Pone is a type of baked or fried bread in American cuisine, particularly in the Southern United States. It is often made with cornmeal, but other main ingredients like sweet potato can be used as well. The term "pone" is believed to have entered English from Native American language terms like apan, oppone, or supawn, which mean baked and may be related to earlier ash cakes baked in hot coals.
There are various types of pone, including corn pone, apple pones, pumpkin pones, and sweet potato pone. The batter can be enriched with sweeteners like sugar or molasses, as well as spices like cinnamon, cloves, ginger, or grated orange peel. However, some cooks consider the addition of sugar to be a deviation from the original dish.
Pone can be eaten cold as a breakfast food or served as a side dish with meals. It is traditionally baked in a round cast iron skillet and is often a small round loaf of cornbread, about the size of a biscuit. When pan-fried or griddled, it can be considered a type of cake, such as a pancake, johnnycake, or hoe cake. If deep-fried, it is similar to a fritter.
