Grits

Grits are a food typical of the Southern United States consisting of coarsely ground corn, traditionally by a stone mill. The results are passed through screens, with the finer part being corn meal, and the coarser being grits. Almost every community in the South had a grits mill until about a generation ago, with families bringing their own corn to be ground, and the miller retaining a portion of the corn for his fee. Grits aficionados still prefer stone ground grits, although modern milling tends to prefer faster methods.

Related Topics:
Food - Southern United States - Corn - Mill - Corn meal - Grits mill - Miller

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The word "grits" comes from Old English grytta meaning a coarse meal of any kind. Yellow grits include the entire kernel, while white grits use dehulled kernels. Grits are prepared by simply boiling into a porridge; normally they are boiled until enough water evaporates to leave them semi-solid however. They are traditionally served at breakfast, but can also be used at any meal.

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Hominy grits are ground from Hominy, that is to say, from corn that is first dehulled and treated through nixtamalization and then dried and coarsely ground. This contrasts with European polenta, which is made from cornmeal made by grinding kernels which have not been de-hulled.

Related Topics:
Hominy - Nixtamalization - Polenta

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Grits are also similar to farina, which is marketed in the United States by Kraft Foods under the trademark Cream of Wheat.

Related Topics:
Farina - Kraft Foods - Cream of Wheat

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Grits can be eaten in a variety of ways:

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• With butter
• With butter, salt and pepper
• With gravy
• With butter, milk, and brown sugar (more typical of the Midwest than the South)
• With cheese cooked in
• With cheese and eggs mixed in
• With sugar
• With bacon or ham
• With livermush
• With shrimp, popularized by Bill Neal at Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

See also: grist mill, Sweet Tea, United States Regional Cuisine

Related Topics:
Grist mill - Sweet Tea - United States Regional Cuisine

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Grits: Other uses ►