Definition

Noun A soft, moist bread or pudding made primarily from cornmeal, with a consistency so soft that it must be served and eaten with a spoon. It is a traditional dish associated with the Southern United States.

Examples of Usage

• For breakfast, she served warm spoon bread with a pat of butter melting on top.
• The restaurant's specialty is its creamy spoon bread, made with buttermilk and cheddar cheese.
• This recipe for spoon bread includes hominy, giving it a unique texture.

Advanced Usage

• As a culinary term: Spoon bread occupies a category between a savory cornmeal pudding and a quick bread. Its texture is the defining characteristic.
• Cultural context: The dish is often highlighted as a classic example of Southern American cuisine and historical cooking.

Variants and Related Words

• Batter bread: A less common synonym for spoon bread, emphasizing its pourable, batter-like consistency before baking.

Synonyms

• Corn pudding (Note: This can be very similar, but some corn pudding recipes are firmer and can be sliced.)
• Soft cornbread

Related Idioms or Phrases

• (As) soft as spoon bread: Used informally to describe something with an exceptionally soft, yielding texture.
  • After cooking for hours, the beef was as soft as spoon bread.

Noun

1. soft bread made of cornmeal and sometimes rice or hominy; must be served with a spoon (chiefly southern)