]

I had forgotten all about that. Yes my Gramma came to our house alot and she would save the broth of chicken for dumplings and pork broth for mush! The solids, like gold skimmed off the top.

[@BabyPrincess687]

Very pleasantly surprised to see this video. Where I'm from (Romania) polenta is still a very popular food. We make it a lot thicker than you did and use it instead of bread. So anything you can imagine eating with bread, we could have with a piece of polenta instead. Borsch, sour cream, cheese, fried meat, stew, french fries, cooked vegetables, you name it. A very popular one is polenta with fried fish and garlic sauce. Also with milk or jam.

[@thirdrockjul2224]

Cornmeal mush fried and topped of with butter. Yum! ❤️

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you for watching 😀

[@yvonnelapalme5743]

Lived in Colorado my whole life but just love ❤️ this channel. I have a heart for Appalachia

[@bakerbaggertagger]

For years my Mother made what she and her family called fried mush. Years later I saw on a cooking show that what we were actually having was called scrapple. (mush containing meat scraps and boiled in broth) chilled, sliced and fried. Mom made this when she did a pork roast. When she sliced it she lightly dredged it in seasoned flour. It made it lightly browned and was crispy. We had it with eggs. (dippy)I loved it! My parents ate it with syrup too. Tasty!

[@raeboyd5596]

Gosh I forgot all about that! Yes! My Gramma would save any broth, if it was chicken she would make sliced potatoes and dumplings, if it was bean or meat broth she would make mush! No wonder it was so tasty!

[@clintromine802]

I eat this dish as a porridge all the time. My dads mother was from the south. From Tennessee ( not sure I spelled that correctly 😊) I put butter, vanilla, sugar & cinnamon, in the boiling water with the cornmeal but basically it is the same as your corn mush. My wife’s family (Ukrainian’s) have a cornmeal dish done in a slow cooker that is similar, it has heavy cream in it though. It is called Nachingka. It’s absolutely heavenly but has to be made with very fine ground cornmeal. 🤤 yummy! I’m watching your videos from southeast Saskatchewan, Canada by the way, I really love em too.

[@SongbirdCollageArts]

This reminds me of fried polenta! So delicious, warming and filling. True home cookin'!~

[@justjan147]

I'm 50 years old and have grown up in South central Kansas. My father's side of the family came from Russia through Canada to the panhandle of Oklahoma, with my paternal grandfather moving to SC Kansas with his bride. He was a first-generation American. My paternal grandmother's people came from Oklahoma with their migration from the east coast. My maternal grandparents came from Europe and settled in several different states. They fought in the American Revolutionary War. Some made their way to Kansas on travels through Kentucky. I cannot trace any family to Appalachia, but surprisingly, the foods my maternal grandmother made and taught me to make I've found have a connection to either Appalachia or southern foods found in Georgia. I grew up eating mush and to this day love it. I can recall what a special treat it was to make the mush Friday night after we'd eaten our supper in anticipation of breakfast Saturday morning. I've never seen a corn meal mix (what you use for your cornbread) on any of our grocery store shelves. We had a coarse grind deep yellow corn meal in a round cardboard container, like what oats are packaged in, that we bought strictly for two dishes, one is fried mush and the other to use as a coating for frying fish. We would get up on Saturday morning to the smell of bacon frying on the stove. Mom or Dad would be at the stove and after they were done with the bacon they'd pour off the excess grease into a jar for later use and would slice the solid mush into 1 inch thick pieces. They'd cook it until golden brown on both sides, and we'd enjoy 2 pieces with maple syrup and 1 or 2 slices of crispy bacon. A quick note about the syrup. We were poor growing up so if we were out of store bought syrup we'd take brown sugar, water and the mapleine flavoring, cook it up on the stove until the sugar had dissolved and hopefully was thicker than the water we'd added. 😆 It didn't always work out that way. But that was our homemade syrup. To make the soft mush, we would use malt-o-meal or cream of wheat topped with syrup or sugar and milk. To this day, I still eat both, and they are fairly inexpensive and very filling. I'm so glad you shared these recipes. Thank you! ❤️

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you for sharing!! So glad you enjoyed this one 😀

[@betsyspeer1509]

I grew up on mush, not homemade but store bought in a chub packaging, always fried of course. We never added any toppings, but mush was always served with Goetta, a meat and grain sausage that has German roots. Nana made this with pork shoulder, pinhead oatmeal, onion and lots of pepper. We all loved it so much! I can remember Nana frying as many skillets as my brothers would eat. It was a treat! I have another question for you. I read an article about Appalachian Truffles, Tuber Canaliculatum. The article hailed them as the latest truffle craze. I wondered if you had ever heard of them or used them in your recipes. The article said that people searching for them had used their dogs to sniff them out like they use pigs in Europe. The article was very flattering about the flavor. Just curious, love you vlog!

[@sonyafox3271]

I am originally from Cincinnati and, that’s where the predominantly the area is German descent, including my dad’s as well. Cincinnati, OH where they have companies manufacture Goetta. I grew- up on Gieler’s Goetta! Which is the best brand out there. I also was given a recipe on how to make it.

[@scarfaceson2011]

if you eat Goetta, you either have German heritage and or have lived in the Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, southeast Indiana area. Glier's is made here in Covington, Ky. They sell a lot of the Goetta in stores by various manufacturers in chub packaging. Great food but most people have never heard of it outside this area. Maybe made and sold in pensylvania and other German areas.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you! I have never head of them I will have to check them out 😀

[@WhatAWonderfulNameItIs]

I read an article, just today, about the truffles in Appalachia.

[@michaelr.2428]

I have to say, I really enjoy your videos. I'm from NY, and never been to Appalachia, but from the way you talk about your cooking and your family, we just might be related. There's nothing better than having beautiful memories of our families and the Great food that brought us together. Thanks for the fine food and memories.

[@cdow7206]

Tipper, I love your videos and all the great cooking on your channel. I just wanted to suggest a video where you go over all the cast iron cookware that you have; the brands, sizes, how you acquired them (and any other great stories you might have regarding them) and what you use them for (lots of cast iron junkies out here). Keep up the great work it is very much appreciated…C

[@suew6264]

My mom would make cornmeal mush and also would make pancakes out of it and serve it both with syrup. I also have to add my mom would make Cornmeal Gravy. She would stretch the flour by adding cornmeal in its place. The gravy was used for a hearty breakfast always served over fresh biscuits. Tipper your videos are wonderful for you are making me realize just how Appalachian my family was. Thank you for that.

[@cordiscoscorner]

After watching dozens of news stories and commenting on them for my KZbin channel, I come here to watch REAL Americans. You guys are my safety valve to the craziness that surrounds us. Thank You and God Bless.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

I appreciate that John thank you 😀

[@brianmoore5752]

My Mom used to make mush when I was younger. I made it today and put salt , pepper and some shredded cheddar cheese. I let it set up and fried it in butter and olive oil. It was delicious. Thanks for reminding me of it. I like your channel and hope you’ll keep up the good content.

[@LifeOfAStan101]

I'm 25 and LOVE mush! Both sides of my family have history with it. I kinda want some now tbh 🤣

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

😀

[@traceyfox7759]

I'm from Southern Wisconsin and my mom made fried cornmeal mush often. I always liked it, but sometimes it was awe do we have to have this again. Well as an adult I told my mom that was one thing from my childhood that I missed (I'm not 60 yet). My moms response was, well make it. So now I do, and I even turned my husband on to it. We both love it and we like to drizzle maple syrup over them.

[@stevieray7203]

YUM fried in bacon grease with some syrup 😋

[@karaporterfield7513]

Thank you for answering my comments. I love you and your stories. I appreciate you

[@joedressler9870]

Great video ! I'm from PA and my Mom would make corn meal mush often. We ate it both ways, in a bowl or fried. Now we had roasted corn meal from a local mill. We used King's Syrup a lot. Yes, every now and then I get a bag of roasted corn meal and make some. Thank you for sharing about corn meal mush !! Certainly brought back good memories.

[@sandrarhorer6184]

I think we just called it fried grits, which I loved with butter and cane syrup. I was born in 53 and remember my mom cooking from about age 4. She had me baking around 6. You bring back so many memories. Thank you❤️

[@garybrunet6346]

Another great example of feeding your family with limited resources. Thank you for educating us about Appalachian life, then and now!😊🇨🇦

[@patrickmcglamery3224]

We ate this often, but always for supper with milk gravy. With five kids, it was a special meal. My father would have made it up, probably the day before. He would also dredge the slabs in flour with salt and pepper. We all loved it and clamored for more. Gave Mom a break and always great to see Daddy cooking and having fun.

[@jencrecelius3565]

This definitely takes me back to a fond memory from my childhood here in southern NJ, thank you! I had never eaten or heard of this before but we had an elderly neighbor that made this for me (fried) once when I stopped over, she was really like another grandmother :) I couldn't have been older than 7 or 8, but I still remember her letting me try it with some syrup. Have never had it since that one time but think maybe I'll give it a go myself sometime soon!

[@douglasfrank9323]

My mother often talks about having cornmeal mush as both a porridge and fried. When I was a child she would buy a slab of mush from the butcher that she would slice at home and fry for our breakfast, it was served with dark corn syrup. In our area of PA we had a company that used toasted corn to make their cornmeal. Had a very different flavor from white cornmeal. I still occasionally make mush.

[@ShineyPenny654]

I am from Indiana. My mom grew up in the 40's and ate fried mush. She fixed it for us as kids. We used to get the mush that came in a log, like sausage. I've never had homemade mush. I might have to try to make some

[@gscrafty4801]

My Nana made the fried mush all the time. She used less water when cooking the mush so it was firmer. She also would lightly dredge them in cornmeal before frying in bacon grease. So crisp and wonderful on the outside and a creamy yet firm inside. Still cook it for myself.

[@happyrapture1370]

I grew up having corn meal mush for breakfast, cooked like oatmeal with butter and sugar. I served it to my kids sometimes as well. I enjoyed this video, along with all the memories in the comments. thank you and God bless

[@andoraevans5128]

I was so tickled when I saw this on my YT feed! I grew up in Ohio and can relate to so many things you've talked about. Fried cornmeal mush was such a treat when I was little.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you for watching!

[@lindapetersen1800]

Bought some cornmeal for myself but I have corn in a lot things since I am gluten free and corn brings up the sugar levels in the blood system !!! So I watch what I eat with corn but that sure does look good !!! I make hot rice cereal for night time and let it get thicker and then fry it sometimes !!! Have sugar with some cinnamon on that like a cake piece in the morning !!! I know I said about sugar in the blood system but all in all I start out with 3/4 cup of sugar and it last me for 3-4 months for baking coffee and other things in the kitchen !!! But I sure do love my sweet taters !!! Baked or baked as fries for putting into ketchup !!!

[@northman9843]

My mom used to make this for me. I loved it. I miss you mom. You are in my heart.

[@alexandriatownsend119]

I'm glad you mentioned Polenta, because that's what this is. I'm sure it came to Appalachia with immigrants, which is cool. I am from Chicago and I grew up with polenta. I prefer the fried version because I like when it gets crispy and I think it's a bit more versatile. This is an Italian staple. It's fascinating to know how places are so far away from one another, yet the people still have things in common. I think lean times have resulted in some of the best recipes from every culture. I am Irish American, African American and Native American. I have a mean mackerel patty recipe that's been passed down in my family and that I've tweaked and taught to my sons. Thank you for sharing and teaching me a bit about Appalachia.

[@lisasmith4202]

That looks very good . My mom always used plain ground corn meal cornbread . She would fry it . I loved it . Thanks for bringing back good memories and showing me how to make this wonderful dish .

[@12dognight55]

My grandma was ftom Kentucky & she used to make this for me fo breakfast.verygood memories! Thank you for yhe video!!

[@LOGIKBOMBX202]

My mother fed us mush growing up in DC in the 80s. I would want to stay home from school and watch Sesame Street, it would make me so warm and comfortable in the winter. Lol No lie! Now, I’m feeding to my wife and kids. Still can’t get enough of it! Never get tired of it.

[@dianemattei9449]

My maternal grandparents were immigrants from Northern Italy in the Tuscany region. We always ate polenta as a savory option instead of pasta. We would put our homemade meat sauce over it instead of using pasta. We made it a little thicker using less water & put the meat sauce on top with fresh grated Asiago cheese on top. We fried it almost the same way you did but we always used olive oil just because that's what we always used....butter sounds good too! We had it with eggs in the morning as well with Italian sausage my Grandfather made or prosciutto (Italian ham). We also ate it for the main meal of the day with our tomato based meat sauce, also with the grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese, it was always a savory dish for us..... For any meal it was served with crusty Italian bread. My Dad's side of the family was Scotch Irish so we had biscuits too when we ate dishes from his upbringing. I loved all of it & still make it all myself. Thank you for this video, I can smell the polenta frying now.....💖🍽️💖

[@cathyburns750]

Hi Tipper! Thank you for sharing how to make mush! I love the fried mush! I usually just put butter, salt and pepper on it. So it's more on the savory side rather than sweet. My mouth is watering for some right now! Yours looks delish! I've only ever had it at Bob Evans restaurant. My dear Mom never made it. We had cream of wheat and oatmeal a lot growing up. Thanks again for sharing. I'm going to make some now that I know how easy it looks! Hugs and blessings!

[@LadyDi205]

My husband grew up eating corn mush and it was one of his favorite breakfast dishes. I’m so glad that you made this video so that I can cook it and surprise him. Thanks and as Always I enjoy your videos. 😀

[@kenminick5259]

Boy did that ever bring back wonderful memories. thank you so much.

[@lizzylonglungs]

We've made corn meal mush occasionally at breakfast over the years, one of our daughters really appreciates it. I'm glad to know that it can be fried too - gonna try it!

[@susanm1109]

My grandmother (from Tennessee) made corn meal mush all the time when I was a child in the 1950s. We ate it several ways: freshly made in a bowl with milk like a hot cereal, fried when it was freshly made, and sliced and fried the next day. My mother made it too, but not as often. I’ve gotten out of the habit of cooking it for myself, but I need to start making it again. It is delicious!

[@duckiegirl58]

I'm so excited! I grew up in S Idaho and we ate it fried all the time!!

[@susanryman9948]

Back in the 1980s I watched a woman who wrote a cookbook after spending years with the Amish and Mennonite’s. She cooked cornmeal mush that was fried along with a large amount of tomato gravy. I still make that. The gravy was sautéed onions and tomato juice flavored with celery salt and a bay leaf. A few T of brown sugar to the gravy put that over the edge. Scrumptious. After onions sautéed flour is added to thicken the gravy. Milk or cream is added to mollify the tomato acidity. You can also dredge each mush slice in dry cornmeal and then fry. Bacon grease is my favorite. That is a great meal in the winter. Or anytime! Her cooking show was on our local PBS station and her name was Marcia. I grew up watching cooking shows like French Chef and many others that enhanced my love of cooking.

[@JonCraneTV]

Tipper: I appreciate you sharing information about "mush" and the ways to eat it. My grandmother, born in 1889, used to make fried mush for us. We would have it with syrup and eggs for dinner. My mother did the same. I do it today with left-over polenta. You have brought back some great memories, thank you. Jon

[@aglenrios]

I got introduced to corn meal mush and fried corn meal mush through the Italian polenta which is the same thing. Once I sliced the solidified mush and made it into a lasagna of sorts with fried half-inch rounds of polish sausage and cheddar cheese. Then just warmed it up enough in the oven to melt the cheese. It was delicious. I suspect that sprinkling the top of fried mush slices with shredded cheese would be good on its own.