so just what are grits anyway?

[DavidNH]

Hello folks!


Seems I keep hearing about these grits..how it has been named Georgia's state food..and always seems to be available in places where southerner's frequent.

I have never even seen Grits before..much less tried em! My only time in the south was in transit to Florida. Florida of course is not really what one would call a "southern" state. More of a winter playground for us northerners and a place for folks from anywhere to retire (quick aside...no way I will ever live there.. way tooooooo flat and way too hot, and the cities sprawl out too much)!

Up here in the New England states..you rarely see Grits on a menu...unless it is at a truck stop!



hmmm...I wonder if in the deep south one can get pancakes and pure maple syrup and down home stand bys like Clam chowder (that would have to be the real kind...not that cheap tomatoish chowder they serve up in Manhatten!!!!) and ice cream?? I am sure ice cream is everywhere but it is sort of a regional specialty!!!


David

[TDale]

One thing about the south, if it's good eatin' we take it and make it our own. Pancakes, maple syrup, New England clam chowder, we eat it all.

Grits are ground corn. You have cream of wheat, we have cream of corn.

But, grits aren't just ground corn. You can get them plain, buttered, egged, cheesed, baconed, hammed, or any combination you can think of. We serve 'em with fish and shrimp sometimes. And we're starting to catch on to the italian version: polenta.

[Dances with Mice]

Seems I keep hearing about these grits..how it has been named Georgia's state food..and always seems to be available in places where southerner's frequent.

I have never even seen Grits before..much less tried em! My only time in the south was in transit to Florida. Florida of course is not really what one would call a "southern" state. More of a winter playground for us northerners and a place for folks from anywhere to retire (quick aside...no way I will ever live there.. way tooooooo flat and way too hot, and the cities sprawl out too much)!

Up here in the New England states..you rarely see Grits on a menu...unless it is at a truck stop! ....

First: And, exactly, is wrong with truck stops?!

Second: Think polenta. They're real close cousins, grits and polenta, same family, more alike than not. But grits are more closely related to tortillas than polenta. Your mission, Mr. Phelps, is to learn why grits are superior.
http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20021007.html
http://www.grits.com/

Third: Two words: "Waffle House". If that doesn't mean anything to you, then nevermind. Juss eatchyah chowdah ahn shaddup.

[Dances with Mice]

Seems I keep hearing about these grits..how it has been named Georgia's state food..and always seems to be available in places where southerner's frequent.

I have never even seen Grits before..much less tried em! My only time in the south was in transit to Florida. Florida of course is not really what one would call a "southern" state. More of a winter playground for us northerners and a place for folks from anywhere to retire (quick aside...no way I will ever live there.. way tooooooo flat and way too hot, and the cities sprawl out too much)!

Up here in the New England states..you rarely see Grits on a menu...unless it is at a truck stop! ....

First: And what, exactly, is wrong with truck stops?!

Second: Think polenta. They're real close cousins, grits and polenta, same family, more alike than not. But grits are more closely related to tortillas than polenta. Your mission, Mr. Phelps, is to learn why grits are superior.
http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20021007.html
http://www.grits.com/

Third: Two words: "Waffle House". If that doesn't mean anything to you, then nevermind. Juss eatchyah chowdah ahn shaddup.

[Dances with Mice]

Two replies at once! Don't know how that happened.

[squirrel bait]

think potatoes, or a side dish, not macaroni and cheese, a simple ground grain that takes well to butter, gravy, and/or salt/pepper. Good choice.

[smokymtnsteve]

Grits and fish...

make grits, add olive oil, salt, red pepper and tuna fish maybe some dried onion or garlic.

[Krewzer]

...ah yes, there's nothing more pleasant than the smell of a grits tree in full blossum on a warm Alabama night.

Y'all come.

[neo]

grits are made from homoney,basically corn soaked in lye,then dried and ground
just stop at any waffle house in the southeast neo

[gr8fulyankee]

Grits are ...
Well think of Cream of wheat after you scrap it out of a baby's diaper.

[Goon]

If you want to get REALLY southern eat fried grits, along with my mama's homemade buttermilk biscuits. I'm getting hungry...

[Pencil Pusher]

fried okra

[plodder]

fried okra

Can't wait to see where this goes.

Let's also discuss the merits of seasoning meat.

I like Waffle House, they wash out my coffee mug.

[Pencil Pusher]

Sorry for the too short post. Was just mentioning fried okra as folks started getting reminiscent of southern foods. Sh-it on a shingle...

[The Hog]

I live in Vermont and I love grits (you CAN find 'em in the supermarket here). I eat grits at home and on the trail. It's a nice break from oatmeal and grits are more versatile since they can be eaten sweet or spicy - I like to doctor 'em up, because they're pretty bland alone. I like 'em with bananas and I like 'em with Tabasco and black pepper and butter. There's even a restaurant up here (the River Run in Plainfield) that serves southern style food, including grits and catfish. I sometimes mix grits with other grains to make a mulitgrain hot cereal. Variety is key on the trail, and grits are always part of my breakfast rotation.

[Teatime]

You need to see the movie "My Cousin Vinnie" if you have questions about grits.

[MOWGLI]

I like Waffle House, they wash out my coffee mug.

I wnt to Krispy Kreme after hiking a 45-mile section of the Florida Trail - and they REFUSED to put coffee in my travel mug. Both Mark Stanfill (of the Cumberland Trail Conference) emerged with our travel mugs in one hand, and a styrofoam cup in the other. I was pissed. Oh well..

As for grits, this damn Yankee has yet to discover their merit. Perhaps next year.

[Peaks]

If you want to find out what grits are really all about, then stay at Woods Hole Hostel just south of Pearisburg and enjoy the authentic southern breakfast with Tillie. (I assume she is still carrying on)

[RockyTrail]

I think our esteemed northern brothers tend to get worked up over "grits" simply because of one thing- the name. I have no idea how it got that name. Maybe it was coined by the Confederacy to keep Gen'l Sherman from burning down the big Grits storehouse in Atlanta. He probably said, "Grits?....Uhh...Let's move on down to Savannah, boys."

Yes, it sounds funny and maybe even unappetizing to the uninitiated, but you gotta try it first. To southerners, it's simply "grits", not "GRITS!!! OH MY GOSH!" ha ha

Most people add something to it like butter or gravy in the same way they add something to flavor a plain piece of bread. There's nothing better on a cold morning before sunrise than bacon, eggs, grits & coffee at Waffle House! hee hee - Ya gotta try it!

I have to agree though, things do seem to taste bettter in the region they originate. I love it all!! For example I've never had better Mexican food than in the Southwest, never had better clam chowder than in the NE, and barbeque-well you just can't beat North Carolina barbeque!

[TOW]

As tthe first TDale said, grits is ground up corn and yes we here in the southern and central part of the states are fond of the Italian version as well. Here is a saying I use in the kitchen all the time, "Grits? If they're gritty going in, they'll be gritty coming out! That's why they calls them grits!"
While I lived up in West Dover, Vt I use to take Vermont Maple Syrup, good southern grits, dried figs from North Carolina, and home made butter, mix it all together and chow down.
You can come up with just about any concoction with grits......