This is an I-Heart podcast.

Guaranteed Human.

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 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.

Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy, and cooking done with care is 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 bags and baked along the way.

Simplicity in food was a key to 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 of pioneers in cowpokes, plotting 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.

...