Southern Comfort in the Morning With Breakfast Grits (2024)

FAQs

What is the southern US dish grits? ›

Grits are similar to other thick maize-based porridges from around the world, such as polenta and mieliepap. The dish originated in the Southern United States but is now available nationwide. Grits are often part of a dinner entrée shrimp and grits, served primarily in the South.

They can be served sweet or savory, for breakfast or as part of an elegant dinner. When it comes to eating grits as the first meal of the day, some people choose to make them hearty by adding eggs and cheese, while others like to add butter, syrup, nuts, and/or jam for a sweet dish.

Tips For Adding Cream To Grits

Use mostly water and add a small amount of cream, such as the 1/4 to 1/2 cup recommended by our test kitchen. If you want a stronger dairy flavor, you can use a mixture of half milk and half water along with the cream.

Oats are higher in calories, but they also contain more fiber and protein than grits, making them a better choice if you're looking to lose weight. On the other hand, grits provide fewer calories overall which may be beneficial for those with diabetes.

The key to cooking old-fashioned grits is going low and slow—use a low heat so the grits simmer and slowly release their starches, which creates a decadent, silky texture. Whisking constantly during the first couple of minutes, and frequently throughout the rest of the cooking process, will prevent lumps from forming.

Grits can be served sweet with butter and sugar, or savory with cheese and bacon. They can serve as either a component of breakfast, or a side dish at dinner. #SpoonTip: Cheese should be added during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking with the pot removed from direct heat.

Grits are low in fat and cholesterol, making them heart-healthy food choices. The vitamin B content in grits helps support a healthy nervous system, while the iron content aids in producing red blood cells.

No matter which variety, yellow or white, the beauty of grits is their versatility and ability to take on most flavors paired with them, although they are always best when cooked with milk instead of water. The flavor and consistency difference is truly amazing.

Like other fortified cereals, enriched grits are a good source of iron, with one serving delivering 100% of the recommended Daily Value. Pair them with fruit in the morning for optimal absorption—vitamin C helps increase absorption of plant-based iron. Plain grits are also naturally low in calories and fat.

Are grits anti inflammatory? ›

This Turmeric Grits with Greens recipe is an anti-inflammatory dream. The anti-inflammatory veggies: onion, peppers, tomatoes, and greens get a whole grain boost with the grits base.

If you are trying to lose weight, eating grits is a better way to get a full feeling without consuming excessive fat calories. These figures refer to plain grits and oatmeal. Adding butter, milk, sugar or salt can increase the amount of fat and calories significantly, so keep these additives to a minimum.

It`s a tradition. ''Northerners don`t like grits because they expect them to have a lot of taste,'' says Carl Allen, owner of Allen`s Historical Cafe in Auburndale, Fla. ''And as anyone who has eaten them knows, grits don`t have much taste. They`re just kind of blah, very bland tasting.

Quick and Easy Breakfast

You can cook grits with milk or even heavy cream for a richer, creamier texture.

Updated: Jan 29, 2022.

Grits are a creamy Southern dish made from ground corn. While they're high in carbs and can increase blood sugar, you can eat them in moderation if you have diabetes. Just be sure to pair this savory porridge with healthy, low-carb ingredients and choose less processed, stone-ground varieties when possible.

Grits — which are made from ground, dried corn and are similar to polenta — are incredibly versatile and make a great base for all sorts of sauces, meats, seafood, and poached eggs. They take beautifully to cheese, butter, and herbs if you want to get a little fancy, and are great with hot sauce.

In terms of nutrition, both grits and oatmeal provide a healthy, balanced meal for diabetics, so ultimately, the choice comes down to personal preference. Those looking for a more savory option may prefer grits, while those looking for a sweeter breakfast may choose oatmeal.

They can be eaten like porridge for breakfast or to accompany bacon and eggs, for lunch as part of a bowl with beans or leftover roast veggies, or for dinner as a side dish or main. Grits can also be used to make other staples, such as waffles or grit cakes.

As for the difference between yellow and white grits, which get their color from the type of corn that is milled, some say there is a negligible difference in taste, with the yellow grits being sweeter and having a slightly more assertive corn flavor.

Why do people wash grits? ›

If desired, you can rinse stone-ground grits in a fine-mesh strainer, then drain well and whisk into the water as per the recipe; this can clean them of any dust or debris that might have gotten mixed into the bag during the milling process.

The South consumes so many grits that the stretch of country from southern Virginia down to south Texas has become known as the "Grits Belt," and the states it encompasses are home to the grittiest folks in America. Grits have even been designated the official prepared food of Georgia.

"Grits are inherently Southern, so they identify as a taste of the South across cultures," she says. Murray theorizes that grits can be traced back much further than to the kitchens run by African American and white women in the antebellum South.

Grits is a food of Native American origin that is common in the Southern United States, mainly used in breakfast. It consists of coarsely ground corn. When made from hominy, it is referred to as hominy grits.

Quick, regular, and instant grits have fewer nutrients than the stone-ground variety. Additionally, they're typically paired with high-calorie ingredients, which may lead to weight gain if eaten too frequently.

The Bottom Line. Grits are safe for dogs to eat in small servings (if your dog doesn't have a corn allergy or a weight problem). If you do serve your dog grits, serve them cooked and unseasoned. No butter, sugar, syrup, cheese, salt, pepper, or other sugary or fatty ingredients.

Cooks in About 5 Minutes: 1 Serving: 1/4 cup grits; 1 cup water; dash salt (optional). 4 Servings: 1 cup grits; 4 cups water; 1/4 tsp salt (optional). 6 Servings: 1-1/2 cup grits; 6 cups water; 1/2 tsp salt (optional).

Spoon the leftover grits into the pan, and add a small drizzle of water, milk, or broth to the grits. Allow the dish to heat on low, constantly stirring and breaking up lumps as you stir. If the grits become too thick or clumpy, add more liquid to the mix while stirring.

You should eat within the first hour of waking to get your body primed for a successful day. Between 6 and 10 a.m. would be the ideal time to take this first meal, mainly so that you set yourself up for a second meal a few hours later. What you eat at breakfast has a large impact on the rest of the day.

Do grits help you sleep? ›

Grains: A diet high in whole grains like brown rice, whole-wheat bread, and oatmeal has been linked to a reduced risk of insomnia. Refined grains like white rice, corn grits, and white bread raise blood sugar quickly and may help people fall asleep faster.

Grits contain more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than rice which can help to reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, anemia, and some cancers. They are also high in multiple B-complex vitamins including folate, niacin, pyridoxine, riboflavin, and thiamine.

The fibre content of grits is 5.4 g which is higher in comparison to oatmeal and other high-fibre foods. They help promote weight loss, constipation, and other digestive disorders .

If you love grits as a classic southern breakfast, then you'll be pleased with this hearty, healthy grits bowl topped with greens and bacon. Each serving is packed with protein, fiber and Southern goodness. You can make this recipe in advance for a busy morning or enjoy for Sunday brunch.

As mentioned above, grits are made solely from corn—a high starch, high carb food. A typical serving size of our Creamy White Corn Grits contains 32 grams of total carbohydrates.

In fact, some believe that grits cooked in water are easier to consume, assist digestive health, and can be easily digested by those with an upset stomach.

Grits originated during the 16th century among the Native American Muskogee tribes of southeastern states, including Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. These tribes are credited with grinding dried corn into a coarse, gritty texture and serving it to colonists.

Grits. To complete with our breakfast staple, northerners prefer oatmeal. It's arguably a healthier option, but no one said it tastes better.

Grits, as a finished dish, has not been a common element of the Canadian diet. But it should be. The raw ingredient, dried and coarsely ground corn, is only a variation of cornmeal, or polenta, so much so that on many menus the terms are interchangeable.

Quick and regular grits: The only difference between these types is in granulation. Quick grits are ground fine and cook in 5 minutes; regular grits are medium grind and cook in 10 minutes.

Why is shrimp and grits a thing? ›

Originally an African dish of ground maize and shellfish, shrimp and grits migrated with people who were enslaved in plantation kitchens of the Lowcountry of the American South.

By the 1970's, shrimp and grits became the standard breakfast for fishermen and dock workers. As the fishermen and dock workers discovered, and many people who eat the dish now realize, it is a hearty dish. This is one reason for its popularity.

Hominy can be ground coarsely for grits, or into a fine mash dough (masa) used extensively in Latin American cuisine.

Grits is known as hominy in South Carolina

While grits is made from hominy corn, in the rest of the US, "hominy" refers to the whole hominy corn kernels. Cooked hominy kernels can be found in canned vegetable sections in supermarkets, or frozen, and are regularly used in casseroles, soups, stews, or eaten as it is.

Ugali, also known as posho, sima, and other names, is a type of corn meal made from maize or corn flour in several countries in Africa. It is cooked in boiling water or milk until it reaches a stiff or firm dough-like consistency.

There are also Charleston-style grits, which are boiled in milk rather than water. This makes them creamier than traditional grits. Also, there are some other colors that people are experimenting with.

Everyone in the South knows (or should know) that hominy and grits are products made from hard (mature) hard kernels. Whole corn kernels are soaked in a solution of water and lye to remove the outer hulls, to become hominy. Hominy, when dried, can then be coarsely ground, and voila! You have grits.

These grits are a mix of yellow and white with distinctive red flecks of bran throughout. The flavor is nutty and the aroma lightly floral with undertones of toasted nuts. Cultivated by Native Americans and brought to South Carolina in 1910, Jimmy Red corn was once an endangered strain.

Within a few centuries, it had become a tradition for nearly every Southern state, especially in the 'Lowcountry' of South Carolina. With its proximity to the sea, grits became a simple breakfast for coastal fishermen, who added shrimp to the otherwise simple pot of grits.

It's a tradition. “Northerners don't like grits because they expect them to have a lot of taste,” says Carl Allen, owner of Allen's Historical Cafe in Auburndale near Lakeland, and a legend in Cracker cuisine. “And as anyone who has eaten them knows, grits don't have much taste.

What did Native Americans call grits? ›

Grits is a food of Native American origin that is common in the Southern United States, mainly used in breakfast. It consists of coarsely ground corn. When made from hominy, it is referred to as hominy grits. It is sometimes called sofkee or sofkey from the Creek word.

The South consumes so many grits that the stretch of country from southern Virginia down to south Texas has become known as the "Grits Belt," and the states it encompasses are home to the grittiest folks in America. Grits have even been designated the official prepared food of Georgia.

Ugali, posho or sima (for others, see § Names) is a type of corn meal made from maize or corn flour in several countries in Africa. Sima is sometimes made from other flours, such as millet or sorghum flour, and is sometimes mixed with cassava flour.

Papa, a stiff white porridge from Lesotho, is not that unusual. Especially if you eat grits for a living, which – apparently – many people do, here in the south. The best way to approximate Papa is by simply taking grits – the white ones – and make them a bit thicker than usual.

Grits are available in three grinds—fine, medium, and coarse. Whole-ground or stone-ground grits: These grits are a coarse grind. You'll find stone-ground grits at gristmill gift shops and specialty food stores. Quick and regular grits: The only difference between these types is in granulation.

"Grits are inherently Southern, so they identify as a taste of the South across cultures," she says. Murray theorizes that grits can be traced back much further than to the kitchens run by African American and white women in the antebellum South.

Some Southerners can't imagine a world in which a big handful of cheese doesn't make it into the pot of grits; others love to stir brown sugar into their bowl of grits for breakfast.