I posted this picture of mush on Facebook the other day because you know–that is what I do. Post pictures of food. Along with pictures of cats and beaches. But this picture struck a chord with some of my followers.
You see a lot of us have fond memories of eating mush. For those of you young whippersnappers who have no idea what mush is let me sing its praises.
Mush is a wonderfully formed rectangle of cornmeal goodness. My memories stem from my Grandma Bonnie and my own mom who made a great mush. It is also called cornmeal porridge in some circles but for me it was always mush. The process of making mush is very simple—the cornmeal. salt and water are cooked until a thick substance results and then this is poured into a loaf pan to “harden” or solidify. Once it is in a solid form slices are cut and the slices are pan fried until golden and crispy on the outside. I always had it smothered in butter and maple syrup but the restaurant that we found this tasty concoction at Yoder’s Restaurant and Amish Village in Sarasota, Florida offered it with a sausage or hamburger gravy served over it as well.
When I took my first bite on this morning I was transported back to my childhood and memories of eating mush with my family flooded back. Food does that sometimes, doesn’t it? A sniff or a whiff of a favorite childhood food brings back that perfect time of childhood innocence.
The mush I had at this wonderful restaurant in Sarasota was perhaps the best mush I have ever tasted. I know. It is difficult to say it was better than that of my beloved grandma or mom but I think it was. The inside was creamy and smooth and amazing. I savored every bite and even shared with Chris who agreed it was amazing.
If you are ever in Sarasota you definitely need to check out Yoder’s . We had a nice conversation with Amos Yoder- brother of the owner while we waited to be seated. There is usually a bit of a wait because it is a great place to eat but it is worth it. The day we were there we wanted to do some of the “village” and shops but it started pouring rain and we headed for the car instead of the shops with good intentions of going back later. Later got replaced with beach walking so maybe the next time we are in Sarasota we can hit it up again. I was surprised to find out that there is a huge Mennonite and Amish population in the area.
Oh and the show Man Versus Food visited Yoder’s and this little video will give you an idea of what it is all about there. He can do MUCH better videos than I can
So if you want to make your own mush for breakfast tomorrow here is a quick recipe.
1 1/4 cup cornmeal
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
- Mix the above 3 ingredients together in a pan over medium heat. Cook 5-7 minutes or until the mixture thickens.
- Pour into loaf pan and chill completely. I would recommend overnight chilling is best. Remove from pan and cut into slices.
- Pan fry in a very small amount of oil until lightly browned and crispy on both sides.
- Serve with butter and hot maple syrup.
- Enjoy!
