Crispy Andouille Hush Puppies

Although I have never had a hush puppy before, and thought it was only a type of shoe and a breed of dog, I would be interested to try one or a few out! These Crispy Andouille Hush Puppies look like a really nice treat to have once in a while. Hush puppies are generally a savoury appetizer or side, like one would get fries or onion rings on the side. They are made with a deep fried dough made with corn meal and have a bread texture to them. It is kind of like corn bread, which people have always made because its cheap to make.

Corn meal has always been a staple of the Southern United States cuisine, the aboriginals were using it far before the Europeans came along. Now this type of food, like fried chicken and hush puppies is a staple of Southern Comfort Cooking and cuisine. The story behind the name hush puppies is that the soldiers in the civil war would throw this food for the dogs to eat so they would hush up, and be quiet. Probably to defend themselves or maybe for the dogs of the other side so that they could sneak in and attack their opponent.

This particular recipe for hush puppies is made with meat. Traditionally they are not made with meat, just plain and served on the side. But it is always nice to try a twist on a classic recipe. These ones seem to have the Andouille sausage in the centre of them. It could make for a great snack or side dish for your Southern comfort food!

There are also similar things to hush puppies in the Caribbean, they call them corn fritters, which does make more sense. And in Puerto Rico, they also serve them with the sausage in the centre but in more of a sausage shape. Kind of like a corn dog you can get at connivence stores I would suppose! Will you try out this recipe?

You will many stories on just how hushpuppies came to be. One of the oldest stories is that hushpuppies originated in the settlement of Nouvell Orleans, what would later be known as New Orleans, Louisiana, shortly after 1727. They were created by a group of Ursuline nuns who had come from France. The nuns converted the cornmeal into a delicious food that they named croquettes de maise. The making of these croquettes spread rapidly through the southern states. Another story is that an African cook in Atlanta gave the name hushpuppy to this food. When frying a batch of catfish and croquettes, a nearby puppy began to howl. To keep the puppy quiet, she gave it a plateful of the croquettes and said, hush, puppy."Since the name was cut, it stuck. This same story is also attributed to a Creole cook.

Or you might believe the story of how hunters and trappers could be on the trail for days at a time. At suppertime the hunting dogs would get hungry, so the hunters would mix a batter out of cornmeal or flour and cook it in grease on the campfire. Then they would throw the fried dough to the pups, telling them to be quiet, shut up, or hush. Another similar popular story tells of how Confederate soldiers would sit beside a campfire preparing their meals. If they detected Yankee soldiers approaching, they would toss their yapping dogs some of the fried cornmeal cakes with the command Hush, puppies!