Grits
Grits, as a breakfast side-dish with bacon, scrambled eggs and toast
TypePorridge
Place of originUnited States
Main ingredientsGround corn
Variations
  • Hominy grits
  • Yellow speckled grits
  • Cheese grits
  • Fried grits

Grits is a type of porridge made from coarsely ground dried corn (maize) or hominy,[1] the latter being maize that has been treated with an alkali in a process called nixtamalization, with the pericarp (ovary wall) removed. It is eaten primarily in the United States. Grits are cooked in warm salted water or milk. They are often served with flavorings[2] as a breakfast dish, though it is also served as a lunch or supper dish, particularly with meat. Grits can be savory or sweet, with savory seasonings being more common. Grits are similar to other thick maize-based porridges from around the world, such as polenta, mieliepap, and mămăligă. Italian-Americans living in the delta of Arkansas and Mississippi recognized this and have substituted grits for traditional polenta dishes. The dish originated in the Southern United States but is now available nationwide. Grits are part of the dinner entrée shrimp and grits, served primarily in the Southern United States.[2]

The word grits is derived from the Old English word grytt, meaning "coarse meal".[3] In the Charleston, South Carolina area, cooked hominy grits were primarily referred to as "hominy" until the 1980s.[4][5]

Origin

The dish originated with the Native American Muscogee tribe using maize.[6] American colonists learned to make the dish from the Native Americans, and it quickly became an American staple.[7]

At that time, maize or hominy for grits was ground on a stone mill. The ground material was passed through screens, the finer sifted material used as grit meal, and the coarser as grits.[8]

Three-quarters of the grits sold in the U.S. are bought in the South, in an area stretching from Lower Texas to Washington, D.C., which is sometimes called the "grits belt".[9] The state of Georgia declared grits to be its official prepared food in 2002.[10] A similar bill was introduced in South Carolina to name it the official state food,[11] but it did not advance.[12] Nevertheless, South Carolina still has an entire chapter of legislation dealing exclusively with corn meal and grits.[13] State law in South Carolina requires grits and rice meal to be enriched, similar to the requirement for flour.[13]

Grits may be either yellow or white, depending on the color of the maize used. The most common version in supermarkets is "quick" grits, which are made from non-hominy maize and have the germ and hull removed. Whole kernel grits are sometimes called "speckled".[14] Whole kernel grits are often marketed as "stone ground grits".

Preparation

Grits are prepared by mixing water or milk and the dry grits and stirring them over heat. If one uses cornmeal, the food is called mush.[15][16] Whole-grain grits require much longer to become soft than "quick grits".

Dishes

Grits and grunts
Grits and grunts with dandelion greens and Swiss chard
TypeFried fish and porridge
CourseMain course
Place of originKey West, Florida
Associated cuisineAmerican cuisine
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredientsGrits, white grunts or other fish

Grits are eaten with a wide variety of foods, such as eggs and bacon, fried catfish, shrimp, salmon croquettes, or country ham.[17]

Shrimp and grits is a traditional dish in the coastal communities in the South Carolina Lowcountry and Georgia's Lower Coastal Plain.[18][19]

Grits and grunts is a breakfast dish considered to be a staple of Floridian cuisine.[20][21] The dish is prepared by serving small fried fish fillets, typically white grunts, over cooked grits.[22][23] It was invented during the colonial period and became popular in Key West during the early 20th century.[24] Barry Popik stated that this popularization occurred around 1900.[25] Stetson Kennedy's book Grits and Grunts: Folkloric Key West was named after the dish.[26]

Solidified cooked grits can be sliced and fried in vegetable oil, butter, or bacon grease to make fried grits, or they can first be breaded in beaten egg and bread crumbs.[27]

See also

References

Look up grits in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grits. Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on
  1. "Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs: Chapter 4 Grains" (PDF).
  2. Moss, Robert. "The Surprisingly Recent Story of How Shrimp and Grits Won Over the South". Serious Eats.
  3. Harper, Douglas. "grits". Online Etymology Dictionary.
  4. Lee, Matt; Lee, Ted. "Iconic Southern Plates: Lowcountry Shrimp and Grits". Southern Living.
  5. Huguenin, Mary Vereen; Stoney, Anne Montague, eds. (1950). Charleston Receipts. Junior League of Charleston. p. 153.
  6. "Shrimp and Grits: A History". Deep South Magazine. Deep South Media, LLC. October 1, 2014. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
  7. Wulff, Alexia (November 7, 2016). "A Brief History Of Grits". Culture Trip.
  8. Marcus, Erica (May 3, 2006). "Burning Questions: Kernels of Truth on Ground Corn". Newsday. Melville, New York: Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. p. 1.
  9. Cutler, Charles L. (2002). Tracks that Speak: The Legacy of Native American Words in North American Culture. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 28. ISBN 0-618-06510-5.
  10. "State Prepared Food". sos.georgia.gov. Georgia Secretary of State. Archived from the original on August 29, 2008.
  11. "South Carolina General Assembly 113th Session, 1999–2000, Bill Number: 4806". scstatehouse.gov. South Carolina Legislature.
  12. "A Bill And the Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, By Adding Section 1-1-703 So As To Recognize Grits As the Official Food of the State. Session 113 – (1999–2000). 4806 General Bill, By Altman". scstatehouse.gov. South Carolina Legislature.
  13. "Code of Laws. Title 39. Trade and Commerce. Chapter 29. "Corn Meal and Grits"". scstatehouse.gov. South Carolina Legislature.
  14. Lee, Matt; Lee, Ted (April 26, 2000). "A Taste of Charleston; Corn's Highest Calling: Grits". The New York Times.
  15. "How to Make Grits". Better Homes and Gardens – via bhg.com.
  16. "Cornmeal vs. Grits vs. Polenta". The Spruce Eats.
  17. "How To Cook Grits Like A Southerner". HuffPost. October 29, 2014.
  18. Moss, Robert (May 13, 2020). "The Surprisingly Recent Story of How Shrimp and Grits Won Over the South". seriouseats.com.
  19. "Shrimp and Grits", Williams-Sonoma. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  20. "Trash to Treasure - Florida Sport Fishing". Florida Sportfishing. December 23, 2015.
  21. "Haemulon plumieri". Discover Fishes.
  22. "Creole Grits and Grillades from The Glory of Southern Cooking by James Villas". app.ckbk.com.
  23. "Spicy Fish and Grits". Florida Sportsman. March 3, 2020.
  24. Gibson, Terry (June 10, 2016). "Brain Food: Tasty Grunts Open Windows Into How Coastal Ecosystems Operate". Marine Fish Conservation Network.
  25. Popik, Barry. "Double-Tongued Word Wrester Dictionary". www.barrypopik.com.
  26. Stein, Alan Harris (January 1, 2010). "Grits and Grunts: Folkloric Key West". The Oral History Review. 37 (1): 150–152. doi:10.1093/ohr/ohq020. ISSN 0094-0798.
  27. Stacey, Leah. "Southern Fried Grit Patties". justapinch.com. Just A Pinch Recipe Club.