Rhode Islanders (described in a purist form as individuals born and raised within the boundaries of the State of Rhode Island) have an affinity for what they consider native traditions, especially food traditions. The origins of Rhode Island’s “indigenous” recipes are the stuff of legend, quite literally.
In a romanticized neo-colonial fantasy, Roger Williams, in 1636, visited the Narragansett Indians in their cornfields in the southern flatlands of what would become Rhode Island. Many tribes cultivated corn but the Narragansetts grew a variety that was particularly hardy to the harsh southern New England climate and short growing season, whitecap flint corn. The Narragansetts showed their friend how to dry the corn and grind it into meal between two large stones. They also showed him how to mix the meal with water and bake the cakes on a wooden board in front of an open fire. And thus the jonnycake legend was born.
In the present day, he jonnycake symbolizes a connection to colonial history, a kinship with the indigenous peoples, and a belief in a shared Yankee past.
The origin of the jonnycake name is shrouded in mystery. Some believe it is a shortened version of “journey cake”, others think it is a slurring of “Shawnee cake”, and others still protest the name is derived from the Indian work “janiken”, meaning corn cake. Regardless, the name, and in particular the spelling of the name was so important to 19th century Rhode Island legislators, that in 1888 the General Assembly mandated that “there be no ‘h’…as jonnycakes should not carry any reference to ‘Johnny Bull’, an emblem of Great Britain, but rather to Jonathan Trumbell, leader of the Continental Congress.”
Not only has the spelling of jonnycake been contested through history, but the recipe as well. The bay that physically divides the State provides a cultural boundary as well. For over two hundred years, people of West Bay origin and people raised in the East Bay argue, sometimes vehemently, about the proper way to make a jonnycake. And like the bay, it all comes down to water: to scald or not to scald. West Bay recipes require the cornmeal be mixed with boiling water; East Bay folks use cold milk. The results are drastically different, but both lay claim to “authentic” Rhode Island jonnycakes. Who’s right? And what does that mean anyway? The Society for the Propagation of Jonnycakes in Rhode Island hosts a festival every year for folks to taste for themselves.
There are four mills that grind white flint corn in Rhode Island. All are historic sites and all use traditional stone ground techniques. Only one, Carpenter’s Grist Mill in Perryville, (West Bay) Rhode Island uses the ancient strain of whitecap flint corn grown by the Narragansetts. Three farmers in three small fields outside of Perryville grow annual crops exclusively for Carpenter’s Mill, which uses waterpower to grind the corn between two 2000 pound granite stones that have been pulverizing kernels for over 200 years. The result of the stone ground process is a flat corn meal as opposed to a round meal, and that they say, makes all the difference.
The jonnycake is an important link in a cultural food chain. The preservation of this heritage recipe enables the preservation of perceived ways of life and cultural identity, as well as the tangible preservation of historic sites and an heirloom crop. That’s a thought to chew on.
Sources consulted on 2/10/10
- “Rhode Island Jonnycakes” by Johnette Rodrigues www.ediblecommunities.com/
rhody/pages/articles/fall08/ foodways.pdf
- “Johnnycakes” www.whatscookingamerica.net/
history/johnnycakes.htm
Comments for this post