Is N.J. cornbread better than southern cornbread? An honest taste test.

Wearing a hairnet that looked like a cobweb, a grin missing a tooth and the essence of fried food she took home every afternoon, the server came to my table holding a tray. She asked me a question so ubiquitous with southern culture it might as well have appeared on her birth certificate.

“Cornbread or roll?”

I grinned and pointed, and she plopped a piece of cornbread on my plate, which was already filled with green beans, yams, purple peas and collards.

If this doesn’t sound like a New Jersey lunch, that’s because it isn’t. For three decades, I ate lunch in Birmingham, Alabama, at the Bright Star, a culinary “meat ‘n three” institution open since 1907.

Subsequently, cornbread was a sizable part of my weekly diet. In the South, you cannot escape the bread made in an iron skillet with cornmeal, buttermilk, lots of lard (being a vegetarian, I was told lard was a vegetable; all good), a little salt, sugar and baking powder. Southerners who brag about their corn crop love to add fresh corn. I must admit, I became addicted to those tiny kernel pops.

During one of my last meals in Birmingham, a friend asked while I feasted on the yellow cake of goodness, “What ‘cha gonna do ‘bout not having ya som’ cornbread ever’day?!”

I didn’t have a good answer. I moved to the Garden State in May of 2022 and have spent much of my time basking in everything Jersey, from pizza to bagels, pork roll to disco fries.

But cornbread? Not in the North. I submitted to living without my regular dose of the Southern staple. Then recently and while was driving through Maplewood, I saw a restaurant sign that read: Cornbread Farm to Soul.

I slammed on the brakes and sat there looking at the sign like it was the map to the holy grail. I bought several pieces and sat in my car eating in utter, buttery bliss.

The cornbread was delicious, crispy on the outside while soft and fluffy inside. There were no fresh corn pops, but I got over that as I chowed down on my sixth piece.

The taste test

After recovering from my oven-baked reunion, I found myself wondering if this Jersey cornbread could be better than Alabama cornbread (pause for gasps). It wouldn’t be fair to base judgement on one restaurant, so I decided pick two more for the taste test. A few locals recommended two spots: KB’s BBQ Smokehouse in Irvington and The Brisket Guy BBQ in Springfield.

The cornbread from both restaurants was solid. KB’s BBQ Smokehouse had cornbread muffins, and some had blueberries — a stretch, if you ask me. Only fresh corn belongs in cornbread. Cornbread from The Brisket Guy BBQ was flavorful and super light, airy almost, and not too greasy on the bottom.

Overall, New Jersey cornbread surprised me. Not only was it delectable in many ways, but it also had that intangible yumminess you attribute to your grandma’s cooking. It’s just there, the yumminess (or maybe it’s the lard).

Alabama’s cornbread

While I may lose some of you here, if you’re ever passing through ‘Bama, you’ll be glad you read on. The best cornbread in Alabama belongs to Johnny’s restaurant in Birmingham, a quintessential example of the Southern classic. Their cornbread is light with a crunchy crust from the iron skillet, and soft inside with fluffy dough and little pops of fresh corn that entice you to celebrate every time you found one.

I’ve also had cornbread in various other restaurants and at private homes all over Alabama, where cornbread is a matter of pride. The host would pull the iron skillet from the oven then slam it on a board upside down, revealing a browned crust I could imagine myself stealing as people chase me.

My one critique of Alabama’s cornbread is the amount of fat. The bottom was always a little soggy, even though lard is, again, a vegetable.

Then came Aruba!

Caribbean cornbread? Caribbean cornbread. I visited Aruba this past weekend and enjoyed ample amounts of sun, sand and great food. Aruban cuisine is a fusion of more than 100 nationalities that coexist on the island with lots of fish, plantains and hearty stews. Travelers know the Dutch constituent country is a haven for foodies.

One day I took the bus to downtown Oranjestad, the capital, avoiding touristy spots. I had lunch at a restaurant called, Peanuts, and I ordered a sampler plate. When my lunch arrived, I noticed this yellow bread on the side. The server said it was funchi, their version of cornbread.

I learned later that funchi has a similar origin to American cornbread. Thousands of years ago, natives on the island ground their maize to make these sustaining bread cakes.

This big world seems tiny sometimes.

The Aruban cornbread was a tad different: thinner, dryer and firmer with less corn flavor. Still, I was thrilled I ran into this worldly coincidence.

Which cornbread is best?

Drum roll, please ...

You will be pleased to know that based on my taste test, New Jersey gets my vote as the state with the best cornbread. (Can we now restore my Jersey citizenship? It was stripped away after writing that New York bagels are better than Jersey bagels!).

In my estimation, this prowess must be linked to our coveted Jersey corn — fresh and sweet, dripping with more of that unspoken yumminess, especially in summer.

Moreover, New Jersey enjoys such a diverse and eclectic food scene, including heavy-hitting soul food restaurants and barbecue joints, all serving appetizing and unique takes on cornbread. There are also plenty of restaurants from all nationalities with their own version of the humble treat — I’ll have to keep eating.

Stories by Karim Shamsi-Basha

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Karim Shamsi-Basha may be reached at kshamsi-basha@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter & Instagram. Find NJ.com on Facebook.