Confederate cush facts for kids

Cush is a simple but filling dish. It became popular in the Southern United States during the American Civil War. People also called it cornmeal hash. This food was important because it was easy to make with just a few ingredients.

What is Cush?

Cush is a type of hash or stew. It is often made from cooked meat, like bacon or beef, mixed with cornmeal or cornbread. Sometimes it was served like hash, which is a fried mix of ingredients. Other times, it was more like a stew with a soupy texture.

Where Did Cush Come From?

This dish likely started in the southern parts of the United States. It became known around the time of the American Civil War (1861-1865). The name "Cush" might come from a Cajun dish called couche-couche. This Cajun food is a type of fried cornmeal mush.

Why Was Cush So Popular?

Cush became very popular, especially among soldiers in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. There were two main reasons for its popularity:

• Easy to make: Soldiers could prepare it quickly, even in difficult conditions.
• Few ingredients: It didn't need many different items, which was helpful when food was scarce.

How Was Cush Prepared?

A soldier from the Confederate Army once described how they made cush. Here is a simplified version of his recipe:

• First, they would fry some bacon to get the grease out.
• Then, they would cut cold beef into small pieces and add it to the bacon grease.
• Water was poured in, and the mixture was stewed until it became soft like mash.
• Finally, they would crumble cornbread or biscuits into the mix. They would stew it again until all the water was gone.

Sometimes, if corn pone (a type of cornbread) went bad, soldiers would use it instead of fresh cornmeal. This helped them use up all their food. Even though it was usually served thick like hash, it could also be made into a stew. For the stew version, flour was sometimes used instead of cornmeal.