Cowboys Ate This Retro Cornbread-Style Snack On The Trail

Real cowboys may never have actually eaten the cowboy caviar or cowboy cookies many enjoy today, but they did eat classic cowboy foods like chili, beef jerky, and sourdough biscuits. And while their diet mainly consisted of ingredients that were both nutritious and long-lasting, cowboys were known to indulge in Bear Signs, a sweet donut-like treat, on occasion. But there was one vital food staple that cowboys survived on to keep from going hungry on long, hard journeys — and that was the incredibly hardy snack, corn dodgers.

Consisting of a simple cornmeal dough, these hearty pucks remained a reliable food cowboys and early pioneers could depend on during the 1800s. Corn dodgers largely resemble today's hush puppies, only they are pan-fried instead of deep-fried. And while curious diners can simply eat these as is (for a more accurate rendition of how cowboys actually ate these cakes), many today enjoy them with maple syrup or honey for a breakfast that is sure to fill you up and keep you satisfied for the day ahead.

These cowboy classics are made from a combination of cornmeal, brown sugar, and salt these days. Adding in boiling water creates a stiff dough that is then shaped, flattened, and fried in fat until golden brown and crispy. Early travelers and cowboys on the 19th-century frontier fried these in heavy-duty cast-iron skillets — or even improvised on the tines of a garden hoe to cook these sturdy, corn-based snacks. Corn dodgers are pleasant enough to eat right away, but give them a few days, and they will harden up and keep for longer, almost like hardtack — perfect for travelers with long days on the prairie. Back in those days, the corn-based treats were even used to feed horses too!

And while the 1800s may have come and gone, corn dodgers are still here to stay. Immortalized on film in Westerns like John Wayne's "True Grit" and "Rooster Cogburn," these cornmeal cakes have certainly earned their legendary status. Whether you are an aspiring cowboy or someone who just wants to try a piece of Southern America's gastronomic past, these crispy, golden-brown treats are truly a taste of living history – a reminder of arduous journeys, dusty trails, and horseback riders wrangling cattle. For the full culinary cowboy experience, learn about this cowboy-approved coffee that is still sold on grocery store shelves today!