“Cornbread Harriet Tubman”

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This recipe comes from “The Historical Cookbook of the American Negro,” a fascinating cookbook compiled in 1958 by the National Council of Negro Women. The book is organized as a calendar of sorts, with recipes assigned to specific dates. Several recipes in this cookbook have particular Maryland connections, including a pie dedicated to Benjamin Banneker and “Shrimp Boat Maryland,” contributed by the Baltimore chapter of the NCNW. This cornbread recipe falls on March 10th, the day that Harriet Tubman died in 1913.

Writing a biography of Tubman to accompany this post seemed a little bit unnecessary. Harriet Tubman is undoubtedly one of Maryland’s most cherished heroes. Compared to many other figures in American history, she has a large proportion of children’s books written about her and we all grow up with a sense of familiarity with her story.

After making this cornbread I began to think about that, and I did some more research into the actual details of her heroics and her life. I would encourage others to do so – you may be surprised to find how little you truly know. 

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Harriet Tubman (left) rescued 70 enslaved people on 13 trips back to Maryland

The recipe was contributed to the book by Vivian Carter Mason, the third president of the National Council of Negro Women. Mason’s mother used to make the cornbread for “Aunt Harriet” when Tubman was visiting with the family and sharing stories with the children (including young Vivian.)

Harriet Tubman is believed to be the daughter of a cook, and it is said that she raised money selling food she made. In Beafort, SC, near the site of the Combahee raid that freed more than 750 enslaved people, Tubman “sold Union soldiers root beer, pie and ginger bread, which she baked during the night, after her day’s work,” according to an NPR story.

Reading through the various accounts of Tubman’s life will turn up many contradictions as well as a tragic paucity of information about her enslaved Maryland childhood. At the time of her death, Harriet Tubman was beginning to be forgotten, especially by the white media. In the decades following, her story and legend were built back up to suit different ideas about what makes an American hero. We would all do well to read more and get a sense of the real person behind a new face on currency. We in America love our heroes. When the heroes had been outlaws in our own unjust system the canonization is complicated. Seeking a better understanding of it may just offer a valuable lens for the present.

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Recipe:

  • 3-4 slices salt pork
  • 1 cup of plain white flour
  • 3 cups yellow conmeal
  • 1 heaping tb baking powder
  • pinch baking soda
  • enough sour milk to moisten ingredients
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tb brown sugar

Parboil salt pork (this removes some of the salt), drain & pat dry. Fry to a crisp and set the grease aside. Mix dry ingredients and add in beaten eggs followed by enough milk to make a thick batter. Cut up salt pork and add to batter, along with desired amount of pork grease (I used just under ¼ cup). Pour into well greased pan or skillet and bake at 350° until bread shrinks from sides of pan and browns/cracks on top. Serve hot buttered generously.

Recipe Adapted from “Our ‘Aunt Harriet’s’ Favorite Dish”, the Historical Cookbook of the American Negro

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