Grits

This article is about the corn-based Southern U.S. food. For other uses, see Grit (disambiguation).

For the Christian hip hop group, see GRITS.

Grits and a waffle, both topped with butter.

Grits is a type of corn porridge and a food common in the Southern United States consisting of coarsely ground corn. This is similar to many other thick maize-based porridges from around the world such as polenta. It also has a lesser resemblance to farina, a thinner porridge.

Hominy grits is another term for grits, but explicitly refers to grits made from nixtamalized corn, or hominy.

The words "grits" and "hominy" are sometimes used interchangeably, particularly in and around Charleston, SC. The Charleston Junior League cookbook Charleston Receipts, for example, foregoes the word "grits" entirely, instead using only the word "hominy."

Origins

Traditionally the maize for grits is ground 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 Southern U.S. used a gristmill up 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. In South Carolina, state law requires grits and corn meal to be enriched, similar to the requirements for flour, unless the grits are ground from corn where the miller keeps part of the product for his fee.

Three-quarters of grits sold in the United States is sold in the "grits belt" stretching from Louisiana to North Carolina. South Carolina declared grits its state food in 1973, writing, "Whereas, throughout its history, the South has relished its grits, making them a symbol of its diet, its customs, its humor, and its hospitality, and whereas, every community in the State of South Carolina used to be the site of a grits mill and every local economy in the State used to be dependent on its product; and whereas, grits has been a part of the life of every South Carolinian of whatever race, background, gender, and income; and whereas, grits could very well play a vital role in the future of not only this State, but also the world, if as The Charleston News and Courier proclaimed in 1952: 'An inexpensive, simple, and thoroughly digestible food, [grits] should be made popular throughout the world. Given enough of it, the inhabitants of planet Earth would have nothing to fight about. A man full of [grits] is a man of peace.'"

The word "grits" comes from Old English grytta meaning a coarse meal of any kind. Yellow grits include the whole kernel, while white grits use hulled kernels. Grits is prepared by simply boiling into a porridge; normally it is boiled until enough water evaporates to leave it semi-solid. It is traditionally served during breakfast, but can be used at any meal. In some circles, grits are referred to as "Georgia ice cream".

See also

• Cuisine of the Southern United States
• United States Regional Cuisine