Who knew something as simple as a pan-fried corn cake could have such a long, convoluted history? Johnnycakes are now a New England staple, but different renditions of the snack have been eaten everywhere from Newfoundland to the Caribbean throughout the last few centuries. It's believed that Native Americans were the first to create the dish back in the 1600s, using the white cap flint corn they cultivated in Rhode Island. They then taught European colonists how to make them, alongside other meals using the corn crops that were plentiful in New England during that time.
Johnnycakes are almost like pancakes but are made with cornmeal rather than flour. They're typically cooked on a hot griddle or in a cast iron pan (we promise ) and they have a unique texture and subtle sweetness from the corn. There are numerous beliefs about the name of the infamous corncakes.
While they're known as johnnycakes in New England, some believe the name is derived from "Shawnee cake," named after the Native American Shawnee people who first made the dish. Others think the name originated from "journeycake," because the durable cakes were carried in saddlebags on long trips for sustenance (which is also why the lore of johnnycakes spread across the U.S.
). They're known as "hoecakes" in the southern part of the United States, and there's even an Australian twist on the recipe, so it all depends on who you ask. The inner-workings of a Rhode Island Johnnycake While there's some disagreement across t.