Spoonbread is the soft cornmeal dish, similar to a soufflé, that is a classic Southern side.
Unlike crumbly cornbread, spoonbread is made from a moist cornmeal mixture with milk, butter, and eggs. The batter is baked until softly set, creating a texture closer to a savory pudding or soufflé than a loaf of bread. It is served with a spoon, which explains the name.
The dish has roots in Native American corn cooking and may be connected to Owendaw, an older South Carolina preparation. A recognizable printed recipe appeared in Sarah Rutledge’s 1847 cookbook, The Carolina Housewife. Spoonbread became especially associated with Virginia and Kentucky, though versions spread throughout the South.
Egg preparation changes the result: whole eggs produce a denser pudding-like dish, while whipped egg whites make it lighter and more soufflé-like. Spoonbread is not the same as polenta or grits, which are usually served as porridge, and it differs from cornbread because its defining texture is soft and spoonable.