Grits

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

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

Grits and a waffle, both topped with butter.

Grits is a type of maize porridge and a food common in the Southern United States and southern Manchuria (where it is called gezi in Mandarin) 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 Southern U.S. 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 commercial milling companies prefer other methods.

Three-quarters of grits sold in the United States are sold in the "grits belt" stretching from Louisiana to North Carolina.[1] 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 grist 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.'"[1]

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 are prepared by simply boiling into a porridge; normally they are boiled until enough water evaporates to leave them semi-solid. They are traditionally served at breakfast, but can also be used at any meal.

Hominy grits is another term for grits, but explicitly refers to grits made from nixtamalized corn, or hominy. These are the common grits sold in supermarkets outside of the Southern United States.

Grits are also similar to farina and polenta. Polenta is popular in northern Italy and is also known in parts of the U.S. as cornmeal mush. It is often sold precooked and chilled in sticks to be sliced and fried as a breakfast dish or grilled.

[edit] Condiments and preparations

A variety is attained when other foods are in the grits. Grits are almost always salted, and the proper amount of salt is considered a key element in their preparation. These additions are very common in the Southern U.S.:

• Butter
• Milk or heavy cream
• Red-eye gravy or tasso gravy
• Butter, salt and pepper
• Gravy
• Cheese, typically sharp cheddar but also other cheeses, including ricotta
• Cheese and eggs
• Bacon or ham
• Shrimp, a favorite in the South Carolina Low Country region
• Fried white fish, commonly catfish

These are some other, less common preparations:

• Butter and sugar
• Butter, milk, and brown sugar (more typical of the Midwestern U.S. than the Southern U.S.)
• Sugar
• Ketchup
• Tomatoes
• Livermush
• Sour cream
• Molasses
• Jam or jelly
• Syrup
• Egg whites
• Peanut butter
• Apple butter
• Hot Sauce
• Sardines

[edit] Meals

Shrimp and grits is an extremely popular dish in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Historically, during the season that shrimp are plentiful (May - December, peaking August-October), grits would be prepared for breakfast by coastal fishermen using shrimp, salt, butter, and bacon grease. The dish is now a de facto symbol of the area's culinary heritage, and has become enormously popular for brunch, lunch, and dinner. The shrimp may be prepared with tasso gravy, milk gravy, red-eye gravy, a very liquid tomato sauce, sausage, garlic, onions, bell peppers, bacon, chicken broth, lemon juice, or other ingredients, all served on top of salted grits, preferably stone-ground. It is a staple dish served in some incarnation at most top-of-the-line restaurants in Charleston, South Carolina.

• Fried fish, a Southern U.S. staple, is often served with cheese grits and hushpuppies.
• Pecan-encrusted fish, often catfish, can be served atop grits.
• In rural areas grits may be served with game meats, such as squirrel and rabbit.

[edit] See also

• Cuisine of the Southern United States
• Hominy
• Grist mill
• United States Regional Cuisine
• Polenta
• farina

[edit] References

• Stradley, Linda. "Grits, Shrimp and Grits, Grits History and Recipe" "What's Cooking America?", 2004, retrieved October 30, 2006.