How did hush puppies get their name?
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ANSWERS: 3
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It is believed that while cooking fried foods with batter outside such as fish, balls of batter were fried and given to the dogs to keep them from begging or barking, thus the name "hush puppies".
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The story is told in many books on southern folklore that the Hush Puppy (originally just fried dough balls) were indeed made for the purpose of quieting the dogs. However many accounts go further to explain that the slaves of the southern plantations prepared the meals for the rich plantation owners in kitchens that were seperate from the main house. In order to transport the meals to the main house without interference from the dogs, the slave children were sent ahead with the "hush puppies" to divert the attention of the hounds, who might otherwise upend the food trays.
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Simply couldn't resist adding one more answer here! It's the original tale, though changed up a wee bit . . . "It is said that the hushpuppy got its name from the dredging of the catfish that would have been thrown out. Being thrifty, the cook from the house would send this down to the slave quarters and the women added a little milk, egg and onion and fried it up. It is said they were tossed at the dogs to keep them quiet while the food was being transferred from the pot to the table, i.e., "hush puppy! hush puppy!" ---A History of Soul Food from: http://www.hush-puppies.co.uk/
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