In a comment Mynx, our sweet friend in Australia wanted to know what are grits?
Grits are a food of
American Indian origin
common in the
Southern United States and mainly eaten
at
breakfast. They consist of
coarsely ground
corn, or sometimes
alkali-treated corn (
hominy). They are
also sometimes called
sofkee or
sofkey from the Muskogee (Creek)
language word.
[1][2] Grits are similar to
other thick maize-based
porridges
from around the world, such as
polenta, or the thinner
farina.
Grits are usually prepared by adding one part grits to two-to-three parts
boiling water, sometimes seasoned with salt or sugar. They are usually cooked
for 15–20 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the grits become a
porridge-like consistency. As grits expand when they are cooked, they need to be
stirred periodically to prevent sticking and forming lumps. They may be served
with grated cheese, butter, sausage or country ham
red-eye gravy. Grits have also been known to be
served with fish such as fried catfish or salmon croquettes.
Red-eye gravy is a thin sauce often seen in the
cuisine of the Southern
United States and associated with the
country ham of that region. Other names for this
sauce include poor man's gravy, bird-eye gravy, bottom sop and red ham gravy.
The gravy is made from the drippings of pan-fried
country ham,
bacon, or other pork, typically mixed with
black coffee.
A common practice is to dip the inner sides of a split biscuit into the gravy in
order to add flavor and keep the biscuit from being too dry when a piece of
country ham is added between the two halves: the Southern "ham biscuit"
(although the Appalachian ham biscuit is simply a biscuit with
country ham).
