Spoon Bread History And Easy Recipe- Gluten Free Homestead (2024)

Naturally gluten free, Southern spoon bread is a delicious cross between bread pudding and a soufflé.

When you think oftruly American dishes, what comes to mind? Maybe you think of apple pie or a turkey dinner or a juicy cheeseburger.

Inlight of President’s Day, I wanted to revisit another trulyAmerican dish, a dish that was a favorite food of many of the founding fathers:spoon bread.

Ifirst encountered spoon bread at the Farnsworth House Inn in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania while ona family vacation.Interestingly, the Farnsworth House provided shelter for Confederate sharpshooters during the battle.

Over 100 bullets holes in the walls of the inn continue to remind visitors of the terrible conflict that took place there.

Harvey Sweeney, the owner of the house at the time of the battle, wrote of witnessing the parade of dignitariespass by his houseonNovember 19, 1863. They were ontheir way to a ceremony for the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery.

Prominent among them wasPresident Abraham Lincoln who would soon deliver his Gettysburg Address.

Spoon bread is served with all dinners at the Farnsworth House. When it first arrived at our table, we weren’t sure what it was.

It was served in a small cup and meant to be eaten with a spoon. It had theappearance of a mix between bread pudding and asoufflé.

Of course, our first question was “is it gluten free?” Our server assured us that it was 100% stone ground cornmeal with no wheat added. Its other ingredients consisted of eggs, salt, water, butter, milk and baking soda.

I decided to take a chanceand try it. Remember, dining out is always risky for someone who has gluten intolerance.

Even if the restaurant guarantees that the meal is 100% gluten free, there is still the risk that the food could becross contaminated in the restaurant or that the ingredients are not100% gluten free. They could have been contaminated in the processing.

As some have said, the best way to be 100% sure of no contamination of gluten when dining out is not to dine out at all. Of course, that’s not always possible.

However, the side dish was fantastic and everybody loved it.

John Egerton in his book Southern Food, quotes alover of spoon bread, writing,”A properly prepared dish of spoonbread can be taken as testimony to the perfectability of humankind.”

I may not go that far when describing it,but it definitely was delicious. And, best of all, I had no adverse reaction.

We later found out that it has a long history as a southern tradition, popular throughout Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky.

There is a pre-19th century recipe for it in The Williamsburg Cookbook: Traditional and Contemporary Recipes.

It was a particular favorite of President James Monroe, a Virginia native. It is believed that Elizabeth Monroe, the president’s wife, had a recipe for spoon bread in her kitchen.

Historians suggest that her recipe was influencedfrom Native American use of corn meal and African American cooking methods.

A recipe for spoon bread can also be found inSarah Rutledge’s 1847 cookbook,The Carolina Housewife.

If you’re fond of truly American recipes, this side dish recipe should definitely be at the top of your list.

Even though today’s fast foods seem to be making traditional fare a lot less common, spoon bread can still be found in numerous restaurants throughout Virginia and North Carolina.

There is even an annual spoon bread festival held each year in Berea, Kentucky that attracts about 25,000 visitors.

It’s usually served as a side dish. Traditionally, it’s made without sugar. Adding it is taboo amongst some of the more hard core spoon bread lovers.

However, some chefs are getting more creative and are starting to add differentingredientslike bacon and rice. Barbara hasn’t made it this way yet, but bacon always sounds good to me.

Topping it with butter seems to be a must.

Most spoon bread purists use white stone ground corn meal.

We used Arrowhead Mills gluten free organic yellow cornmeal. It’s certified gluten free. So there are no problems with gluten or cross contamination.

One note on corn. We’re not big corn eaters. We don’t have a lot of recipes which include corn on our site. Corn is still a grain and might not be the best food for those recovering from an inflamed gut.

But once in a while, you gotta make an exception and have some gluten free spoon bread.

Barbara’s amazing recipe for 100% gluten free Southern spoon bread is in the free printable recipe card available at the end of the post.

More recipes like this

Spoon Bread Recipe With Rosemary And Bacon When I wrote this post, Barbara hadn’t made it with bacon yet. But now she has! Here’s the recipe including tips to make it in individual ramekins.

Gluten Free Yorkshire PuddingWhile the name “pudding” conjures up images of a sweet, creamy dessert to Americans, puddings in British cuisine can refer to sausages, bread-like creations, or desserts. Serve smothered in gravy along with your favorite roast.

Cauliflower FlatbreadsEnjoy these flatbreads warm from the skillet and piled with your favorite toppings.

Blueberry MuffinGet your ingredients together, and you’ll be taking these gluten-free coconut flour blueberry muffins out of the oven in just 25 minutes.

Gluten free clafoutisYou’re going to love this gluten free clafoutis version of a very special rustic french treat.

SoccaYou’ll love naturally gluten-free socca, a flatbread made with chickpea flour that’s served by street vendors In the French city of Nice. Yum.