Photo: French bread is gorgeous. But where's the cornbread?
When we first moved to France, we noticed the French didn’t eat, or sell, fresh corn. When we asked why, we always got the same response: “Corn is for cows!”
Which immediately explained the salad I had ordered once in a Paris bistro. It was billed as an “American Salad”. Curious, I ordered it. It was a normal mixed green salad––topped with canned corn.
But there is corn for cows (or in a can), and then there is real corn. In Charleston corn is king, or rather queen. The tender, sweet Silver Queen that arrives in the summer markets is a treat like no other.
Then there’s the problem of making cornbread here. Over the years I have eventually been able to find most any product in France that I can get in the states except for two: cornmeal and grits. Both, of course, involving ground corn.
I
was excited then, when I first glimpsed the sign in the boulangerie for Pain de Maïs (corn bread). But no. Pain de Maïs is a sort of baguette with corn kernals stirred into the batter. Delicious, but cornbread it is not. PHOTO, right: Pain de Maïs is made partly with finely ground corn flour (not corn meal) and has corn mixed in.
It’s hard to complain when there are so many other lovely vegetables and breads, but still, it’s a taste of home. Fortunately I can now buy fresh corn in my local supermarket. I’m not sure if that’s because the French are coming around, or because I hounded the manager of the store until he finally decided to carry it.
When friends visit from the states, they sometimes ask before the trip, “I want to bring you a gift, is there something you'd like from the states?” I quickly answer: “Yes please–cornmeal!”
So today I will share with you my very favorite cornbread recipe. Another day, when I'm feeling brave, I'll tackle that lovely Pain de Maïs.
RECIPE: The Best (only?) Cornbread in Burgundy
In the South, there are two basic cornmeal camps: with a little added sugar, and without. With sugar, cornbread has a light, crumbly, cake-like texture, which is divine. Without, it’s denser and heavier (I use a sugarless recipe to make cornbread croutons, or homemade stuffing). The recipe below is very light, and super quick to make. Note there is also the white vs. yellow cornmeal debate but I won’t even go there because to me the only real cornmeal is yellow. PHOTO: Getting ready to make cornbread. Don't even think of making it without the best cooking tool ever invented, a cast iron skillet
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 beaten egg
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. When pre-heated or nearly so, pour the oil in a 10" black skillet and let it heat in the oven for several minutes. Meanwhile, mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine egg and milk and add to dry mixture all at once, stirring JUST until barely combined. Remove skillet from oven and pour oil into batter; stir just until mostly incorporated, but don't overmix. Pour batter into hot pan and bake for 20 minutes, until top is golden. Watch it the last 5 minutes, you may need to reduce heat. Cut into wedges and serve it hot with lots of butter.
In the COMMENTS, and the news: I was so touched this week by all the wonderful support for my book (which supports the blog as well, thank you!). All the lovely comments, the Facebook shout-outs, the tweets, the reviews at Amazon–it was truly overwhelming and I can't thank y'all enough. When you go to Amazon, I am the #1 best-seller in my category–thanks to you, loyal readers and friends!
Special thanks to Delia Bourne of the Mon Coeur est Dans La Campagne blog, who did a post on the book this week. As did Kristin Espinasse of French-Word-a Day (I wrote an article for her blog called Learning to Chitchat in French). A big merci also to Cynthia Bogart, editor of The Daily Basics, who interviewed me on her site. And this just in: Check out The Local: France's News in English. I was interviewed today for their article, Ten Free and Easy Ways to Learn French.
Sidenote: In the comments on Kristin's post, I asked readers to share their French bloopers. If you missed these, surf right over to that post, and you will be on the floor laughing by the time you read all of them.
And if you haven't bought THE BOOK, How to Learn a New Language with a Used Brain
20 thoughts on “An Unloved Vegetable Gets a Chance in France”
Same thing in Italy when we were stationed there a decade ago. The Italians said corn was “only for the pigs”; yet when we had our Fourth of July celebrations on post, the local nationals were piled up ( read: not lined up) to get their corn on the cob!
Maïs, Lynn et pas mäis… Sans rancune hein?
Je lis régulièrement ce blog car il est pour moi, à chaque découverte de ses mots, une source de ravissement et un motif de bonne humeur
Bien amicalement
Claude
Self Rising Cornmeal always in my suitcase coming over…..The French neighbors love having cornbread when they come for one of my ‘American’ dinners. I make mine with buttermilk (which is slightly different here), 2 cups SRCM and 1 egg and ‘an egg’s worth” of melted shortening or bacon fat (there, not here….another different thing)….and the iron skillet….no sugar. And corn on the cob, packaged per 2, has started to show up in Provence too.
I’ve wondered if I can just substitute polenta for cornmeal … anyone know if this works???
Claude, thanks for the correction, I reversed my letters–fixed now, merci. Lin, I haven’t been brave enough to try it with polenta–if you do, let me know!
When my Danish husband first went to the States on a Rotary scholarship in the 60s, one of the components of the first night’s dinner with the family that hosted him was …. corn on the cob….at which he looked shocked because in Denmark, as in so many other countries, corn is for livestock – horses, pigs, cows….NOT for PEOPLE! He was then equally shocked when the family dove right in and began EATING the CORN….and as he was a polite person, he decided he should do the right thing and eat the corn too…..and thus discovered how delicious corn on the cob is. Frankly, if it were remotely possible to import The…Best…Corn…On….The…Cob in the world ever – when the Nantucket sweet corn comes to market, it would make Europeans rue all these years of never knowing the best….
Hi Lynn. Thanks for the cornbread recipe. As a southerner married to a Yankee I’m always looking for a recipe that we’ll both like. This may be the one! On another note: ‘bought the book and loved it. Since we recently moved to Bordeaux my husband has been taking french classes at the local University. The quality of the teaching is very high, it’s less expensive than Alliance Francaise, and he loves interacting with the (mostly) younger students from all over the world. I’d like to put in a plug for Inlingua – much like Berlitz, but cheaper. Thanks again for all the great learning suggestions – we’ll be putting many to use.
Thanks for the recipe, Lynn. Just in time for grilling season in Napa Valley!
It’s something to keep in mind if I ever get your way. I wouldn’t want to come empty-handed.
I have an enamel Lodge pot that I use constantly and can attest to its usefulness. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with an old-fashioned Lodge pan.
And yes, corn rules. My favorite growing up was corn from northern Maine where we spent summers with my grandparents. Yum.
Chris
I just bought your book from our hotel in Paris and have started into it on the iPad.We will hit the road (try that in French) on Monday for two weeks in Bretagne as well as central France around Brouges before our yearly stint marshaling at the 24 heures du Mans. I am sure I will have finished it by then. We have almost always found that when in the countryside and order food or check in to a hotel in French that they answer in English thinking they are doing us a favor. We then strike a bargain in which we stick,with French while they work on their English. This is something of a good deal,but doesn’t help our French listening which is what we need most. We’ll see how it goes this year. We have been in the UK for ten days. Now there’s a really tough second language for Americans. It will be good to be driving on “our” side of the road again.
I will try you cornbread back in Oregon. I did serious Weetabix research in England too.
Congratulations on the book.
I think you can use polenta, especially if you can find a way to grind it a bit finer. The “grit” seems to be the only difference. Bon chance et bon courage! 🙂
Rachel
Lazy girl that I am, I toted boxes of Jiffy mix to France! Almost the real deal (shhhhhhhhh!)
😉
Always such an interesting & informative blog Lynn. Your recipe sounds light & indeed a must try. I am loving your wonderful book.
When our beloved French friends visited us in the States they were wary of my corn on the cob. Not only did they become corn on the cob converts but the annual sweet corn festival took place during their visit. They were amazed and delighted by the steaming vats of corn subsequently dipped in real Wisconsin butter.
Long live Southern cornbread ! Congratulations on your new book Lynn !
Hi ..It may be too late to comment on your corn bread…but you need to know the true southern cornbread is made with bacon grease..
not vegetable oil……(This is from the non-cook) Mickey
Corn I could easily live without, but a life without cornbread would be a difficult one indeed! Another American treat I miss when I’m in France for an extended period (rare these days) is peanut butter. ‘Course when I’m here, I miss a good baguette and a cheap bottle of Rose. Grass is always greener I suppose.
Hi Lynn!
I once made some cornbread and brought it to a 4th of July bbq in the south of France. (A bunch of us Americans celebrating our holiday, but plenty of French were there:)) The cornbread was a HUGE hit of course with the Americans…but it was a really big hit with the French too — and I caught even the most la-di-da of French ladies scoffing it down. Ha ha!!
Congratulations on the book! I will definitely be buying a copy 🙂
Ride the train or drive from,Tournus to Lyon in Sept and you will see plenty of French corn growing, I presume for the Charolais cows also seen along the way!
Having grown up in Appalachia with a grandfather who ran a corn mill, hot corn bread was a daily staple. Your recipe sounds like it would be good, but we never added sugar. My mother could taste sugar in corn bread a mile away. An aunt of mine, who was the best cook in the family, and made the best corn bread, made her corn bread, as I recall, with only corn meal (no flour). Amazing that the French and other Europeans have never acquired a taste for corn. The small eco-farmers over there should try growing a variety such as Silver Queen to bring to the markets. The corn that farmers plant for animal feed is most likely a totally different variety,tough, without much flavor, but suitable for fattening the cows. If that is what the French know as corn, no wonder they won’t eat it.
I’m anxious to read your book. I want to be able to speak the language a little better for my return trip to Paris. My biggest problem is the pronunciation. Nice you’re getting a big response!