What Are Grits ? How do I make them?

Grits for breakfast.

Grits for lunch.

Grits with bacon.

Grits to munch.

I like my grits with a bit of crunch!

Grits are a common soul food that is eaten from Texas to Virginia. They are cooked in a variety of ways from a quick and simple side dish, to a main casserole dish, being mostly served in the morning for breakfast.

Grits have become so popular with the different cultures of the South, that festivals are popping up to celebrate and honor grits.

St. George, South Carolina, love their grits so much, that they hold a grits festival every year. This began in 1985 when a broker made the comment to the store manager of the Piggly Wiggly Supermarket, that their small town sure ordered a lot of grits. That comment was followed up by another broker.

John Walters and George Axson, owners of the Piggly Wiggly, agreed that they sold a disproportionate large amount of grits, and decided to do a research, just to see how much people of St. George did eat.

The results...they ate more grits per capita than anywhere else. The first festival for the grits eating champions was born in April of 1986. This three day event has blossomed into over 45,000 people. The proceeds from the event go to improving their community and scholarships for their students.

Wow! That is a lot of grits.

Grits are very simple to make. It is all a matter of what texture one likes. If you like a hardy, stick to your ribs meal where your spoon can stand up, add more grits and cook it a bit longer. If you like it a bit on the runny side; don't cook it as long, with a bit of extra water.

I asked my sister today for her recipe since she is often making grits for her family.

Her response?...

“In a package. Mine's nukeable.”

In the photos below, I will show the easy steps I take to make grits for my family. (We break tradition of the Southern folk by adding milk, butter, and sugar, to our grits.)

To begin, you will need 4 cups of water, 1 cup of grits, and 1 teaspoon of salt. (I usually omit the salt or cut it in half.)

Bring your water and salt to a rolling boil.

Slowly add in the grits.

Cook till thicken.

I constantly stir my grits while they cook to keep them from sticking to the pan as they thicken.

Once it has cooked to the consistency you like, set it off to the side for a minute to finish setting up. (If you like it runny, go ahead and serve it.)

REMEMBER!...it is very hot and spits like a volcano.

Grits are often served with a slab of bacon, eggs, and toast, but my family also enjoys it like a cereal.

Most grits are made with corn. The corn can come in a variety of colors.

Referring to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, hominy are grits “ground with the germ removed.”

Grits can be made from wheat, but it is called Malto Meal.

Grits can be served hot or cold.

Grits are a grain, such as corn or hominy, that are coarsely ground through a food mill. Here in America, grits are associated with the Native Americans and corn.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, grits were first know in 1579, partly from the old English words grytt/greot. The word grytt means "coarse meal". Other names for grits are Sofkee, Sofkey, and Porridge.

I have linked some tastes dishes to go with grits. Just a note...depending on the texture, one will like them or not. Since grits do not have much of a flavor, many people will dress it up with butter, salt, pepper, gravy, or anything else that suites their fancy. I love eating grits with chicken fried steak.

Here is a lovely dish from crazyhorsesghost on Shrimp And Grits Casserole. I haven't tried it yet, but heard it was amazing.

This is a simple but delicious casserole from habee Holle's Grits, Ham, and Eggs Casserole.

The sky is the limit when it comes to creating dishes with grits. What is your favorite dish you have made with grits?