ash cake
Definition
Noun: 1. A type of cornbread: A simple bread made from cornmeal, traditionally cooked by being wrapped in leaves (such as cabbage, corn husks, or oak leaves) and baked directly in hot ashes or embers, often associated with Southern U.S. cooking.
Usage
This word is a countable noun. It refers to the specific food item itself. - The singular form is ash cake. - The plural form is ash cakes.
Examples
- For a quick meal, the pioneers would often make an ash cake over the campfire.
- She learned her grandmother's recipe for ash cakes cooked in the fireplace.
- The distinctive, slightly smoky flavor comes from baking the ash cake in the embers.
Advanced Usage
- The term is primarily historical or regional, evoking traditional, rustic methods of cooking before modern ovens were common.
- It is sometimes used synonymously with ash bread or hoecake, though preparation methods for hoecakes can differ.
Variants and Related Words
- Ash bread (n): Another term for ash cake.
- Hoecake (n): A similar type of thin cornbread, historically baked on the blade of a hoe over a fire.
- Johnnycake (n): A cornmeal flatbread, with preparation varying by region, sometimes similar to an ash cake.
Synonyms
- Corn pone (n): A simple cornbread, often baked or fried.
- Bannock (n): A flat, quick bread, often made from oat or barley meal, cooked on a griddle or in ashes.
Noun
-
corn bread wrapped in cabbage leaves and baked in hot ashes (southern)
