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In a city blessed with many indigenous foods, coddies might be Baltimore Maryland’s most under-appreciated foodigenous. But before I get started, to anyone reading the title thinking to yourself “there he goes again, another meaningless pop culture non sequitur”, (cause I do, do that) realize this one is super thought out and kinda obvious, assuming you are schooled in 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon logic like I am. You see, Bill Shatner worked alongside fellow Starfleet Captain Patrick Stewart in the Star Trek mashup Generations. Stewart famously starred as my 4th favorite Scrooge in the 1999 adaptation of A Christmas Carol. And Dominic West who played nephew Fred also went on to portray straight shooter Baltimore PD Detective Jimmy McNulty in the Wire. So, like I said, Beam Me Up Coddie is a pretty obvious synergy. And since I mentioned Christmas, this will also count as my annual Holiday Blog. #DieHardRules
A Bygone Foodigenous
It's impossible for me to visit Baltimore without eating at least one baseball size crab cake and washing it down with a Natty Boh. If I do spend extended time in the Charm City, maybe I'll seek out a Pit Beef now and then. But I rarely make an effort to enjoy the century old foodigenous, essentially deep-fried balls of creamy mashed potato and salt cod, known as a coddie. More tater than fish, I'd say a 5:1 ratio. Coddies are the Velveteen Rabbit of Baltimore cuisine. Once adored and enjoyed by the masses, there are now forgotten relic of yesteryear, with only a few menus still featuring this delicious treat. And unlike the aforementioned foods of Bawlmer, these guys are virtually unknown to crustacean obsessed tourists. But like I said, that wasn't always the case.
According to The Baltimore Sun, Louis Cohen a Jewish Russian immigrant, along with his wife Fannie first started selling their Original Tasty Coddies at a stand in the Bel Air Market in April 1910, for a nickel apiece. They became so desired, the Cohens opened their own processing plant and, from the 1920's thru the 60's, delivered them to restaurants and delis
across the city. Apparently, the proper way to enjoy the fishcake, was/is to wedge between 2 saltines crackers (sandwich style) and dip in yellow mustard. When Cohen's closed their business in 1970, popularity started to wane. That said, coddies continue to be on the menu at a few noteworthy restaurants like my personal favorite, Faidley's Seafood. Just My Suggestion: While it's offered, skip the mustard and douse them with hot sauce here, it works really well!
Additionally, coddies can still be found on several Jewish delis in the area, including the iconic Attman's Deli on Lombard Street. Their unique recipe yields a more hockey puck shape, with a sturdier knish-like inside with little or no fish taste at all. The Essen Room in nearby Pikesville also proudly continues the tradition. Coddie or no, these two old school delis should both be on your Maryland radar.
Make These at Home?
I don't typically offer recipes with my stories, but a few of my readers have asked. Since I've only eaten coddies that were made for me, I reached out to fellow foodie Kara Mae Harris whose Old Line Plate blog chronicles Maryland's food history and cooking traditions. She allowed me to share her recipe along with some behind the scenes pics. So, if you are unable to make the
trip to Baltimore and want to make these at home, click on the link. Obviously, you'll need access to salt cod and you'll need to have some extra time on your hands- Note: It takes 24 hours to soak the fish, changing the water periodically, but I understand it's worth the effort.
Let me sum it up by saying, if you ever get the
chance to visit B-More, you MUST get the crab cake but also be on the lookout for coddies. It just so happens Faidley's makes my favorite of both.
While researching, I stumbled across some interesting reads, but I felt I experienced a lot of the same feelings as this In Search of Coddies post. It's a good read. And since this is my Holiday Post, Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and may you Live Long and Prosper this New Year.