Cush is a dish that became popular following the

Slave Trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. It is also known as cornmeal hash.

Origin

The dish likely originated in the

southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

sometime shortly after the start of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. The name is likely derived from the Cajun dish '' couche-couche'' (fried cornmeal mush).

Popularity

The dish became popular during the American Civil War among the Confederate Army, due to the minimal amount of preparation needed to prepare it and the few ingredients required.

Preparation

A Confederate soldier gave this recipe for cush: "We take some bacon & fry the grease out, then we cut some cold beef in small pieces and put it in the grease, then pour in water and stew it like mash. Then we crumble corn bread or biscuit in it and stew it again till all the water is out. Then we have real Confederate cush." Though it was usually served with the water cooked out, in the form of hash, sometimes it was served as a stew, with flour as a substitute for the cornmeal. When

corn pone Cornbread is a quick bread made with cornmeal, associated with the cuisine of the Southern United States, with origins in Native American cuisine. It is an example of batter bread. Dumplings and pancakes made with finely ground cornmeal are st ...

went sour, it was often used in place of cornmeal.

References

{{Reflist Cuisine of the Southern United States Military food Confederate States Army