Sell Like Hot Cakes

Hot cakes have long been a popular food staple from earliest times in America.  They were first made with cornmeal and fried in pork lard.

They were so popular with regular folks that griddle cakes or pancakes were always served piping hot and were oftentimes sold at church benefits, fairs, and other functions to raise money for community projects.

Selling hot cakes was an easy sell to an eager public and soon, anything that sold in great numbers and with little effort was said to sell like hot cakes.

Nose To The Grindstone

The Pilgrims were also responsible for this phrase.  Back in the 1600s, the main staple food was corn.  However, in order to get the greatest use from corn, it had to be ground finely until it was cornmeal.

In order to achieve this feat, corn kernels were poured into a stone bowl in which the millstone rested.  The millstone, of course, was turned by the power of the windmill.  However, in order to get the corn into the bowl, the miller had to pour it in from the backside which meant his face was as close to the millstone as you could get without actually causing injury.