There are at least three different types of spoonbread.

1) A Southwestern or Mexican variety which contains whole kernel and creamed corn. This sort is sometimes made with cheese, chili peppers, onions or  other added ingredients. It is much like what we would call a corn pudding.

2) A variety which uses scalded milk and or hot water into which cornmeal is stirred and cooked. Whole eggs are beaten and added to the mash which may be leavened with modern baking powders or soda. Most pre-packaged mixes are of this type. We would probably call this a sort of cornmeal mush.

3) Old Virginia style which uses only beaten egg whites as leavening. I suspect these recipes are the ancestors of all the others in that baking powder and baking soda (or saleratus) were 19th century inventions.

The following is the recipe from Miss Carrie Hunter's kitchen at Gray Gables in Winchester, VA about 1940. It is essentially a modernized Virginia Spoonbread in that it uses not only egg whites, but also buttermilk and soda as well as double acting baking powder for leavening.  My mother roomed and boarded at Gray Gables while teaching at John Kerr School during the early forties, and my family has always enjoyed this easily prepared dish for breakfast.

Preheat oven to 400 F

1 cup milk
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs (separated)
½ cup cornmeal
1 Tbs. melted butter (melt the butter in cooking vessel in oven while pre-heating) *
1 tsp. double acting baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder

Separate eggs, beat whites stiff and set aside. Beat yolks,  add dry ingredients and that part of the melted butter which is excess of coating the casserole. Gently fold in egg whites. Bake 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately with fresh butter!  Serves four.

We generally have thick crisp bacon with this. Dad eats it with jam.

* We bake our spoonbread in an old pottery baking dish. It will work in glass or cast iron but cooking times are going to vary with different materials.