How do you eat your cornbread? National Cornbread Festival starts Saturday
Last Thanksgiving my mom, sister, and I took a trip to South Pittsburgh, TN to visit the Cast Iron Lodge Outlet. While we were there I got one of the employees to change the video in the VCR to see how the cast iron cookware was made. It was pretty interesting, but what was even more interesting was the video that followed.
The Food Network had done a segment on the National Cornbread Festival, which is held in South Pittsburgh every year. I thought cornbread was just cornmeal, eggs, milk, and whatever else. I admit that I also tend to think that cornbread comes from a blue and white box with the name “Jiffy.”
I thought the Food Network segment was interesting because during the festival there was a cornbread competition and to the people in that competition, there was more than cornmeal, eggs, and milk. They liked the whatever else that you can stuff into cornbread. There were chilies, tomatoes, green peppers, sausage, and even seafood.
The National Cornbread Festival will begin on Saturday and the Martha White (one of the festival’s sponsors) website lists all the finalists in this year’s contest. The festival begins at 9 am and the cost is $3 per admission (under 6 is free). There are a lot of events planned for celebrating cornbread: a quilt exhibit, bluegrass music, and tours of the Lodge factory.
If you plan on going, the directions are pretty simple and South Pittsburgh is very easy to get there from Chattanooga. And if you see me there, ask me what I like in my cornbread. I might learn something new!
[tags]cornbread, National Cornbread Festival, South Pittsburgh, Tennessee[/tags]
April 30th, 2007 at 8:14 am
Wow, that cornbread’s got a lot of action going on! I don’t think I “get” cornbread. I’ve never tasted any that wasn’t dry and crumbly. People rave about my mom’s, which she bakes in a big cast iron skillet. She’s southern, and she cooks some pretty amazing food - but I’ve always been pretty ehhhh when it comes to her cornbread! Maybe I need some from that festival!
May 2nd, 2007 at 6:20 am
I love cornbread. I can’t imagine putting all that stuff into it, though. I would cringe at being asked to be a taste tester LOL
May 2nd, 2007 at 7:25 am
Thanks for your comments on the National Cornbread Festival and the Cook-off. The recipes for this year’s cook-off were outstanding and the flavors and textures were equally wonderful. During every festival, fans of cornbread can taste previous winning recipes in Cornbread Alley. Or, folks can prepares them — they’re on the festival’s website: Nationalcornbreadfestival.com