Grits! (was Re: British Foods)

[Jen Reese]

Tammy:
> Oooh, you've never had grits?  Oh my, you're missing out on one 
heck of a comfort food!  Okay, grits (or hominy grits) is a Southern 
dish, made from hominy: hard white corn soaked in mild lye (stop 
making that noise, it's for long-term storage!) and re-dried; grits 
is coarse-ground hominy meal, cooked in water for 20 or 30 minutes, 
until it's a very thick porridge.  No self-respecting Southerner 
uses instant grits, of course!  Grits is generally served with your 
basic Southern breakfast -- ham or bacon or sausage, eggs, grits, 
biscuits and gravy (made with cream and flour, cooked in the pan you 
fried the meat in) . . . you know, 'simple fare'.  ;-)  

Jen: Grits! I grew up on grits because my Dad loved them. We ate 
them mostly how you described, as part of a typical eggs/bacon/toast 
breakfast. Occasionally I'd add milk, sugar and butter for a hot 
cereal. And instant grits are not the same!

I didn't know about the lye part though--ick.

Jen, who thoroughly enjoyed Tammy's Ode to Grits