I like them both. They're the same...or are they?
Grits or Polenta?
- Thread starter DoctorShavegood
- Start date
It's just corn. An over produced crop. What's the expense?
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- #3
Is it the same argument as Cream o wheat or Malt o Meal?
Biofuel pushes the price up I believe. That's the nitty gritty of it.
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- #6
Polenta is for people who feel they are above grits
Growing up, I never ate either. How is polenta attached to a $65 plate of food, where grits is attached to plate of $8.95?
I prefer the places that sell grits as a side! But, don't eat either.
It's hominy corn meal, one yellow and one white. Polenta is generally finer and is cooked with stock and often milk. Grits are coarser and made with water.
Been a while since we made polenta but it usually has a pretty good quantity of cheese, say Parmigiano-Reggiano in it.
dave
dave
This. For me, they taste different. When my mother made polenta she made it thicker than grits and served it with a tomato sauce on top of it. Also, as I recall they are made from different kinds of corn.
CPT & Dave:
It's also been a long, long while since I last made polenta.
In our house, I like to sauté a little minced red onion and minced garlic. I add about 1 quart chicken stock. Heat to boil and add 1 cup yellow (I like the color...although some use white), fine (some use medium or coarse, but using fine will be 'lighter' than the other ground methods), hominy cornmeal while continually whisking.
Lower heat to simmer and whisk about every five (5), minutes until creamy and light (about 30 minutes).
Remove from heat, add unsalted butter (1 tbsp), sea salt, cracked pepper ( to taste), and fresh grated parmesan (hmmm...say 3oz).
Yield: Approx 6-8 servings.
Then, I pour the polenta ("Polenta? Oh, you mean Italian grits." Unknown), into a pan (I use a deep cake pan lined with parchment paper), and refrig until firmly set.
Then I use a cookie cutter to cut out triangle shapes, (gently now...gently), lightly bread (flour, egg, milk, fine bread crumbs), and fry or just brush with olive oil and sauté both sides.
[FONT=&]Bon Appétit[/FONT]
I like both, although grits are a rare thing up here in New England.
Polenta is much more common here. I've also seen polenta cooked in a loaf pan, sliced and fried. That's good eating, too.
Polenta is much more common here. I've also seen polenta cooked in a loaf pan, sliced and fried. That's good eating, too.
When I was growing up my Dad referred to that as fried mush. Crisspy on the outside, and served with a little maple syrup. MMMmmm!
They are different animals. Sure, they're related--cousins, really--but they are different. It's only the typical, sad, U.S. sort of marketing that has blurred the distinction. Even still, don't tell me you wouldn't be taken aback for a moment if you ordered one and got the other. The main distinction, beyond some cultural treatment, is the main ingredient.
Classical polenta is made from hard, flint corn , while grits are made from softer, dent corn. Polenta does not need to be made from hominy (alkaline treated corn) meal, but grits are. There is no classic distinction between "grits" and "hominy grits"; that's a very, VERY modern development. The yellow/white corn distinction isn't so important, as plenty of pots of yellow grits have been made over the ages. You made grits with what corn you had, and some grits-making areas grew yellow corn.
Both can include other ingredients, but adding something other than salt, pepper, and/or butter to grits is something that really only occurred in one or two small regions and has now caught on all over the place. Don't get me wrong, now. I have nothing at all against adding all sorts of other goodies to grits, but (for the most part) it's a relatively modern development.
Classical polenta is made from hard, flint corn , while grits are made from softer, dent corn. Polenta does not need to be made from hominy (alkaline treated corn) meal, but grits are. There is no classic distinction between "grits" and "hominy grits"; that's a very, VERY modern development. The yellow/white corn distinction isn't so important, as plenty of pots of yellow grits have been made over the ages. You made grits with what corn you had, and some grits-making areas grew yellow corn.
Both can include other ingredients, but adding something other than salt, pepper, and/or butter to grits is something that really only occurred in one or two small regions and has now caught on all over the place. Don't get me wrong, now. I have nothing at all against adding all sorts of other goodies to grits, but (for the most part) it's a relatively modern development.
1 part grits
2 parts milk
2 parts water
Salt/Pepper
Simmer 20 minutes
Add a small handful of grated cheese.
Spoon into a bowl and top with pulled pork.
Heaven!
2 parts milk
2 parts water
Salt/Pepper
Simmer 20 minutes
Add a small handful of grated cheese.
Spoon into a bowl and top with pulled pork.
Heaven!
I shared some cheese grits with my Tennessee Lamb.
Well said. I can't think of anything else to add.
kelbro
Alfred Spatchcock
Mmmmmmm shrimp and grits....
Well said. Grits are just basic, Southern goodness without pretension.
Polenta is for people who feel they are above grits
