What's a Johnny Cake?

Johnnycake is a cornmeal flatbread. An early American staple food, it is prepared on the Atlantic coast from Newfoundland to Jamaica. The food originates from the indigenous people of North America.

Why is it called a johnny cake?

They were also called journey cakes because they could be carried on long trips in saddlebags and baked along the way. ... Some historians think that they were originally called Shawnee cakes and that the colonists slurred the words, pronouncing it as johnnycakes.

Are Johnny cakes the same as pancakes?

What Are Johnny Cakes? Also known as Rhode Island Johnny Cakes, they are basically all-corn pancakes. Most contemporary recipes for Johnny Cakes include ingredients like flour, eggs, baking powder, milk or buttermilk, and even vanilla and spices. In other words, a pancake with some added cornmeal.