cornbread
Skillet bread from cornmeal that belongs beside beans and greens.
Also called pone, corn bread.
Updated September 21, 2026
cornbread pronunciation
/KORN-bred/
Meaning
In Southern and Appalachian kitchens, cornbread is daily bread, not a fancy side. Cornmeal batter hits a screaming-hot cast-iron skillet greased with bacon drippings or lard, and you get a crunchy crust with a soft middle. Traditional mountain and Deep South versions stay savory. Sweet boxed cake cornbread is what Yankees bring and what half the table will roast you for. Crumble it in buttermilk, sop pot liquor with it, or eat it hot with butter while supper is still on the stove.
How folks use it
- “Pass the cornbread before them beans get cold.”
- “She don't put sugar in her cornbread, and she will tell you why.”
Origin and etymology
Cornmeal bread goes back to Indigenous corn cooking and early American kitchens. Southern skillet cornbread became a region signature: hot iron, little or no sugar, often buttermilk. Appalachian families still call a pan of it a pone. The sugar fight with Northern-style sweet cornbread is old and loud.
Frequently asked questions
Does real Southern cornbread have sugar?
Plenty of traditional cooks say no. Some Appalachian family recipes do add a little sweetener. Argue at your own risk.