What's the difference between polenta and grits?
by Cookthink
Italian polenta and American grits are both dishes known as cornmeal mush, made from boiled ground cornmeal. Polenta is made from yellow corn and has a bright yellow. Grits, on the other hand, are made from white corn and have a pale white color. Both Italian-style polenta and grits -- which are popular in the American south -- can be eaten like a soft porridge. Grits are often topped with butter; polenta is usually finished with olive oil and also can be cooled, cut into strips and grilled or fried. Both dishes are either served plain or used as a canvas for cheeses, meats, seafood, vegetables or herbs.
Comments
Says: March 13, 2009 at 09:44 AM
Original polenta was white as original corn that came from america (at the time thought to be india from east) was white. Still, in some venetian areas, real polenta is white. Do you know what's the name for corn in Italy?, Turkish wheat (Granturco) and one explanation is that it developed first in Venetian republic, and made other italian think that was imported from the turkish, whith whom venetian had a regular trade. I live in Italy and had once to try grits and I frankly would say that they are just the same. Someone believes that grits comes from Polenta from immigrants and not coming from native americans...
Says: March 12, 2009 at 04:37 PM
Additionally, you can buy yellow grits, so it doesn't just come down to color. The White color of the traditional southern grits comes from the fact that it usually comes from Hominy Corn, which is field corn that has been treated with lye to remove the outer hull. That's also what gives the white grits a different flavor than the yellow ones.
Says: March 12, 2009 at 03:15 PM
Not to confuse matters, but you can also buy white and even black polenta in Italy!