Pone (food)
A staple bread of the Southern United States and Thirteen Colonies.
In Trinidad and Tobago cuisine, 'pone' is a sweet dish made from grated coconut, pumpkin, or sweet potato, distinct from the corn-based bread of the Southern United States. The word "pone" likely comes from Algonquin terms such as *apan*, *oppone*, or *supawn*, meaning baked, and may relate to earlier ash cakes cooked in hot coals. A corn pone is typically a small, round loaf of cornbread, about biscuit-sized, traditionally baked in a round cast iron skillet. The batter itself could also be called corn pone. It could be thin and fried on a griddle to make johnnycakes, thicker for baked loaves (called "pone"), or shaped into dumplings—corn dodgers when dropped in stews, and hush puppies when deep fried. In the 1928 edition of *Southern Cooking* by Henrietta Stanley Dull, the term 'Hush Puppies' was already in use. Isabel Ely Lord used ash bread, johnnycake, spider cornbread, and hoe cake as synonyms for corn pone. She explained that ash bread was baked in hot fireplace ashes, protected by cabbage leaves; hoe cake was baked on a hoe in the fields or on a hoe-shaped board in the fireplace. "Pone" referred to the irregular oval shape formed by the palm of the hand in these last two methods. Johnnycake was a Northern name, usually baked in the oven.
Variations include apple pones, pumpkin pones, and sweet potato pone. The batter can be enriched with sweeteners like sugar or molasses, and spices like cinnamon, cloves, ginger, or grated orange peel, though some cooks consider added sugar a deviation from the original dish. Using milk instead of water makes it corn cake. Historical cookbooks contain hundreds of sweet potato pone variations, using rose water or orange blossom water for dessert, or served as a side for pork or wild game. Creole versions often add black pepper.
- type
- Bread
- origin
- American cuisine, Cuisine of the Southern United States
- main_ingredients
- Corn, sweet potato
- related_terms
- Corn pone, ash bread, johnny cake, spider cornbread, hoe cake
- cooking_methods
- Baked, fried, griddled, deep fried
Lore & Background
The term 'pone' most likely entered English from Algonquin language terms like apan, oppone or supawn, meaning baked, possibly related to earlier ash cakes baked in hot coals. A 'corn pone' is usually a small round loaf of cornbread, about the size of a biscuit, traditionally baked in a round cast iron skillet. The batter could be thin and fried on the griddle to make Johnny cakes, or thicker to make baked loaves, or dumplings called corn dodgers when dropped in stews and hush puppies when deep fried. The 1928 edition of *Southern Cooking* by Henrietta Stanley Dull already used the term 'Hush Puppies'.
Reader's Guide
Pone represents a foundational element of early American and Southern cuisine, reflecting the resourcefulness of colonial cooks who used simple ingredients like cornmeal and water. Its variations—ash bread baked in hot ashes, hoe cake cooked on a hoe in the fields, and johnny cake baked in an oven—show how cooking methods adapted to available tools and environments. The term 'pone' itself, derived from Algonquin languages, highlights the influence of Native American foodways on European settlers. Over time, recipes expanded to include sweeteners like sugar or molasses, spices such as cinnamon and cloves, and ingredients like sweet potato, pumpkin, and apple. The debate over whether sugar belongs in corn pone underscores the tension between traditional and adapted versions. Creole variations added black pepper, and sweet potato pone appeared in historical cookbooks as a dessert or side dish for pork or wild game. Pone's legacy endures in modern Southern cooking, where it remains a symbol of cultural blending and culinary heritage.
Did You Know?
- The term 'pone' likely entered English from Algonquin words like apan, oppone, or supawn.
- The 1928 edition of *Southern Cooking* by Henrietta Stanley Dull already used the term 'Hush Puppies'.
- Isabel Ely Lord used ash bread, johnny cake, spider cornbread, and hoe cake as synonyms for corn pone.
- Some cooks consider the addition of sugar to corn pone a deviation from 'the original dish'.
More in Trinidad and Tobago cuisine 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record