In Our Family “Battle of the Cornbreads,” This Recipe Reigned Supreme

Growing up in the Chicago area, cornbread was a staple at our family dinner table, frequently served alongside a big bowl of my mom’s signature chili. We cut thick squares from the pan. It was delightfully fluffy, and the hint of sweetness paired perfectly with the subtly spicy stew. Up until my sister got married and moved to Mississippi, that was all either of us knew of cornbread—until the day her born-and-bred Southern husband begged to differ. 

Northern-Style vs. Southern Style Cornbread

While on a trip down South to visit my sister and her family, I was thumbing through one of her cookbooks: A Mississippi Palate: Heritage Cuisine and Watercolors of Home by Robert St. John and Wyatt Waters. In the section dedicated to breads, there were two recipes intentionally printed back to back: One titled “Southern Corn Bread” and the other “Yankee Corn Bread.” I was intrigued. 

The Southern version was prepared with all the typical ingredients, including some bacon grease and buttermilk. The Yankee version, however, had one big difference: sugar. They both sounded great to me, so I decided to make both recipes and offer my sister, her husband, and their kids a blind side-by-side taste test to see who preferred each version.

I used the Southern version from the cookbook, since I figured they were the experts. But for the Northern cornbread, I used the recipe my mom has had tucked in her recipe box for years. 

The Battle of the Cornbreads

Unsurprisingly, my sister immediately gravitated toward the Northern-style one and commented that it tasted just like the cornbread she knew and loved her whole life. My brother-in-law took one bite and said, “This one has sugar in it,” turned up his nose, and dove straight into the Southern-style option instead.  

With a 50/50 split in the home, their children became the tie-breakers in our cornbread showdown. They were still quite young at the time, but their little fingers picked up nibbles of each as we all anxiously awaited to see which version their tastebuds would choose. 

My sister and I had trouble hiding our smirks when the kids preferred the sweeter Northern version, siding with their maternal heritage. Now that I also have kids, they, too, are getting hooked on this same recipe. My sister, on the other hand, is stuck having to make two batches of cornbread every time they want some with dinner!