Weird Island

6. WEIRD FOOD: Jonnycakes, Quahogs and Pizza Strips

Episode Summary

Weird food, week 2! This week, I talk about jonnycakes, quahogs, and pizza strips! To Visit: Jonnycakes: J.P. Spoonem’s | 1678 Broad Street, Cranston, RI 02905 Jigger’s Diner | 145 Main Street, East Greenwich, RI 02818 Mae’s Place | 8230 Post Road, North Kingstown, RI 02852 Common’s Lunch | 48 Commons, Little Compton, RI 02837 Quahogs: Aunt Carrie’s | 1240 Ocean Road, Narragansett, RI 02882 Iggy’s Doughboys and Chowder House | 889 Oakland Beach Ave, Warwick, RI 02889 or 1151 Point Judith Road, Narragansett, RI 02882 Amaral’s Fish & Chips | 4 Redmond Street, Warren, RI Pizza Strips: D. Palmieri’s Bakery | 624 Killingly Street, Johnston, RI 02919 DePetrillo’s Pizza and Bakery | Various Locations Colvitto’s Pizza & Bakery | 91 Point Judith Road, Narragansett, RI 02882 LaSalle Bakery | 685 Admiral Street, Providence, RI 02908

Episode Notes

Episode Source Material:

Jonnycakes:

Quahogs:

Pizza Strips:

Episode Transcription

Hi! You’re listening to Weird Island, and I’m your host, Sara. Each week I’ll be telling you about the strangest stories I can dig up, from my tiny little state of Rhode Island. Welcome back for week 2 of the stories behind Rhode Island’s weirdest local foods.
If you haven’t listened to part 1, I recommend starting there! If you have listened to it, thanks for coming back! What makes this week’s foods weird and wonderful, you ask? Well, for one, I’m going to be telling you about Rhode Island’s abiding love for cold, cheeseless pizza, and I don’t think it gets much weirder than that. But also, all three of this week’s foods have one thing in common--no one can agree on their names--from the quahog (is it co-hog, kwo-hog, kwa-hog?) to the jonnycake (or journey cake, or shawnee cake) to the pizza strip--which you might also know as party pizza, bakery pizza, red strips, red bread, or tomato pie…these unique local foods are often debated.

Johnnycakes

When it comes to controversy, the jonnycake has got to be the winner for most hotly contested. Everything about this uniquely Rhode Island dish is controversial--from the name (both its origin and its spelling), to the recipe (milk or water), to the style (thin or thick) the only thing everyone seems to agree on is that no one can agree on anything.
But first, what is a jonnycake? Because they're such a local tradition (more common in south county than in the northern part of the state) that I’d never heard of them before. Well, they’re basically cornbread pancakes, made of cornmeal and either water or milk. The batter is fried in a skillet and depending on the recipe used, the outcome is either a paper thin crepe-like pancake or a fluffier cornbread pancake. Then they’re topped with butter, syrup or honey and served like a pancake - at least, that’s how you’ll find them today. Historically, they may have been served as more of a savory dish--perhaps alongside chipped beef or baked beans to create a complete meal.
Johnnycakes are one of Rhode Island’s earliest foods, and they were first made by Native Americans living in the area. When the first European settlers arrived in the area around the Narragansett Bay around 1635, they encountered a number of native people, including the Narragansett, and they formed a relationship with the tribe that was maintained until King Philip’s War in 1675. The Narragansett depended on the cultivation of crops, particularly corn which was the most important staple food, and supplemented their diet with hunting and fishing. And they taught the early settlers how to cultivate corn, which was a uniquely American crop they wouldn’t have been familiar with. It was such an abundant, adaptable and nourishing food source, it likely saved many early settlements from starvation. And the Narragansetts taught settlers more than just how to plant corn--they also showed them how to grind it and cook it into various dishes, including the Johnnycake.
Early Native American Johnnycakes would most likely have been made by mixing the cornmeal and water batter and baking it in the hot ashes of a camp fire--leading to one of the first names for the dish: ashcakes. This was only the beginning of the proliferation of names and controversy around them. Why did the name change from ashcakes to johnnycakes? And what does johnnycake even mean? There’s not a tie to any specific John or Johnny. And actually many think the name started as something else that was mispronounced--perhaps Shawnee Cakes, after the Shawnee tribe? Or Journey Cakes, because either the cakes themselves or the cornmeal was carried while traveling? If anything, probably the corn meal, because these things are crumbly. Some think the name was derived from a word “Janiken,” which many suggest may have been an Indian word meaning corn cake. Although, personally, I can’t find much to support that word being of Native American origin. It seems possible there was a type of plain oat bread called “Jannock” that originated in England in the 1500s that the colonists might have been familiar with, and may have led to the name Janiken, and then jonnycake. That’s my guess thrown out there. And the debate doesn’t stop at the origin of the name. Staunch advocates of the jonnycake insist it is spelled with no “h” - so j-o-n-n-y cake. As the jonnycake traveled outside of RI, it also got the names hoecake, mush bread, battercake, cornpone, and spider cornbread.
And then there’s the debate over recipes. There are two camps--the Newport County Recipe called for cornmeal mixed with salt and cold milk, which results in a thin, crisp crepe-like pancake. The South County Recipe called for cornmeal mixed with salt and boiling water. These are thicker and smaller in diameter.
This has been so hotly contested that a 1981 New York Times article wrote, “Johnnycakes are at the eye of a relentless storm that has threatened the unity of this commonwealth more than Indians or Redcoats ever did.” And local legends claim in the 1880s, the Rhode Island Legislature tried to put an end to the arguments once and for all, by setting up a cook-off in the capitol building to test authentic jonnycake recipes and crown a winner. According to the story, a fistfight broke out, and nothing was settled.
There’s one more final element of the recipe that Rhode Islanders are opinionated about, and that’s the cornmeal itself. When Native Americans originally made johnnycakes, they would have been using a type of corn that differs from what we mostly eat today--something called Flint Corn or Indian Corn. You’ve probably seen this corn before, often around Thanksgiving. It’s hard as flint, hence the name, and comes in a variety of pretty colors. Today, many who cultivate flint corn sell the colorful ears as decoration.
Johnnycakes are traditionally made from a light white or yellow variety of flint corn, called white cap flint corn, that isn’t really cultivated in large quantities anymore because it’s notoriously difficult to grow and only yields about 1 or 2 ears per stalk. This is a problem for Johnnycakes, because in 1940, the state’s legislature ruled that only those made with flint corn could be labeled “Rhode Island johnnycakes.”
But you can only get White Cap Flint Corn Meal from two local places -- Kenyon’s Grist Mill, which has been in operation since 1696, and Gray’s Grist Mill in Adamsville which has also been operating since before 1700. And these two places have done the heavy lifting when it comes to keeping the tradition of johnnycakes alive, but it’s not easy. They continue to provide the unique corn meal, and for 41 years Kenyon’s organized an annual Johnnycake festival to celebrate the traditional and historically important dish. But in 2014, Kenyon’s owner, Paul Drumm Jr. passed away, and the event had to be cancelled. And sadly it hasn’t started back up.
Today, I don’t think many young people are familiar with the johnnycake in Rhode Island. Actually, it seems like awareness has been on the decline for some time now. In a 1988 Sun Sentinel article, Tim McTague, then the miller at Grey’s Gristmill, said, “For a long time, johnnycakes were a staple around here; sort of like the Yankee tortilla. Not many people eat them that regularly anymore.” And a 1991 Associated Press article described jonnycake corn as a “disappearing link to the past.”
How do you keep a tradition alive? I’m not sure, but I would love to see more local restaurants making them as a start, particularly restaurants closer to Providence! Even if that meant using an alternative cornmeal to meet demand. It would just be too sad to see this historically relevant food fall of the radar over a technicality. If you’d like to try johnnycakes, check out the show notes for a list of some local spots that make these traditional treats. And if you’re interested, you can also visit Grey’s and Kenyon Gristmills and learn more!

Quahogs

There’s another traditional RI food that began with the Narragansett tribe, and that’s the quahog. A quahog is a large, hard shelled clam that is native to Rhode Island waters, and it’s so iconic in the area that Rhode Island made it the state shell--and Family Guy writers set the series in a fake Rhode Island town named Quahog. While Rhode Island is one of the only places where the word quahog is common, these clams are actually known everywhere else as chowder clams.
English colonists first learned about quahogs from the Narragansett Indians, and the name comes from the Narragansett word poquauhock, which may have meant horse fish. Narragansett tribe members would have both eaten the meat of these clams, and used their shells to create beautiful white and purple beads, called wampum. Wampum would eventually become the first currency in America, after European colonists arrived and used it for trading. But initially, these strings of beads were used for storytelling, gifts, and for recording important treaties and historical events.
Later, quahogs became an industry in Rhode Island, but it took some time. Because, before quahogs took off commercially, another mollusk dominated Rhode Island aquaculture--the oyster. Oysters were first harvested as a source of lime, for use in masonry mortar. Limestone wasn’t readily available in the area, so oyster shells were valued as a source of calcium carbonate. But by the mid 1700s, this was considered a wasteful use of the resource so harvesting for the sole purpose of collecting the shells was outlawed. At the time, oysters were not considered a luxury food, but there was a growing market. Just over 100 years later, the oyster industry had grown into a multi-million dollar operation. But by 1896, oyster beds started to shrink due to industrial pollution. And in 1938, the Great New England Hurricane wiped out the local oyster industry, destroying oyster boats, wharves, and shucking houses. And with WWII on top of the hurricane, the remaining oyster companies had no workforce.
The industry was hurting, but one local had a solution. Nelson Blount had an oyster harvesting and shucking business in the 1880s. With the industry seeing sharp declines, he marketed the quahog as a tasty alternative to the oyster, and helped make this clam a Rhode Island staple. The Blount Seafood Corporation even sold the clams that went into Cambell’s soup clam chowder in the company’s early days.
Today, quahogs are a big part of Rhode Island food culture, appearing in a number of iconic local dishes, including what Quahog.org calls “The Clam Shack Trinity.” These are the three heavy hitters when it comes to quahog cuisine: Clam Chowder, Clam Cakes, and Stuffies.
Of course, you’re likely familiar with clam chowder, and you may even know about the two big varieties: New England Clam Chowder and Manhattan Red Chowder. But did you know that Rhode Island has its own variety: the clear chowder? Rhode Island clear chowder includes just quahogs, clam juice, butter and diced potatoes, and while the history of chowder (like the history of most foods) is controversial, Johnson & Wales University professor Jack Chiaro suggests all chowders prior to the 1880s were clear chowders, making RI chowder the original. It’s hard to say which chowder can technically be called the original, but it was definitely some variation of the New England variety. It’s believed chowder was introduced by French, Nova Scotian or British settlers as a dish eaten aboard ships. The original recipe used shipping rations--thick, dry hardtack biscuits and salt pork--to thicken and flavor the soup. It seems unlikely these early varieties would have included the creamy dairy that makes New England chowder so iconic and delicious, as dairy would have easily spoiled. So perhaps Chiaro is right in that all chowders were originally clear. Does that make RI’s version the original? Who knows?
Today, Rhode Island chowder is best enjoyed alongside another local specialty--clam cakes. If you’re picturing something like a crab cake right now, don’t. They’re not similar at all. The clam cake is basically a fried clam donut or fritter, a little round ball of dough peppered with chunks of clam that are sometimes so small you barely know they’re there. Clam cakes are so ubiquitous, I always believed there were versions of them in most states, but apparently that’s not true. Local legend says clam cakes were first served at Aunt Carrie’s in Narragansett in 1920, but it’s likely locals were making them before that. However, the James Beard foundation recognized Aunt Carrie’s as an American Classic because it was probably the first clam shack--where clam cakes and chowder were sold together. This combo was further popularized by Rocky Point Park--a Rhode Island amusement park that served up these treats to millions of people.
And finally, we can’t forget about the Stuffie. A stuffie is made by chopping up clam meat and mixing it with bread crumbs, herbs and finely diced onion, bell pepper and celery - then baking and serving the mixture in the clam shell. This, too, like chowder, might have come into existence as a food to feed fishermen and laborers, as it was a way to stretch budgets (by adding bread) and provide carb-filled meals for those working long days. There are all different varieties of stuffies served across the state, but one of the biggest spin-off varieties is the Clams Casino. The key addition here? Bacon. Bacon is always a welcome addition.
All of these quahog based specialties are delicious pieces of local history. And luckily you can order them without having to test out your pronunciation of the word quahog. I say quahog, because it’s what I hear most often. But many claim it should be pronounced either kwo-hog or kwa-hog, and given that the original Algonquian word was poquauhock, kwa-hog is probably closest to the original. But, I don’t know, it’s just a word. Say whatever makes you feel comfortable!

Pizza Strips

Finally, no survey of weird Rhode Island food could be complete without talking about the Pizza Strip.
There are so many regional variations on pizza in the United States--from Detroit style, to Chicago style to New York style (and those are just the big time variations) to everything in between, these culinary creations vary in the way they’re baked, what their crust is like, and what toppings they include. And with 1 in 8 Americans eating a slice of pizza on any given day, people are opinionated about what variety is best. But this Rhode Island opinion might surprise you--locals love a rectangular cut pizza that has no cheese, just a thick paste of red sauce and is served cold.
If you’re from here, you’re already well aware of what pizza strips are: They’re everywhere. At my old job, we had pizza strip Fridays - where every week, someone would bring a big box in and we’d stand around a table and eat them for breakfast.
But if you’re not familiar with this local tradition, here’s what you need to know: Pizza strips are made at local bakeries, not pizzarias, and they have a thick, doughy crust--similar to focaccia--covered in a paste-like tomato sauce and no cheese. At most, they may include a dusting of Parmesan, but there’s no melted mozzarella to be seen. They’re cut into rectangular strips, and you heard me right--you eat them cold.
But how did this tradition start? It’s surprisingly difficult to pinpoint the exact history of pizza strips in Rhode Island, but it seems it tracked along with the history of pizza in America, and may be a descendent of Sicilian pizza (not Neapolitan pizza) that made its way here from Italy.
Here’s my attempt at a condensed history of pizza: So, pizza as we know it began in Naples, Italy in the 1700s as a cheap and portable solution to feed soldiers, sailors and other blue collar workers. At first it probably differed a little from what we’re familiar with, including tomatoes, anchovies and oregano but no cheese. But the Neapolitan pizza was otherwise similar to what most would picture today, the circular variety with a relatively thin crust and toppings. Some see the actual start of the history of pizza as 1889, when it is believed cheese was added.
It remained a very local dish for a long time. In fact, Carol Helstosky, author of Pizza: A Global History, suggests pizza likely came to America with Southern Italian immigrants before it even made its way to Northern Italy. She says that in 1900, you were more likely to find pizza in New York than in Rome. When it did make its way here, it was largely known in the Italian community, but not outside it.
That changed after WWII, when Naples served as a hub for British and American intelligence agents who developed a taste for pizza that they brought home with them. These veterans ignited demand for pizza outside of the Italian community, right as the industrialization of food hit, and chains like Domino’s and Pizza Hut came in to help spread the dish across the country.
While thinner crust, circular Neapolitan pizza is what we’re most familiar with, it wasn’t the only variety to be imported from Italy. There was also the thicker crust Sicilian variety, which likely developed a little before the Neapolitan, and also made its way to America around the same time, gaining particular traction in the midwest and inspiring the famous Detroit and Chicago varieties of pizza, as well as the unique offshoot we see in Rhode Island.
So, that brings us back to the pizza strip. Its thick, porous focaccia-like dough and paste-like tomato sauce likely descended from something called sfincione (meaning thick sponge) which developed in the 1600s in Palermo, Sicily. This bakery-made pizza differed a little from the pizza strip in that it had some toppings, namely tomatoes, onions and a few anchovies as well as a grated caciocavallo cheese and oregano, it was likely served warm, and it had a more brioche-like bread. It wouldn’t have included a melted soft cheese, like mozzarella, because most of the dairy in Sicily came from goats or sheep, not cows. But when it made its way to America, it’s likely cheese was added to the varieties that emerged in NY, because of the access to cheap mozzarella provided by the flourishing New York dairy industry.
But somehow the RI variety remained cheese-less. It’s difficult to figure out exactly why. It could be that this variety remains closer to the original sfincione. Alternatively, some Rhode Islanders believe they may have included cheese at one point, but it was abandoned for logistical reasons. Rhode Island monthly writes, “The pastry and bread shops had extra dough, so they would use it to make pizzas and they’d leave it out on the counter. The health department objected to dairy not being refrigerated and sitting on the counter, so many bakeries ditched the cheese.” I wasn’t able to find any confirmation of this story beyond that article, though, so I have a feeling that might not be the real reason.
Regardless, without cheese, a greater emphasis is placed on the tomato sauce, or tomato gravy. And local Rhode Island spots all have their own recipes. This is the perfect food for a Rhode Island taste-testing road trip, because they can be found everywhere and they’re easy to eat in the car. And this might get at why pizza strips aren’t served hot. They were probably made to be a portable meal, grabbed by customers in the morning when they got their bread. The slices would be wrapped in parchment paper and eaten later on, hence why they were served at room temperature.
Rhode Islanders are very proud and defensive of the pizza strip, but it definitely throws outsiders off. Peruse some Reddit threads on pizza strips, and you’ll hear comments like, “Not gonna lie, as an avid pizza eater this doesn't look like it would do it for me,” followed by, “Thought it sounded gross, tried it at a party or two, and I can confirm it's delicious. I have no idea why.” I understand, because I was never a big fan of red sauce and visually the pizza strip is a little bit gross looking to me. But for some reason, these strange strips of cold tomato bread are oddly good.
It turns out, Rhode Island isn’t the only home of the pizza strip though. A similar phenomenon can be found in a small collection of other places, including Philadelphia, Utica, NY, and Montreal. But it’s truly ubiquitous here. You can even find pizza strips in almost every bakery and even in most local grocery stores.
In Philadelphia, they call it Tomato Pie, Gravy Pie, or church pie. In Montreal, they call it tomato pizza or cold pizza. And when it comes to Rhode Island names, well, we call them pizza strips, strip pizza, red bread, bakery pizza, party pizza, and probably some others that I’ve missed. But regardless of the name you choose, you should go buy some and give them a try! Because they’re weird but they’re also kind of good and they’re definitely Rhode Island.
Thank you for sticking with me on this deep dive into Rhode Island’s strangest foods! I’m truly thankful for every person who has listened to this podcast! If you’re enjoying it, please leave a rating or review, or you can send me a note at Weird Rhode Island at Gmail.com. And if there’s a topic you’d really like to hear about, let me know! See you next week as we dig up more stories about all things weird and wonderful in the little state of Rhode Island. Until next time!