# So I'm wondering



## *~Member~* (Feb 20, 2006)

What are the black and brown spots in our grits? LOL Me and the girls are eating grits and I'm just wondering


----------



## SevenVeils (Aug 28, 2006)

I thought grits were fictitious









Here in California, we call them 'polenta'.

har har

I think I need sleep.


----------



## ashesofyou (Apr 30, 2007)

It's just a discoloration in some of the ground kernels. I see the same thing in my oatmeal and rice now and then, where a grain here and there is darker, or there is a fleck of pith (







I think that's what it's called... maybe chaft?) from the way the oats rice grains were processed.

But if you're eating grits at *MY* house... the discolorations are likely black pepper. I make the *best grits in the world*, and I don't mind tooting my own horn on that one!








: Man, I could live on grits morning, noon, and night. I often use grits as a side in the same way other families use potatoes or rice. They are just YUMMAH!

I'll let ya in on the secret recipe if anyone wants it.


----------



## purplegirl (Apr 5, 2004)

Wow! I love grits. On my way to get some now. Nothing like turkey sausage, yummy grits and coffee on a cool Sunday morning. And yes, the dark flecks are simply discoloration in the grains! I love grits with butter--mmmm, delicious


----------



## Turkish Kate (Sep 2, 2006)

Oh you guys are seriously making me hungry--and I just ate! I miss grits so SO much. They are simply not to be found in Turkiye.


----------



## Ambrose (Apr 20, 2004)

weevils.

that's my theory at least. We had rice that developed into weevils and after researching found out that weevils lay their eggs inside the grain and when the egg hatches the weevil eats it's way out. Gross, totally.

Here is a link to wiki for some of you if you want to read up on it. (I did research beyond wiki, but it's an easy link) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weevil


----------



## texaspeach (Jun 19, 2005)

I was making cornbread last night and there were a few black spots in my corn meal and DH asked me what they were. I said I thought they were probably discolored pieces of corn and he said they were probably bugs. I bet he's right and I bet that's what's in grits too (mmm grits). nothing like ground up bug parts to make something tasty!


----------



## ashesofyou (Apr 30, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Ambrose* 
weevils.

that's my theory at least. We had rice that developed into weevils and after researching found out that weevils lay their eggs inside the grain and when the egg hatches the weevil eats it's way out. Gross, totally....[/url]


Quote:


Originally Posted by *texaspeach* 
...I said I thought they were probably discolored pieces of corn and he said they were probably bugs. I bet he's right and I bet that's what's in grits too (mmm grits). nothing like ground up bug parts to make something tasty!


Meh.







I suppose there could be a bug or two, but with products like store bought flour, rice, oats, dry beans, etc. there is bound to be a few "off" things in there now and then. Just by virtue of where they come from *and* how they are stored. The first time I ever made lima beans on my own, I didn't know to rinse them, and nearly broke a tooth on a rock! Talk about some luck... haven't found one since though.

Short of finding out that grits are actually an intelligent life form which suffers a cruel death when I cook them... nuthin' could make them gross for me. Heck, I even have a t-shirt that says GRITS (girls raised in the south) are the best


----------



## ashesofyou (Apr 30, 2007)

Besides... I could always use a little more protein in my diet!


----------



## JessicaS (Nov 18, 2001)

They are probably stone ground grits.


----------



## JessicaS (Nov 18, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *skyastara* 
I thought grits were fictitious









Here in California, we call them 'polenta'.

har har

I think I need sleep.

Polenta is not the same as grits.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polenta

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grits


----------



## SevenVeils (Aug 28, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *abimommy* 
Polenta is not the same as grits.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polenta

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grits

I know. I was joking







I've never seen grits.

ETA: I'm changing my story.

Quote:

Polenta is very similar to corn grits, a common dish in the cuisine of the Southern United States, with the difference that grits are usually made from coarsely ground hominy (see nixtamalization, which is the process of removing the hull from the kernel of the corn before grinding)

Quote:

Hominy grits is another term for grits, but explicitly refers to grits made from nixtamalized corn, or hominy.
So, if I'm reading that right, plain grits are the same as polenta, but hominy grits are not. Right?


----------



## savithny (Oct 23, 2005)

My DH (a corn breeder) says that the flecks in grits are flecks of different colors -- they're ground up kernels (they're all ground up hominy, its a question of how well-ground they are). And while most commercially grown corn is single-color, you still get a few colored kernels now and then.

(incidentally, darker-colored corn has more vitamins. Yellow corn is yellow from carotenoids, and the other colors in corn are other anthocyanins like those found in berries or other dark-colored greens. White corn may be considered classier in some areas, but, like white rice, its not as good for you , albeit for a different reason).


----------



## timneh_mom (Jun 13, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ashesofyou* 
It's just a discoloration in some of the ground kernels. I see the same thing in my oatmeal and rice now and then, where a grain here and there is darker, or there is a fleck of pith (







I think that's what it's called... maybe chaft?) from the way the oats rice grains were processed.

But if you're eating grits at *MY* house... the discolorations are likely black pepper. I make the *best grits in the world*, and I don't mind tooting my own horn on that one!








: Man, I could live on grits morning, noon, and night. I often use grits as a side in the same way other families use potatoes or rice. They are just YUMMAH!

I'll let ya in on the secret recipe if anyone wants it.









Yes, please!!!!!


----------



## purplegirl (Apr 5, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *savithny* 
My DH (a corn breeder) says that the flecks in grits are flecks of different colors -- they're ground up kernels (they're all ground up hominy, its a question of how well-ground they are). And while most commercially grown corn is single-color, you still get a few colored kernels now and then.

(incidentally, darker-colored corn has more vitamins. Yellow corn is yellow from carotenoids, and the other colors in corn are other anthocyanins like those found in berries or other dark-colored greens. White corn may be considered classier in some areas, but, like white rice, its not as good for you , albeit for a different reason).









: thank you. I found it so funny that people were saying they were bugs!


----------

