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The Melting Pot
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1861-1900 - Great Plains cattle drivers and frontier settlers
Corn dodgers are small, dense cakes made from cornmeal, historically used as portable food by cattle drivers and settlers in the Great Plains from 1861 to 1900.
Difficulty
Easy
Prep time
10 minutes
Cook time
20 minutes
Total time
30 minutes
Servings
6
Region
Great Plains
Era introduced
1861-1900
Introduced by
Great Plains cattle drivers and frontier settlers
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Corn dodgers served as practical portable food for cattle drivers, settlers, and soldiers during the late 19th century in the Great Plains. Made from simple cornmeal dough cooked on a griddle or skillet, they provided necessary sustenance on long journeys and at camps. Their simplicity and durability illustrate frontier ingenuity and the prominence of cornmeal as a staple in this era of American expansion and settlement.
Traditional recipe based on 19th-century accounts of frontier cooking; proportions may vary.
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