Jonnycake

Rhode Island’s unique version of cornbread is a griddle-cooked flapjack known as a jonnycake. It is a virtual state food, important enough that statute decrees that to be a genuine jonnycake, it must be made only from meal milled from flint corn and it must contain no sugar or flour. Furthermore, it is illegal to spell jonnycake with the letter “h.” East of Narragansett Bay, jonnycakes are broad and flannel-thin with a lacy edge. West of the Bay in South County, they are made from thick batter poured onto the griddle in discs no wider than a coaster and fat-finger high. The little cylinders cook long enough to develop a crunchy crust and earthy flavor that begs to be gilded with real maple syrup. It is believed their name comes from Colonial times when they were known as journey cakes because once cooked, they were handy to carry on a trip.