A hush puppy is a sort of fritter which seems to have originated with the men of the Southern States who went hunting and fishing. At the end of the expedition they would sit around a fire and fry up some catfish, dredging it in cornmeal first. This cornmeal was then rolled into balls with some chopped onion and milk and fried in the remains of the fat used for the fish. The leftovers were tossed to the dogs to hush them up.
