{"id":3533,"date":"2018-06-20T15:42:17","date_gmt":"2018-06-20T19:42:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/recipephany.com\/?p=3533"},"modified":"2024-11-27T11:49:30","modified_gmt":"2024-11-27T16:49:30","slug":"emergency-corn-biscuits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/recipephany.com\/?p=3533","title":{"rendered":"Emergency Corn Biscuits"},"content":{"rendered":"

Emergency Corn Biscuits lured me in with the wacky name, but they could just as well have been called Cornbread-Lovers\u2019 Biscuits.<\/p>\n

This recipe is out of the 1922\u00a0Good Housekeeping<\/em> cookbook, from an era when American housewives apparently faced corn biscuit emergencies. I tried to imagine such predicaments:<\/p>\n

\u201cHoney, the Johnsons just brought over baked beans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or: \u201cThe wrestling coach wants you to put on\u00a0how many<\/em> pounds, Jimmy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Or: \u201cHow long has this sack of cornmeal been in the pantry?\u201d<\/p>\n

But the emergency\u2014and a serious one at that\u2014was not in the American kitchen but abroad. This recipe came from World War I, when American households voluntarily conserved foods to help feed troops and save victims starving in Europe. Future president Herbert Hoover, head of the US food relief program, appealed to American patriotism and compassion with slogans like \u201cFood Will Win the War.\u201d If nutrient-rich calories were ammunition, the program made sure the US had the best-equipped infantry in the world. Americans who had enjoyed a bountiful food supply embraced campaigns like \u201cMeatless Mondays\u201d and \u201cWheatless Wednesdays,\u201d changing the way they ate. Many of these changes, including Victory Gardens, have stuck with us.<\/p>\n

Cutting back on milk, butter, eggs, sugar and other staples created challenges. And challenges promoted innovation. Good Housekeeping<\/em> magazine paid at least $1 for this original recipe published in its \u201cFor War-Time Saving and Economy\u201d column in February 1918.<\/p>\n

Emergency Corn Biscuits prove that delicious biscuits don\u2019t need milk, butter, or even much shortening\u2014just some cornmeal for flavor. There\u2019s a slight crunch as you bite in, and the tender crumb feels like a biscuit but tastes like a corn muffin.<\/p>\n

And, like so many wartime recipes, this happens to be vegan.<\/p>\n

These fun-sized biscuits encourage you to eat several at a sitting. Have them with butter, honey, or just plain. No emergency required.<\/p>\n

Emergency Corn Biscuits<\/span><\/h3>\n

from\u00a0Good Housekeeping Book <\/em>Of Menus, Recipes and Household Discoveries <\/em>(1922)\u00a0 See the whole book on the Internet Archive<\/a>.<\/p>\n