continued from page the mushy ….

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the mushy stuff sold today as grits. There was substance to it, something to chew.

Breakfast was the heaviest meal of the day, with meals becoming lighter as the day wore on.

Supper might have been fresh cornbread crumbled up in a tall glass of

buttermilk. Some afternoons there was no cooking done at all. When all hands were in the field until dusk, such as when cotton was ready to be picked and rain expected, nobody had time to cook. “Cush” was a dish made of corn meal mixed with a glass of warm milk flavored with butter, lard, salt, pepper, and eaten with a spoon. Overnight the cush jelled then was sliced and fried for breakfast.

“Mush” was similar to cush but made with water rather than milk.

Some families reversed the names “mush” and “cush” but that's alright; either way it was simple eating.

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