May 13, 2026 • 9 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, long before he learned the history of Johnny Cakes, John Busbee believed the beloved breakfast food had been named after him because of the love his Iowa grandmother poured into making them. Busbee shares the heartwarming story, and history, behind one of America’s oldest dishes, and how his grandmother whipped them up in her kitchen. Be sure to check out more of John's work at his website The Culture Buzz.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories.
Up next, a story from John Busby. John is the
man behind the Culture Buzz, a regionally broadcast interview show
out in Iowa and a listener of our American Stories
on who in Des Moines Today, John shares with us
(00:30):
the story of an American staple food that he felt
growing up was named after him. Let's get into the story.
Take it away, John.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Cooking is it wants child's play and adult joy and
cooking done with care as an act of love. Craig Claiborne,
American restaurant critic, food journalist, and book author History, tells
us that journey cakes were created because they could be
carried on long trips and saddled backs eggs and baked
along the way. Simplicity in food was a key to
(01:04):
successfully traversing the expanse of pioneer America. The simplest recipes
call for nothing but cornmeal, boiling water, and a little salt.
The batter should be fairly thin, so that when fried
on a hot griddle, the batter is no more than
a quarter of an inch thick. This description evoked images
(01:26):
of pioneers and cowpokes. Plodding across vast expanses of the West,
salivating at the dining fantasy of pulling up that supply
of cornmeal from their saddle bag at the next campsite
and transforming that dry, gritty bit of powder into nourishment
to sustain them on their epic journeys. These basics of
(01:49):
kitchen concoctions have been emblazoned with many other names over time,
dependent upon the region or heritage of where they were
being made. Hoe cake, johnny bread, corn, spider bread, also
ash cake, batter cake, corn cake, corn pone, oak cake,
(02:09):
mush bread, pone, johnnaquan or Johnny caun. For me, these
childhood edibles will always be called Johnny cakes, named after meat.
Before wandering down reminiscence road, here's a little more history
(02:30):
about this modest meal. This dish was prepared along the
Atlantic coast from Newfoundland to Jamaica. Johnny cakes are the
New England equivalent of tortillas. Rhode Islanders are so passionate
about their Johnny cakes they have many baking and eating
contests every year to celebrate their historical ties to this
(02:51):
traditional treat. They get a little crazy on the side
dishes They serve johnny cakes with clam fritters and clam chowder,
plus get exotic on the toppings, like coffee syrup, which
a drink in milk ovaltine like in preparation, except six
(03:12):
dollars a half pint. It better be damn good at
that price. Historians think that Janakin, an American Indian word
meant corn cake, could possibly be the original moniker. The
settlers of New England learn how to make johnny cakes
(03:32):
from the local paw Tuxat Indians. When the Pilgrims landed
in Plymouth in sixteen twenty most of their wheat brought
from England and spoiled on the long voyage. Their supply
of Twinkies probably was gone by the end of the
first week at sea. Supposedly, Miles Standish, the military leader
of the Plymouth Colony, discovered a cache of corn stored
(03:54):
by the Indians. An Indian named Tisquantum also noticed. Squanto
was most helpful during the winner of sixteen twenty one
in the settler's survival. He was one of five Indians
taken to England in sixteen oh five by Captain John Weymouth,
who was tasked to find the prized Northwest Passage by
(04:15):
Sir Ferinando George. In sixteen fourteen, Tisquanton was brought back
to America, assisting some of the Georgia's men in mapping
the New England coast. Tisquantum lived out the rest of
his life in the Plymouth Colony, teaching the settlers how
to grow corn, pound corn into meal and how to
cook with it. He also acted as interpreter and guide
(04:40):
in retrospect. Such history was infused in each and every
one of those hot cakes. Grandma Ike was our master
kitchen wizard. She would take a pile of dried corn
meal and turn it into mouth watering delights, creating what
we knew as and were rightfully named Johnny cakes. As
(05:04):
the oldest of my siblings, she undoubtedly honored my seniority
by naming these griddle cooked goodies after me. There could
be no other reasonable explanation. So whether Johnny cakes, Johnny cakes,
or Johnny bread, it does it matter. Just don't leave
(05:24):
out the most important part, the Johnny. In looking back,
the Johnny cakes we consume for breakfasts and suppers were
a frugal staple of the Nine Farm menu. The most
expensive part of this belly filling meal was the syrup
or the blend of butter and honey used to top the
hardy pancake wannabes. I think that Johnny cakes were a
(05:47):
somewhat flexible recipe for her, as she occasionally like to
include an egg or two to give it a little
more protein. I firmly believe this, as when we were
hanging around the kitchen during her preparation, she would ask
for volunteers to help her crack the eggs. We all
willingly stepped forward, and she would ceremoniously choose a noggin
(06:12):
upon which to crack the egg. Truth be told, there
was many a scalp that was gooed by escaping egg
once the cracking happened. This was not some accident at
the hand of the Iowa Master Homemaker Isol Nein Hardly,
as she was indeed honored with a Wallace's Farmer Master
Farm Homemaker recognition in nineteen forty seven. Identified, of course,
(06:37):
in the traditional way, Missus Carl Nean. No such an
accident as this was was a calculated bit of kitchen
mischief inflicted upon the cranium of one of her grandkids.
If she had wanted, she could have cracked two eggs
at once without losing a single glob of egg inerds
(06:58):
in the process. Her tell following such a mishap was
always when the kitchen would ring, with her signature calculing laughter.
We accepted this as a messy badge of grandmotherly love.
As the stacks of circular piping hot edibles grew, they
would be whisked to the dining table, just spitting distance
(07:19):
from the kitchen to a table filled with awaiting ravenous diners.
A little imagination could conjure an image of a mother
bird feeding her chirping brood. The chatter from the family
would quickly ratchet down, replaced by the contented feasting of
this country cuisine. This was a daily act of hers,
(07:41):
the nurturing practice, providing warm, filling, and delicious foods for
those who were resided under her protective roof. Had I
opened my senses to the gretio understanding of what I
was eating when Johnny cakes were served, I would have
tasted much more. I would have dined on family love,
tasted hints of history and ethnic lore, savored the rich
(08:05):
subtleties of tradition, shared communion, and gathering of kin. These
were the finer nuances being served to my underdeveloped palette.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Had a terrific job on the production, editing and storytelling
by our own Monty Montgomery, and a special thanks to
John Busby. John is the man behind the Culture Buzz,
a regionally broadcast interview show out of Iowa, and he's
a listener to our American stories on who in Des
Moines and what a story he told us about the
(08:39):
act of love that is cooking. And indeed, that's what
Grandma was doing every time she cracked one of those
eggs on her grandkid's heads. And that's what Johnny finally
realized he was partaking of, not just Johnny Cakes, but
something more. That there were tastes and hints of history
in those honey cakes, and local lore and so much
(09:03):
more being served than just food. Grandma Ike, she turned
pounds of dry corn meal into watering delights. That was
her gift and the gifts she shared with her family.
The story of Johnny Cakes here and our American Stories
This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories.
Up next, a story from John Busby. John is the
man behind the Culture Buzz, a regionally broadcast interview show
out in Iowa and a listener of our American Stories
on who in Des Moines Today, John shares with us
(00:30):
the story of an American staple food that he felt
growing up was named after him. Let's get into the story.
Take it away, John.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Cooking is it wants child's play and adult joy and
cooking done with care as an act of love. Craig Claiborne,
American restaurant critic, food journalist, and book author History, tells
us that journey cakes were created because they could be
carried on long trips and saddled backs eggs and baked
along the way. Simplicity in food was a key to
(01:04):
successfully traversing the expanse of pioneer America. The simplest recipes
call for nothing but cornmeal, boiling water, and a little salt.
The batter should be fairly thin, so that when fried
on a hot griddle, the batter is no more than
a quarter of an inch thick. This description evoked images
(01:26):
of pioneers and cowpokes. Plodding across vast expanses of the West,
salivating at the dining fantasy of pulling up that supply
of cornmeal from their saddle bag at the next campsite
and transforming that dry, gritty bit of powder into nourishment
to sustain them on their epic journeys. These basics of
(01:49):
kitchen concoctions have been emblazoned with many other names over time,
dependent upon the region or heritage of where they were
being made. Hoe cake, johnny bread, corn, spider bread, also
ash cake, batter cake, corn cake, corn pone, oak cake,
(02:09):
mush bread, pone, johnnaquan or Johnny caun. For me, these
childhood edibles will always be called Johnny cakes, named after meat.
Before wandering down reminiscence road, here's a little more history
(02:30):
about this modest meal. This dish was prepared along the
Atlantic coast from Newfoundland to Jamaica. Johnny cakes are the
New England equivalent of tortillas. Rhode Islanders are so passionate
about their Johnny cakes they have many baking and eating
contests every year to celebrate their historical ties to this
(02:51):
traditional treat. They get a little crazy on the side
dishes They serve johnny cakes with clam fritters and clam chowder,
plus get exotic on the toppings, like coffee syrup, which
a drink in milk ovaltine like in preparation, except six
(03:12):
dollars a half pint. It better be damn good at
that price. Historians think that Janakin, an American Indian word
meant corn cake, could possibly be the original moniker. The
settlers of New England learn how to make johnny cakes
(03:32):
from the local paw Tuxat Indians. When the Pilgrims landed
in Plymouth in sixteen twenty most of their wheat brought
from England and spoiled on the long voyage. Their supply
of Twinkies probably was gone by the end of the
first week at sea. Supposedly, Miles Standish, the military leader
of the Plymouth Colony, discovered a cache of corn stored
(03:54):
by the Indians. An Indian named Tisquantum also noticed. Squanto
was most helpful during the winner of sixteen twenty one
in the settler's survival. He was one of five Indians
taken to England in sixteen oh five by Captain John Weymouth,
who was tasked to find the prized Northwest Passage by
(04:15):
Sir Ferinando George. In sixteen fourteen, Tisquanton was brought back
to America, assisting some of the Georgia's men in mapping
the New England coast. Tisquantum lived out the rest of
his life in the Plymouth Colony, teaching the settlers how
to grow corn, pound corn into meal and how to
cook with it. He also acted as interpreter and guide
(04:40):
in retrospect. Such history was infused in each and every
one of those hot cakes. Grandma Ike was our master
kitchen wizard. She would take a pile of dried corn
meal and turn it into mouth watering delights, creating what
we knew as and were rightfully named Johnny cakes. As
(05:04):
the oldest of my siblings, she undoubtedly honored my seniority
by naming these griddle cooked goodies after me. There could
be no other reasonable explanation. So whether Johnny cakes, Johnny cakes,
or Johnny bread, it does it matter. Just don't leave
(05:24):
out the most important part, the Johnny. In looking back,
the Johnny cakes we consume for breakfasts and suppers were
a frugal staple of the Nine Farm menu. The most
expensive part of this belly filling meal was the syrup
or the blend of butter and honey used to top the
hardy pancake wannabes. I think that Johnny cakes were a
(05:47):
somewhat flexible recipe for her, as she occasionally like to
include an egg or two to give it a little
more protein. I firmly believe this, as when we were
hanging around the kitchen during her preparation, she would ask
for volunteers to help her crack the eggs. We all
willingly stepped forward, and she would ceremoniously choose a noggin
(06:12):
upon which to crack the egg. Truth be told, there
was many a scalp that was gooed by escaping egg
once the cracking happened. This was not some accident at
the hand of the Iowa Master Homemaker Isol Nein Hardly,
as she was indeed honored with a Wallace's Farmer Master
Farm Homemaker recognition in nineteen forty seven. Identified, of course,
(06:37):
in the traditional way, Missus Carl Nean. No such an
accident as this was was a calculated bit of kitchen
mischief inflicted upon the cranium of one of her grandkids.
If she had wanted, she could have cracked two eggs
at once without losing a single glob of egg inerds
(06:58):
in the process. Her tell following such a mishap was
always when the kitchen would ring, with her signature calculing laughter.
We accepted this as a messy badge of grandmotherly love.
As the stacks of circular piping hot edibles grew, they
would be whisked to the dining table, just spitting distance
(07:19):
from the kitchen to a table filled with awaiting ravenous diners.
A little imagination could conjure an image of a mother
bird feeding her chirping brood. The chatter from the family
would quickly ratchet down, replaced by the contented feasting of
this country cuisine. This was a daily act of hers,
(07:41):
the nurturing practice, providing warm, filling, and delicious foods for
those who were resided under her protective roof. Had I
opened my senses to the gretio understanding of what I
was eating when Johnny cakes were served, I would have
tasted much more. I would have dined on family love,
tasted hints of history and ethnic lore, savored the rich
(08:05):
subtleties of tradition, shared communion, and gathering of kin. These
were the finer nuances being served to my underdeveloped palette.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Had a terrific job on the production, editing and storytelling
by our own Monty Montgomery, and a special thanks to
John Busby. John is the man behind the Culture Buzz,
a regionally broadcast interview show out of Iowa, and he's
a listener to our American stories on who in Des
Moines and what a story he told us about the
(08:39):
act of love that is cooking. And indeed, that's what
Grandma was doing every time she cracked one of those
eggs on her grandkid's heads. And that's what Johnny finally
realized he was partaking of, not just Johnny Cakes, but
something more. That there were tastes and hints of history
in those honey cakes, and local lore and so much
(09:03):
more being served than just food. Grandma Ike, she turned
pounds of dry corn meal into watering delights. That was
her gift and the gifts she shared with her family.
The story of Johnny Cakes here and our American Stories
Host
Lee Habeeb
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