Surebleak Orbital Influence Zone
In which Bechimo discovers a new taste sensation.
Because of the name, and the fact that they’re first introduced as a breakfast food, I’d been picturing maize buttons as a kind of breakfast cereal, small and eaten in clusters. It appears from the description here that they’re more in the line of a pastry, large enough to be enjoyed individually (but small enough to be snatched up in a handful).
I wonder if the authors are thinking of something like (in the US) cornpone. At least, that’s what I’ve been imagining.
There is some disagreement about the ingredients of this dish—sometimes made in cast iron pans with corn-ear shapes—and the lack of agreement has led to a sort of continuum between “cornpone” and “cornbread,” with no one really knowing where to draw the line. The only must-have ingredients for cornpone are corn meal (not the more finely ground masa flour) and water. From there, the additions vary greatly through the continuum, with the addition of salt, fat, wheat flour, milk, or sugar. Apparently during the American Civil War, “The soldiers (of both sides) made do with cornmeal, water and grease from bacon or salt pork to make a thick batter, which they fried in a pan over a campfire.”
With all these variations, I’d like to ask the authors for their recipe. We know for sure it includes lots of butter!
Also, Win Ton “snatched a handful” to take with him to the bridge, which seems to indicate they are rather small… more along the size of homemade cookies/?
On a different note: I was amused to observe that Bechimo will need to learn how to recognize sarcasm…or were you thinking his response to Theo about her comment “Miri’s going to like that” was more sarcasm in return?
If it were just about anybody else, I’d have no hesitation in saying that they were capping Theo’s irony with more irony, because that kind of exchange is very common in this series. Bechimo, I don’t know. He might have been around people who do it enough to have learned it himself, but I’m not sure.