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What is Grits?

By
Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams

I love grits! Never really new what they were until now!

What is Grits? Nobody knows.  Many people feel that grits are made from ground up bits of white corn.  This is obviously a lie.  Nothing as good as a Grits can be made from corn. The most recent research suggests that the mysterious Manna that God rained down upon the Israelites during their time in the Sinai Desert was most likely Grits. Critics disagree, stating that there is no record of butter, salt, or cheese raining down from the sky, and that God would not punish his people by forcing them to eat Grits without these key ingredients.   How Grits are Formed.
Grits are formed deep underground under intense heat and pressure.  It takes over 1000 years to form a single Grit.  Most of the world's grit mines are in Southern Georgia, and are guarded day and night by armed guards and fierce attack dogs.  Harvesting the Grit is a dangerous occupation, and many Grit miners lose their lives each year so that Grits can continue to be served morning after morning for breakfast (not that having Grits for lunch and dinner is out of the question).
Yankees have attempted to create a synthetic Grits.  They call them Cream of Wheat.  As far as we can tell the key ingredients of Cream of Wheat are Elmer's Glue and shredded styrofoam.  These synthetic grits have also been shown to cause nausea, and may leave you unable to have children.   Historical Grits
As we mentioned earlier, the first known mention of the Grits was by the Ancient Israelites in the Sinai Desert.  After that, the Grits was not heard from for another 1000 years. Experts feel that the Grits was used during this time only during secret religious ceremonies, and was kept from the public due to it's rarity.
The next mention of the Grits was found amidst the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii in a woman's personal diary.  The woman's name was Herculaneum Jemimaneus (Aunt Jemima to her friends.)   The 10 Commandments of Grits
I.      Thou shalt not put syrup on thy Grits
II.     Thou shalt not eat thy Grits with a spoon or knife
III.    Thou shalt not eat Cream of Wheat and call it Grits, for this is blasphemy
IV.    Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors Grits
V.     Thou shalt use only Salt, Butter, and Cheese as toppings for thy Grits
VI.    Thou shalt not eat Instant Grits
VII.   Thou shalt not put syrup on thy Grits
VIII.  Thou shalt not put syrup on thy Grits
IX.    Thou shalt not put syrup on thy Grits
X.     Thou shalt not put sugar on thy Grits either
  How to Cook Grits
For one serving of Grits:
Boil 1.5 cups of water with salt and a little butter.
Add 5 Tbsp of Grits.
Reduce to a simmer and allow the Grits to soak up all the water.
That's all there is to cooking grits.
  How to Eat Grits
Immediately after removing your grits from the stove top, add a generous portion of butter or margarine. (WARNING:  Do NOT use low-fat butter or margarine.) The butter should cause the Grits to turn a wondrous shade of yellow.  (Hold a banana or a yellow rain slicker next to your Grits; if the colors match, you have the correct amount of butter.)
Next, add salt.  (NOTICE:  The correct ration of Grit to Salt is 10:1 Therefore for every 10 grits, you should have 1 grain of salt.)
Cheese is optional.  However if you wish to add cheese, cut it into 1/4" squares and add immediately before you eat your Grits. You do not want your cheese to melt completely.
Now begin eating your grits.
Always use a fork, never a spoon, to eat Grits.  Your grits should be thick enough so they do not run through the tines of the fork.
The correct beverage to serve with Gr its is Milk or Chocolate Milk.  (WARNING:  Use whole milk only -
DO NOT use 2% or, God forbid, Skim Milk.)
Your grits should always be eaten in a bowl.
Never use a plate to eat Grits.
  Ways to Eat Leftover Grits:
(Leftover grits are extremely rare)
Spread them in the bottom of a casserole dish,
Cover and place them in the refrigerator overnight.
The Grits will congeal into a gelatinous mass.
Next morning, slice the Grits into squares and fry them in 1/2" of cooking oil and butter until they turn a golden brown.
Many people are tempted to pour syrup onto Grits served this way.  This is, of course, unacceptable.
  ***********************************************************************  

Mike Saunders
Retired - Athens, GA

Susan - I am sorry, even your very funny (ROFL) story cannot make me eat that Elmer's glue mixed with gypsum concoction (gypsum has been around longer than styrofoam). Not even syrup can make that stuff edible enough for me. ;^)

Aug 01, 2008 12:09 PM
Vickie McCartney
Maverick Realty - Owensboro, KY
Broker, Real Estate Agent Owensboro KY

Susan~ I grew up in Bucks County Pennsylvania and actually ate Grits all of my life!  I LOVE them.  My dad was actually from the south and had introduced our family of 6 to grits. He is gone :( and  now I absolutely can NOT eat them without thinking of him the entire time.  I like them with salt,pepper and lots of butter and bacon or sausage! ( great for the heart, huh?)

Aug 01, 2008 12:10 PM
Nancy Larson
I am a licensed referral agent in NJ - Hutchinson Island, FL

Was introduced to Grits when my sister when to West Viginia Wesleyan and we went to a little breakfast shoppe that sold them.

And yessssssssss lots and lots of butter.  They almost remind me a farina. But not the same taste to me.

Aug 01, 2008 12:12 PM
Debbie Malone
Londeree's Real Estate & Property Management - Lynchburg, VA
From Lynchburg To The Lake (434) 546-0369

LOL! Susan I really enjoyed reading your post. As a yankee who was raised on Cream of Wheat, moving to Virginia and discovering Grits was a bit of a surprise. I order them whenever we go out to breakfast, with butter and maple syrup!

Aug 01, 2008 12:17 PM
Susan McQuaide
Keller Williams - Simpsonville, SC

Mike, you must try a good cheese grits casserole!!!

Aug 01, 2008 12:17 PM
Gregory Lohr
West Columbia, SC

Sorry, I don't drink milk, but I do think a big glass of OJ is just perfect with grits.  We usually have grits every Saturday morning as a regular!  And it's off to the kitchen...

Aug 01, 2008 12:20 PM
Mott Marvin Kornicki
Waterway Realtors® • Notary Public & Apostille - Sunny Isles, FL
Miami Notary & Apostille 786-229-7999

Grits are amazing! I think I'll have to me me some ASAP. Plain grits with a generous helping of butter, thats it.

Just for the record:

  • Coarsely ground dried corn, served boiled, or boiled and then fried.
    www.mcgacanola.org/CookingDictionaryG.html

     

  • Corn kernels that are dried, hulled and finely ground, then boiled and served for breakfast or as a dinner side dish.
    www.tyson.com/Recipes/Controls/ViewTerms.aspx

     

  • Though the word "grits" can refer to any coarsely ground grain, it is commonly used to mean hominy grits. ...
    southernfood.about.com/library/info/bld_g.htm
  • Aug 01, 2008 12:23 PM
    Ruthman Real Estate
    Accessibility & The Power to Advise - Fairfield, CT

    Ha!  I thought I read that right.  OK, I am confessing to being a "grit" eater, too.  I also like corn-bread!  Nothing wrong with southern cooking!  :)

    Aug 01, 2008 12:39 PM
    Teresa Harris
    Lake Real Estate, LLC - Denver, NC
    Denver . Lake Norman . Charlotte

    Susan: It's "Girls Raised In The South!" You can't help but LOVE those grits!! 

    Aug 01, 2008 12:42 PM
    Bobby Stevens
    Windermere Real Estate/Lane County - Eugene, OR
    Realtor, Eugene, Oregon

    I didn't try grits until I was well into adulthood, but then realized I'd already eaten them under another name: Polenta!

    Aug 01, 2008 01:13 PM
    Gene Wunderlich
    1st Action Real Estate - Murrieta, CA
    Realtor & Legislative Liaison

    Didn't get to try grits until I was a little older but we Italians had a similar thing called Polenta - basically a corn meal mush that was cooked in a big copper kettle in the stove (back when we had wood stoves with removable covers). You could make it thinner like grits with butter & cheese or thicken it up and eat it in a kind of mush-cake form with mushrooms & gravy. Mmmmm. How bout them grits?

    Aug 01, 2008 01:28 PM
    Lizette Fitzpatrick
    Lizette Realty - Richmond KY - Lexington, KY
    Lizette Realty, Lexington KY MLS - Kentucky Homes

    I'm halfway Southern (Kentucky) but could never see how people could eat grits. Every now and then I taste the ones that have cheese in them ...a bite or two and that's it!

    Aug 01, 2008 02:04 PM
    Greg Nino
    RE/MAX Compass - Houston, TX
    Houston, Texas

    I love grits, cream of wheat and oatmeal! My grandma made them best! mmm, best in the winter! great blog!

    Aug 01, 2008 02:08 PM
    Susan McQuaide
    Keller Williams - Simpsonville, SC

    grits

     

    Well, you know grits are really important when they have their own website!

     

    Aug 02, 2008 05:04 AM
    Trey Thurmond
    BCR Realtors - College Station, TX
    College Station , Texas Homes

    God I love Grits....grits and eggs, garlic grits, grits with real butter and cream and maple syrup.  Yummy!  :-)

    Aug 02, 2008 06:13 AM
    Cheri Smith
    Prudential Gary Greene, Cypress TX - Cypress, TX
    Realtor Prudential Gary Greene

    If it wasn't for grits I wouldn't be alive today. My mom didn't know how to cook much but she could cook grits so I ate this a lot for breakfast. I do prefer mine with honey and lots of butter.

    Aug 02, 2008 08:56 AM
    Broker Nick
    South Florida Real Estate & Development, Inc. - Coconut Creek, FL
    Broker Nick Relocation Broker Service

    Wow, never had the stuff. Doesn't sound too appealing to me. No thanks, pass the potatoes, please.

    Aug 02, 2008 09:09 AM