Explain Grits to this Northern Girl!

[DisBuckMan]

Several people have mentioned shrimp and grits.

To me that's just a waste of perfectly good shrimp.

Shrimp and grits are a highly overrated dish.

 

[Capt_BJ]

red eye gravy

Oh great, here come the next question from the north: what's .......

I'm a Yankee who married a southerner and regularly cook and eat:

grits, red eye gravy, biscuits, biscuits and gravy, ham biscuits, johnny cake, corn bread, shrimp and grits and even learned how to clean & peel whole fresh shrimp ... then boil or grill 'em

after growing up on cream of wheat & malt-o-meal

I like my grits with just a healthy splash of Crystal .....

 

[dvcterry]

Just never knew it was boiled cornmeal. For some reason I though more like hashbrowns, but wasnt sure.
What I imagined....

View attachment 419126

So you just boil the cornmeal, drain it and thats it (if you dont want to mix in other stuff) ? Thats "grits" ?

Simple enough!!

No draining...you slow cook it 20 minutes with extra butter wink wink and then you add the extra yummy stuff like cheese or a little brown sugar top with shrimp or smoked bacon and this is coming from a Northern girl who's just spent a little too much time at Disney Hilton Head Island and turned southern at heart

 

[Lilsia]

I grew up in the Chicago area but moved to Omaha many years ago. I know of all of these things, grits, polenta, cream of wheat(farina), etc. All of them are available where I live. You can buy them at the grocery stores either in the natural state or instant from many brands. Growing up we ate farina and my daughter loves it also. She will still make it for herself. We add some sugar and some fruit to ours for and have it for breakfast. Ever hear the chef joke, "what's the difference between grits and polenta? About $12.99." LOL It's basically the same thing, prepared a bit different but polenta sounds fancier so they charge more for it.

 

[chris benton]

Nobody has had grits until they've been to Charleston.
Please trust me.
No disrespect to anywhere else considered "The South." I have lots of respect for the grits I've had in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Super fancy with smoked gouda, to plain ol' down home lard and salt (Mississippi Waffle House's grits FLOORED me. So plain, but soooo good.)

Charleston, and surrounding areas - whole new level of grits - just sublime. Cream, and butter, and luscious, and then ANY gravy, anywhere. Charleston has some REAL food, y'all. I'm a Chicago native - Charleston blew me away. Different kinda food scene, but way better than I ever thought.

 

[chris benton]

No draining...you slow cook it 20 minutes with extra butter wink wink and then you add the extra yummy stuff like cheese or a little brown sugar top with shrimp or smoked bacon and this is coming from a Northern girl who's just spent a little too much time at Disney Hilton Head Island and turned southern at heart

I asked a restaurant owner in SC where to buy grits. She said first off, only buy these few brands in town (stone ground, and NOT cheap brands, and she told me what store to go to outside of the tourist areas.) Then she said, if any recipe for grits starts you off with boiling water, don't use it. Milk and cream. And they take longer than you think. She even mentioned a crock pot. Once you've had real grits (not you, specifically dvcterry, but, just anyone) You will KNOW you've had real grits. They are not a joke. You KNOW there is no way they are healthy - just indulgent, creamy, smooth, luscious. I never understood grits until this year when I drove down to Florida and back from Chicago. We had grits at a bunch of different places, and then took a trip to Charleston. Grits are fantastic when done right.

 

[Day-Day]

As a northerner transplanted in the South for the past 17 years, I agree with the Cream of Wheat comparison. This thread has made me want to go buy some Cream of Wheat. My mom used to make it for us when we were kids, chock full of butter and brown sugar. The first time I had grits was at my husband's Great Aunt's house in Louisiana. I started putting white sugar and butter in it and learned that was blasphemous. Last time I had grits was at the California Grill brunch and it was part of a shrimp dish and had a bit of a kick to it. If you see a Waffle House chain, they offer grits. However, I always replace the grits with the hashbrowns, because hello, amazing hashbrowns!

LOL When I was in college, the dining hall served grits maybe twice a year; I guess for us Southerners. One of the guys at my table was from Massachusetts and he put sugar on his grits. I was a little shocked. One other thing I learned from him, there is no "t" in the middle of "Massachusetts"; he used a firm word about that.

 

[dvcterry]

red eye gravy

Oh great, here come the next question from the north: what's .......

In a Yankee who married a southerner and regularly cook and eat

grits, red eye gravy, biscuits, biscuits and gravy, ham biscuits, johnny cake, corn bread, shrimp and grits and even learned how to clean & peel whole fresh shrimp ... then boil or grill 'em

after growing up on cream of wheat & malt-o-meal

I like my grits with just a healthy splash of Crystal .....

View attachment 419380

Now you're talking!

 

[dvcterry]

I asked a restaurant owner in SC where to buy grits. She said first off, only buy these few brands in town (stone ground, and NOT cheap brands, and she told me what store to go to outside of the tourist areas.) Then she said, if any recipe for grits starts you off with boiling water, don't use it. Milk and cream. And they take longer than you think. She even mentioned a crock pot. Once you've had real grits (not you, specifically dvcterry, but, just anyone) You will KNOW you've had real grits. They are not a joke. You KNOW there is no way they are healthy - just indulgent, creamy, smooth, luscious. I never understood grits until this year when I drove down to Florida and back from Chicago. We had grits at a bunch of different places, and then took a trip to Charleston. Grits are fantastic when done right.

And she's 100 percent right. Let the craving begin...

 

[Lou'sMommy]

I’m from New England but move to SC decades ago...I love cheese popcorn for breakfast. My co-workers would remark - ‘must be a yankee thing’ but I’d say No - it was southern...they’d reply ‘I’ve lived in the south all my life and I’ve never heard of cheese popcorn for breakfast’...to which I would reply - ‘They’re just Grits with hot air’.

I grew up having grits for breakfast every morning. My grandfather was from south Georgia and had grown up eating them so my grandmother made them every day. I agree that the best grits taste like yummiest popcorn that you can imagine. Oh, so good! I don't like to add cheese or garlic since the grits take on those flavors instead of simply tasting like creamy, incredible buttery corn.

I think it is hard to find really good grits in restaurants. I have found a couple of little diner places on the FL panhandle that serve good grits but in many restaurants they are too runny and not cooked long enough to be creamy. I don't ever remember having good grits at Disney. I did try the mealy pap at Tusker House and didn't care for it. For me, it was not like grits at all.

Also, I have never seen grits made with yellow corn though they may be out there somewhere.

My husband who grew up in CA and Michigan now loves grits too - especially topped with a poached egg.

 

[chris benton]

I think it is hard to find really good grits in restaurants.

I challenge you to find anything worse than scrumptious grits in any Charleston restaurant. It's almost amazing. Fried chicken, grits and any form of gravy anywhere. VERY serious business.

Side funny:
I have tsa precheck. At the Charleston airport, I was halted. The agent asked if I had grits in my suitcase after scanning it. He took out a special drug identifying cloth and wiped down the outside of both bags of grits I had. He laughed and said that traffickers used to frequently use grits for smuggling.

 

[TCRAIG]

I went to a mill outside Charleston to buy 50 lbs of fresh ground grits to put in little plastic bags and then into little custom bags stamped Grits and Gratitude along with the date and the couples’ names as part of the welcome basket of local goodies we gave out as favors at my daughters wedding.

 

[Christine]

Ever hear the chef joke, "what's the difference between grits and polenta? About $12.99." LOL It's basically the same thing, prepared a bit different but polenta sounds fancier so they charge more for it.

I am certainly no grits expert, but I think grits and polenta a way different. I realize they are both a form of ground corn, but I don't think they are alike at all unless you compare both forms in a poorly done state. Polenta is something I really just don't care for but I love grits done right. Now I feel like I need to go to Charleston.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I grew up in the Chicago area but moved to Omaha many years ago. I know of all of these things, grits, polenta, cream of wheat(farina), etc. All of them are available where I live. You can buy them at the grocery stores either in the natural state or instant from many brands. Growing up we ate farina and my daughter loves it also. She will still make it for herself. We add some sugar and some fruit to ours for and have it for breakfast. Ever hear the chef joke, "what's the difference between grits and polenta? About $12.99." LOL It's basically the same thing, prepared a bit different but polenta sounds fancier so they charge more for it.

"....Willie and Wilhelmina eat their farina, HO Farina, smooth Farina, strong and delicious, all boys and girls love it so...."

Still shows up on cold wintry mornings on my end as well but nevah Maypo; despised that stuff.

 

[Lilsia]

I am certainly no grits expert, but I think grits and polenta a way different. I realize they are both a form of ground corn, but I don't think they are alike at all unless you compare both forms in a poorly done state. Polenta is something I really just don't care for but I love grits done right. Now I feel like I need to go to Charleston.

This is from a food website...
Polenta vs. Grits: What's the Difference?
Polenta is a staple of Italian cuisine, whereas grits are a Southern staple. While polenta is made from ground yellow corn, grits are made from white corn (also called hominy). Since both are made from dried corn, they can be swapped out for one another if push comes to shove—in fact, polenta has been called the Italian equivalent of grits.
The most notable difference between the two is in the texture: polenta is much coarser, whereas grits are finer. This is why grits, when cooked with liquid, form a homogenous porridge; polenta, on the other hand, has a coarse, complex texture that is less smooth and more nuanced.

They are basically the same thing, just different textures.

 

[karen4546]

Grits is boiled cornmeal.

Sure, things like cheese, onions, bacon, etc., can be added to grits. But at its most basic, "grits" is simply boiled cornmeal.

I think I'm unclear about what your confusion about grits is.

um no it is not like boiled cornmeal. I am a Louisiana girl literally a GRITS girl. GRITS is GIRL RAISED IN THE SOUTH and grits are made from hominy-yes it is corn but not- i know that does not help. Boiled corn meal would be more like polenta-which is good also-fried.

We put cream cheese or goat cheese in our grits - have you ever had shrimp and grits that are creamy and have cheese, garlic, jalapeno, salt, pepper and Tony Chachere's seasoning? Now, for breakfast, my husband likes sugar and butter in his grits while i like red eye gravy, bacon and cheese - i like savory not sweet. But grits are NOT boiled corn meal and don't ever ever use instant grits.

 

[karen4546]

Also, OP, if you are eating at Animal Kingdom and some other places at WDW you may see a dish called "Mealie Pap" or just Pap, which is very similar grits. Grits are also similar to Polenta, if you have seen that in Italian restaurants.

yes the Pap at Tusker house and Boma are very similar to grits. I love the pap- because it is savory. I could eat that stuff everyday. shouldn't but could.

 

[Christine]

This is from a food website...
Polenta vs. Grits: What's the Difference?
Polenta is a staple of Italian cuisine, whereas grits are a Southern staple. While polenta is made from ground yellow corn, grits are made from white corn (also called hominy). Since both are made from dried corn, they can be swapped out for one another if push comes to shove—in fact, polenta has been called the Italian equivalent of grits.
The most notable difference between the two is in the texture: polenta is much coarser, whereas grits are finer. This is why grits, when cooked with liquid, form a homogenous porridge; polenta, on the other hand, has a coarse, complex texture that is less smooth and more nuanced.

They are basically the same thing, just different textures.

Personally, I find them to be quite different in both color and taste with the white grits being heartier and a more corn/less sweet taste. I realize they are essentially the same thing but I think there's a real taste difference.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

As a Girl Raised In The South I love grits! As a PP said Waffle House Grits are good! Here is a short history of the much loved GRITS.

Before ships set sail for the New World in the 17th century, the native peoples in North America were already eating a soft, mashed corn (or maize) – a dish that was introduced to European explorers in 1584. During surveillance of the new lands in present-day Roanoke, North Carolina, Sir Walter Raleigh and his men dined with the local Natives. One of the men, Arthur Barlowe, wrote about the ‘very white, faire, and well tasted’ boiled corn served by their hosts. Less than two decades later, this year-round staple – called ‘rockahomine’ by the Natives, later to be shortened to ‘hominy’ by the colonists – was offered to the new settlers in Jamestown, Virginia, when they arrived in 1607. The Natives taught the colonists how to make the dish, and it quickly became a part of the American diet.

Here is my favorite recipe for Grits from our Pensacola Area!

Nassau Grits Recipe | Cook the Book | Serious Eats

 

[DISNEY1975]

This is from a food website...
Polenta vs. Grits: What's the Difference?
Polenta is a staple of Italian cuisine, whereas grits are a Southern staple. While polenta is made from ground yellow corn, grits are made from white corn (also called hominy). Since both are made from dried corn, they can be swapped out for one another if push comes to shove—in fact, polenta has been called the Italian equivalent of grits.
The most notable difference between the two is in the texture: polenta is much coarser, whereas grits are finer. This is why grits, when cooked with liquid, form a homogenous porridge; polenta, on the other hand, has a coarse, complex texture that is less smooth and more nuanced.

They are basically the same thing, just different textures.

All the polenta Ive had is very firm. You cut it with a knife.