Grits v. Polenta

Morning Glory

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No preference intended by the title of this post - its in alphabetical order.

Polenta is Italian and grits from Southern USA. They are both made from ground corn. So what is the difference? The main difference is that polenta is made from yellow corn, while grits are normally made from white corn (or hominy). I have also learned (from a bit of research) that grits are smoother than polenta, which is strange to me because the word 'grits' sounds, well, 'gritty'. Is it really the case? I made some polenta a few days ago and it was very smooth and creamy. But perhaps there are different types of polenta...

Lets us say I am officially confused. I've never tasted grits so I can't compare. Has anyone here sampled both grits and polenta? Is the flavour as well as texture different?

Here is an apposite article: What Is the Difference Between Grits and Polenta?
 
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I don't think real grits are smoother than polenta UNLESS you use coarse ground meal for the polenta, which I don't because I prefer the smoother texture. Of course, instant grits are very smooth, like cream of wheat, and quick grits have a bit more texture, but not much. Stone ground, long cooking grits never get completely smooth, always retaining some texture. A connoisseur of grits would NEVER use instant or quick grits.

When I make grits, I use a combination of water, broth, and cream, and finish with butter and sometimes cheese depending on dish. It's been a while since I made polenta, but I don't remember using milk or cream when I have made it.

Plain grits and polenta aren't that much different in taste to me, but adding the cream makes the grits taste a bit ?fuller?.
 
Never tasted grits, but I’ve tasted the white polenta. Both yellow/white/Taragna polenta are particularly present in the North of Italy cooking.

The white one comes from a white corn cultivar also known as pearl corn (bianco perla) in Veneto region.
However, there is another white polenta that comes from Brescia city (Lombardy).

So it’s possible that I’ve tasted an Italian version of “grits”.

The taste of that white polenta is not particularly tasty, is perfect to accompany fish and has a creamy consistency, smooth.
 
As medtran alluded to, I think to do a fair comparison, you would have to use the same cooking method.

When I was growing up, every mom was buying "Instant" everything that was available. Instant grits, like Cream of Wheat was very popular. It was fast, and easy, and very smooth, but as I remember it, very bland.

CD
 
I don't think real grits are smoother than polenta UNLESS you use coarse ground meal for the polenta, which I don't because I prefer the smoother texture. Of course, instant grits are very smooth, like cream of wheat, and quick grits have a bit more texture, but not much. Stone ground, long cooking grits never get completely smooth, always retaining some texture. A connoisseur of grits would NEVER use instant or quick grits.

When I make grits, I use a combination of water, broth, and cream, and finish with butter and sometimes cheese depending on dish. It's been a while since I made polenta, but I don't remember using milk or cream when I have made it.

Plain grits and polenta aren't that much different in taste to me, but adding the cream makes the grits taste a bit ?fuller?.


Instant grits??? I never knew they were a "thing".

Grits as far as i've ever seen them,, even at that horrid breakfast back years ago, were always gritty. I didn't mind the gritty if the dish itself was good.

Polenta always seemed smoother.

But I only liked grits with cheese and seasonings in it. Yes, the milk / cream cheese makes it "smoother" but since I don't think grits are ground as fine as polenta (in my experience) it still seems like a different thing to me.

And, actually, I always thought that polenta was a Polish thing, not an Italian one. But maybe it did cross cultural barriers?
 
And, actually, I always thought that polenta was a Polish thing, not an Italian one. But maybe it did cross cultural barriers?

Found this:

In fact, this dish is known throughout the world under various names. As a „mamaliga” it occurs in the the South-Eastern Europe cuisine (Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine) and the Galician cuisine (popular in Lvov and in the south-eastern region of Poland ). In Southern Africa it is called Ugali and it is used in place of our potatoes.
https://lepiejbiegac.pl/2017/01/polenta/

I can't vouch for the correctness of this.
 
Interesting, Morning Glory. Sounds wonderful, actually. Grits are not really compressed into a solid form, as polenta might be. At least from my limited exposure.

Nope, leftover grits are quite often left over to solidify, then fried in butter or bacon grease. Sometimes, they are done that way deliberately, just like polenta.

The biggest mistake most people make when making grits is not adding enough salt and pepper. You basically have to over-season or they are bland. I've found that to be pretty much true with polenta as well.

When I get grits at a restaurant, I always ask whether they are instant, quick or long cooked, only ordering if they are cooked for at least 30 minutes. Even then, I always add salt, pepper, butter and a couple of the little half and half containers for coffee. Unless you are in the south and at a non-chain restaurant, the cooks just seem to not be able to cook them properly.

Then you've also got mush...
 
This is the polenta I made a few days ago - cooked in vegetable stock in place of water & with Parmesan added - bitter wilted greens & chilli flakes on top/partially mixed in. Its the fist time I've enjoyed polenta which I've always found too bland in restaurants.

36922
 
Count yourself lucky if you've never encountered instant grits. One of the vilest things on the planet.

Mom would always make extra grits when I was a kid, to fry up in bacon grease for a snack later.
 
Is that as medtran49 mentioned - left to solidify?

What is the problem with instant grits?
Yes, they'd be fried like a patty.

Instant grits...have you ever had a nice bowl of lovingly prepared pinhead oats, with good cream, maybe some nice fruit, a bit of honey or syrup? Then, one day, you've got a hankering for that, but not the time, so you grab a packet of instant flavored oats, the kind you just pour boiling water over, take one bite, and suddenly realize those are a lot closer to wallpaper paste than they are to good porridge?

That's how instant grits are. About the only thing they share in common is the name. I don't even like grits, and I can tell that proper grits are levels above the instant ones.

The funny thing is, I come from a grit-eating family, a grit-eating culture, in a grit-eating area, and I don't know a single person who doesn't recoil at the mere mention of instant grits, and yet, somebody's obviously buying them, because there they sit, on the grocery store shelf. 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
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