Grits
food made from corn From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Grits are a type of porridge made from coarsely ground dried maize or hominy. [1] Grits are cooked in warm salted water or milk. They are often served with flavorings[2] as a breakfast dish. Grits can be savory or sweet, with savory seasonings being more common. Grits are like other thick maize-based porridges from around the world, such as polenta and mieliepap. . Grits are often part of a dinner entrée shrimp and grits in the Southern United States .[2]
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Origin
The dish originated with the Native American Muscogee tribe using maize.[3] American colonists learned to make the dish from the Native Americans.[4]
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.[5]
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., that is sometimes called the "grits belt".[6] The state of Georgia declared grits to be its official prepared food in 2002.[7] South Carolina has legislation dealing exclusively with corn meal and grits.[8] State law in South Carolina requires grits and rice meal to be enriched, similar to the requirement for flour.[8]
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".[9]
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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.[10][11] Whole grain grits require much longer to become soft than "quick grits".
References
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