We’re at a six-booth lunch counter in downtown Norfolk ordering pork plates. “Spoonbread with that?” says Clara, the waitress.

I’m afraid to ask her what that is. I’ve gone through this before in Southern eateries. Ignorance of their cuisine is just, plain, dad-gum ignorant. And stupid.

They’re too polite to laugh in your face, but you can hear it behind your back. These Yankees come down here and think they know everything and . . .

“Of course,” we said, with fake confidence, which I’m sure she immediately sensed.

We waited until Clara left, then guessed what she will bring. It sounds like some sort of dessert or perhaps a, no, how could it be -- a bread you eat with a spoon?

It arrived in a baseball-size clump beside our pulled pork, neatly absorbing ambient sauce and grease. I poked at it with my fork. It poked back.

Spoonbread is spoonbread, nothing more, nothing less.

We witnessed a Southern delicacy that is second only to grits on the Virginia folkloric foods menu. I guess if I had to describe it, perhaps pudding is a start. Then it hit me. This is Yorkshire pudding, Southern style. For sure it’s a transplant from England probably before the Revolutionary War.

I broached this revelation while Clara filled our sweet-tea tumblers.

“No,” she insisted, “We make our own, right here.”  OK, OK. Don’t get excited.

Apparently the Southern Yorkshire early on took a turn for the better.

Yorkshire is flour-based and really bland. But it stars acting as a sop for meat juices.

Spoonbread is crafted from one ingredient the South always has held in surplus: corn meal. That gives it a nice, nutty flavor. It can please on its own with a dollop of butter on top and perhaps some maple syrup,  although it’s most often served as a gravy or sauce sop.

Like the potatoes it replaces, it goes with everything. We saw two guys sopping spoonbread and over-easy eggs. Another found his under a smothered chicken-fried steak.

Good spoonbread is not corn bread or polenta. The cooking technique, constant stirring, creates a smooth, almost velvety texture. If you can pick it up with your fingers, it’s cornbread. Reach for your spoon.

As they do with grits, some add cheese or onions and some even add hot peppers. That would be good with chili.

Ours became more interesting with every bite as it did its deed sopping the juices on our pork plate. It’s better than potatoes and even hush puppies.

We ordered blueberry cobbler for dessert.

“Spoonbread with that?” said Clara.

This time we laughed with her.

SOUTHERN SPOONBREAD

1 cup cornmeal
2 cups water
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold milk
2 eggs, scrambled
2 tablespoons melted butter

Mix cornmeal with water, adding sugar and salt. Boil, then lower heat. Simmer while stirring for 5 minutes. The mixture will be stiff. Remove from heat and stir in cold milk, eggs and melted butter. Butter a 2-quart baking dish or pan, pour in the mixture and bake 40 minutes at 400 degrees.

Spoonbread is done when it is slightly firm and browned. Serve hot from the dish with spoons, of course. Serves 4 Southerners or 6 Yankees

Canton Repository