For the americans...what are 'grits'?!


Question:

For the americans...what are 'grits'?

I was reading Cold Mountain and they kept mentioning cooking 'grits'. what are they?


Answers:
I dont see why one has to be American to comment so I will anyway!

The word grits comes from the Old English. "grytt", meaning "bran", some sources point to the Old English word "greot" which meant something ground. Many cookbooks and references refer to grits as hominy because of regional preference for the name. Americans have been using the term "grits" since at least the end of the 18th century and I have been eating grits for breakfast since working in the USA over 20 years ago and thinking that they were a type of porriage.

I personally prefer mine fried rather than boiled there are hundreds of sites and receipies on the net.

To answer the question very specifically though - grits are are coarsely ground corn grain, made in the same way as corn meal and corn flour is but stopping at a coarser grind.

PS can be purchased in UK, Quaker make the brand that I have seen in speciality shops.

ground up corn meal, boiled into a soft paste. They're quite good, served up with a dollop of butter and some salt.

I believe they are a type of snack, a bit like quavers if I remember correctly, only crunchier.

I'm not an American, but I believe they are some sort of sloppy porridge thing made with corn that you eat with breakfast.

D.
X

Kinda like plain oatmeal

grits r like malt o meal but grits r made out of corn, little bits of corn taste really good.

I'm not a yank but watch My Cousin Vinny, it tells you in that(some sort of boiled corn i think) it's also a very funny film.

grits are small broken grains of corn they grind up. cooked with water and salt (little milk and butter my granny used to do)
they can be served sweet or savory.
a traditional southern dish.

ground corn

Grits are actually groung hominy, which is corn that is treated with lye. Popular in the southern US...

underpants. y fronts. don't know why they are cooking them for???.

Grits is hominy corn (swollen corn), kind of mushed and cooked. We add butter and salt and pepper. It's one of those foods that you either love or hate. There is no middle road for this one.

oh may god . to do without grits is a;most a sin. well grits are corn grains that crushes up, like corn mill but not that fine, like cream of wheat but it a bigger grains. please that them you can cook it up lots of different ways and you can add just amount any thing to it. even just plain slat and pepper. you can make them up even like smashed potatoes and add to it. the same way.

Grits are usually a southern dish. They are ground up corn and then you cook them and serve with butter. I like the yellow grits or white, with fried bacon and eggs. Very yummy. Had that yesterday for breakfast.

Grits are great!!

very good

Grits are a little like polenta, but a finer grind. They are made from corn. You boil the grits in water or stock for a long time. Generally it is made from white corn, but it can be yellow corn as well. Grits made with yellow corn, shaped into logs, sliced, and then fried is called corn meal mush.

sounds yukky!

Grits .... is hominy ... a white corn with large kernels..... really delicious....

the Italians use grits for at least one dinner dish ....boiled up, put in a flat pan to congeal, sliced and put into a casserole dish, covered with tomato sauce and cheese, and baked....

The Germans also use them.....I found a whole passel of recipes the other day under "Recipes for Griess" ..
all sorts of puddings, breakfast dishes ...dinner dishes...but, it is in German, if that is ok ...

Cheers!

All the preceeding answers are good, I would like to add that Polenta is very much like grits.
I think of grits as a base food that you can add things to or serve things on.(shrimp and grits comes to mind-very tasty mixture of scallions bacoon, shrimp, and spice served atop grits) As always when you have a 'base' food, delicately balanced seasoning is very important.
Old fashioned grits can take 1 hour to cook and have more and a more complex flavor than the easy instant things. Convience washed away some of the flavor!




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