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Grits get a bad rap. Thought of as a staple in Appalachian and Deep South diets (which conjures up plenty of fried and fatty foods), grits are making their way into the mainstream and, gasp, can be had in restaurants as far north as Seattle and Boston.
Grits, or hominy grits, are made from corn kernels dried on the cob, removed, and soaked in a solution of baking soda, lime or wood ash. The kernels are then dehulled from the hominy. There is a do-it-yourself process from Mountain Laurel in case you venture to try a grits dish and want to give it whirl in the kitchen. Watch the lye solution ... I've made soap this way and you wouldn't want any going down the gully.
I'd like to see grits incorporated into recipes considered traditionally Northern: any rice/meat combo that doesn't involve shrimp: souffles, tabuli, any rice dish. Still, pork-laced red beans and grits, Andouille (a Louisiana sausage) and grits, creamed spinach and grits ... I feel like the shrimp boat guy in 'Forest Gump.' Seriously, check out the grit scene. And if there isn't one around you, start asking hosts/hostesses to pass along the request to management at your eats joints.
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8-31-2006 @5:29PM Dusty H. Bouchelle said... The singular of grits is "grits".
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8-31-2006 @5:37PM james b said... What a load of ethnocentrism. When Craven talks about grits making their way into the mainstream, what mainstream is that? If you look at population by US region, the South is by far the largest. If you look at weight statistics, it isn't a stretch to guess that most people eat fried food. So I guess Craven's little world of salad eating health nuts lowering themselves to eat grits as a novelty food is indeed news.
Grits are best enjoyed with salt, pepper, and butter alongside black coffee, eggs, and bacon. If you wanna serve them as some fru-fru shabby chic side dish, do me a favor and call it polenta.
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8-31-2006 @11:25PM Camille Bauman said... Gee, James, tell us how you really feel..As for me, grits is just cornmeal mush. I'd rather have the whole kernel, laced with butter and salt, thank you.
I'm from northern Michigan.
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9-01-2006 @8:28AM Rob said... Camille, I think you mean "grits are just", not "grits is..", but grits ain't anyway. Comparing grits to corn on the cob is like comparing chicken stock to chicken wings.
Also, grits don't have a "bad rap", and nobody calls them "hominy grits". Other than that, terrific post.
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9-02-2006 @10:00AM MJ said... Hey they eat grits all over the country. Its not just a southern eats. It may have orginated from the south.Paula on the cooking network did a grits pie. I wouldnt go that far. Being from the south grits still rule.Usually you would have to fix them at home. To go out for breakfast you usually find hashbrowns on the menu.The best grits that taste like anything, are the old fashioned grits you cook for a while. The instant and the 1 minute grits have no flavor and I think thats why alot of people dont like them.Some ground grits which is a courser ground has alot of flavor! If you like polenta ,give grits a try for breakfast. lunch or dinner. with butter or chesse and garlic as a cassorole its sure to please.The south rules!
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9-06-2006 @8:15PM george said... Cheese grits is a really great side dish.
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9-06-2006 @8:20PM k said... They look like lumpy wallpaper paste, have the texture of cream of wheat & taste like popcorn...what more could you want? :) The first time I saw them on my plate at Waffle House I was sure there had been some horrible kitchen disaster... but now as a transplanted Yankee I've come to accept grits as a pretty good vehicle for various sauces, cheeses, and of course, the ever-present shellfish...but I have to admit I prefer them with real maple syrup!
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9-06-2006 @8:26PM Da Bug said... Whoever doesn't like grits, hasn't eaten them the way I make 'em: Lots of cheese, butter, salt and pepper. They also have to be real, not the instant or quick-cooking kind.
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9-06-2006 @8:29PM Judith said... I grew up in the south and in my house we didn't eat grits. It wasn't until I became an adult that I learned to like them. Now, I love grits. Butter and splenda is what I put on them.....it has to be real butter by the way since margarine makes grits taste awful.
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9-06-2006 @11:59PM Gary Hagy said... I'm from the South. My mother made hominy, grits from hominy, souse meat and chitlings. I always thought they were awful (evil). Give me country ham, eggs, milk gravy and buscuits, and good coffee, anytime. Feed the grits to the pigs, makes them fatter for market.
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9-06-2006 @8:36PM George Maslin said... Let grits jell overnight, cut into thin slices in the morning and fry in bacon fat. Eat like toast. Only two problems. Could cause a heart attack and frying them in bacon fat tends to really make a mess on the stove.
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9-06-2006 @8:38PM mck said... Grits are an essential breakfast food for this transplanted Southerner. Carbs for the day ahead. I eat mine the way my granddaddy did - with butter and a slice of American cheese and salt and pepper and two eggs over medium with bacon on the side. Put the eggs on top of the grits so when you put a fork in the egg it runs all in the grits. It's yummy, y'all! No hashbrowns required...
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9-06-2006 @8:39PM ashley said... Grits are definitely an acquired taste. Both myself and my boyfriend are from the south- I love grits- he gags at the site of them. I guess it just depends on the person. I like grits, plain, personally- salt, pepper and butter. To me, anything else just ruins the taste. But y'all have all made some potential test worthy eats- I'll try anything once. :o) Y'all have a great day!
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9-07-2006 @4:24PM Bill Hunter said... Not a bad commentary but a fine example of yankee ethnocentrism. Grits have been in our mainstream my whole life! But it's nice to see that those in the hinterlands of the northeast are finally wising up.
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9-06-2006 @8:43PM Phil said... Had eaten a life-time's quota of grits by the time I was 12 years old...still appropriate with fried fish, and cheese grits are something else....tried hominy once---Not! Mid-westerners should never criticize Southern food anyway...have an ex-wife who raved about mashed potato sandwiches and baked bean sandwiches!!!and she was from Ohio......
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9-06-2006 @8:43PM Chris said... Nothing like a bowl of grits with 2 fried eggs on top and plenty of salt and pepper!! Mmmm,mmm! A bowl of this will nurse your hangover too! LOL!
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9-06-2006 @8:46PM Pam said... Please don't give away any more Southern secrets. We all know how wonderful grits are. They are great for breakfast, and wonderful as a side dish. My personal favorite is grits and butter, fried catfish, hush puppies, and a few french fries. A heart attack on a plate, maybe, but oooooo so good.
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9-06-2006 @8:47PM Belle Lanier said... Sorry, kids, but grits is singular. [Would you offer someone a grit?] Sort of a compound noun thingie whereby you say "grits is best with butter and pepper"
- or "old-fashioned grits has to cook 45 minutes". Don't forget that "Grits'nEggs is one word. Belle
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9-06-2006 @8:45PM lanie said... how do you cook grits - if you don't buy instant
and make them/it taste good
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9-06-2006 @8:46PM KIm said... I love grits!I've been eating them since I was a child. They are an aquired taste. But, MMMM good with bacon and eggs! No instant though gotta be the real thing!
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