hush puppies

John Grishamの短編Fetching Raymondを読んでいます。Raymondの死刑執行前に最後のごちそうがRaymondと家族に用意されました。
Within minutes a crew from the kitchen arrived with armed escort. Hurriedly, they unfolded a square card table and covered it with a raher large amount of food. The smells were immediately thick in the room, and Leon and Butch were weak with hunger. They had not eaten since noon. Inez was too distraught to think about food, though she did examine the spread. Fried catfish, French-fried potatoes, hush puppies, coleslaw, all in the center of the table. To the right was a mammoth cheeseburger, with another order of fries and one of onion rings. To the left was a medium-size pizza with pepperoni and hot, bubbling cheese. Directly in front of the catfish was a huge slice of what appeared to be lemon pie, and next to it was a dessert plate covered with chocolate cake. A bowl of vanilla ice cream was wedged along the edge of the table.
州によって制度の異なる米国なので一概には言えませんが、上記の場面が実際にある州もあるのでしょうね。
さて、"hush puppies" は食べたことも聞いたこともないので調べます。
・Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary: chiefly Southern & southern Midland: cornmeal dough shaped into small balls and fried in deep fat —usually used in plural
・Wikipedia: A hushpuppy (or cornbread ball) is a small, savory, deep-fried ball made from cornmeal-based batter. Hushpuppies are frequently served as a side dish with seafood and other deep-fried foods.
写真はWikipedia(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hushpuppy)からです。