My mother, who was from East Tennessee, learned to cook fried cornbread from my Alabama grandmother who was born in 1881. My grandmother's ancestors were Georgia, Florida, and Alabama pioneers (1760's to 1820's). I remember standing next to my mother and waiting excitedly for the first cornbread round to be turned onto the brown paper and plate. Unfortunately for our waistlines, bacon grease makes for the best-tasting fried cornbread!