Cornbread 18th Century Breads

As the population in western Europe exploded during the latter half of the 1700's, wheat became an important export commodity for the mid-Atlantic colonies. It was a natural progression for "Indian corn," a grain native to the Americas, to fill the dietary gap for colonists. This was especially true for the rural folk and labor classes. Next week's episode in our "Cooking with Jas. Townsend & Son: 18th-Century Breads" video series will look at the history of cornbread in the American Colonies. We'll also show how to make an authentic "Common Loaf" of unleavened cornbread as well as "johnny cakes" that you can take along on your next journey.

For common people in 18th century Great Britain and the American colonies, there existed three main dietary pillars, bread, pottage, and ale. People depended on these three things for survival. While there were many similarities between English cooking and that of the colonies. There were also some vast differences as well. Using corn was one of them.

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