Grits

From Freepedia

Grits are a common food in 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. Many communities in the South had a gristmill until the mid 20th century, 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.

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 hulled 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.

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.

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

Grits are commonly eaten with a variety of added foods:

• Butter
• Butter, salt and pepper
• Gravy
• Butter, milk, and brown sugar (more typical of the Midwest than the South)
• Cheese
• Cheese and eggs
• Sugar
• Bacon or ham
• Livermush
• Shrimp, popularized by Bill Neal at Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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

Other uses

• GRITS is colloquial for "girls raised in the South" in the U.S.
• In Canada, Grits is a slang term for members of the Liberal Party of Canada or the provincial Liberal parties. It refers back to the foundation of the party, which was described as being for "men of clear grit". (See Clear Grits.)
• Grit disambiguation page, for uses of Grit.