Where Did “Suffering Succotash” Come From?
You may recognize the phrase “suffering succotash” from the animated children’s film series Looney Tunes which was produced by Warner Brothers and aired from 1930 to 1969. Sylvester the Cat and Daffy Duck were frequent users of this term, which was likely because of their overly-pronounced speech impediments which gave the consonance in the phrase a comedic effect. But what is succotash, and why is it suffering?
Succotash is the name of a dish which was first prepared by the indigenous people in North America, and it is still prepared amongst many communities to this day. According to the British Columbia news site Castanet.net, the word is an Anglicized spelling of the word “msickquatash” which comes from the Narragansett language used by the Algonquin people in the New England area. The word roughly translates to “boiled kernels of corn” which coincidentally is one of the key ingredients of this dish. Field corn, usually cooked with lima beans and often sweet peppers, okra, winter squash, or tomatoes, make up the dish.
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This combination of produce was used together due to the expert agriculture tactics the American Indigenous people used to perfect their gardens. Each of these plants benefit each other, making it ideal to plant them all together. Squash is useful in protecting other plants because it covers the ground, making it difficult for weeds to find their way in, and the hairs on the vines deter pests. Beans provide necessary nitrogen to the soil, and the tall stalks of corn help the beans to grow upwards which increases their yield. This was a formula that the indigenous people across the North American continent had crafted down to a tee, so it’s easy to see why a dish like succotash became so popular and widespread.
The Native American people shared this dish with the first European settlers who were unfamiliar with most of these foods. In fact, unlike the current American tradition of serving mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy on Thanksgiving Day, it’s much more likely that a dish like succotash would have been served.
So where does “suffering succotash” come from? If you’ve ever watched the Looney Tunes films, you may believe the phrase “suffering succotash” comes from this popular show. Alternatively, a common misconception is that the phrase “suffering succotash” originated because of the Great Depression. Succotash was a relatively cheap and easy meal to make, so it became quite popular all across America as a staple in most households. If you ate succotash every day, you might feel like you were “suffering succotash.”
However, the origins of the phrase go further back than both of these time periods. According to the Texas news site Austin American-Statesman: during the Victorian era in the mid-1800s, there was a global shift in the use of profanity throughout English-speaking countries. Many deemed profanity to be sacrilegious and a sign that a person wasn’t a true Christian. Therefore, many people began to develop a variety of euphemisms to replace common swear words, particularly those that blasphemed holy names. “Cripes” or “Crikes” took the place of the oft-used “Christ. “Dangnabbit” replaced “God damn it.” “Cheese and Rice” was used in place of “Jesus Christ.” And “Suffering Succotash”? Well, that replaced the old-fashioned profanity “Suffering Savior.”
There you have it. Now, if you’re hungry and you’d like to try this dish, here’s a simple recipe for it: https://themodernproper.com/easy-succotash
(I am not affiliated with The Modern Proper website in any way — I just think this recipe is good.)
