Our line of stone-ground Hominy Grits are USDA Certified Organic and freshly milled to order. Our hominy grits contain nixtamalized corn. Choose from White Hominy Grits, Yellow Hominy Grits, and Blue Hominy Grits. 

Hominy grits are an old-fashioned food that was arguably extinct for many years until I introduced my line of products. I consider my re-introduction of this foodway my contribution to milling. 

Many incorrectly use the term "hominy grits" in the belief that stone-ground white grits are hominy grits. Chances are almost 100% that those stone-ground grits, although delicious, are NOT hominy grits. Hominy is a very specific term implying the process of nixtamalization.

Nixtamalization generally refers to soaking whole kernel corn (field corn) in a strong alkaline solution while applying some heat. The result of this process is hominy. The hominy must be agitated (this has traditionally been done by hand), then rinsed. The whole kernels of hominy are often served in and/or referred to as posole. To make hominy grits, this hominy is dried out and ground into grits.

Although much of this sounds rather exotic and strange to those of us who think of corn on the cob as typical of most corn foods, nixtamalized corn is a familiar flavor to most Americans. Tortilla chips, corn tortillas, and tamales are all foods made from nixtamalized corn. Hominy grits have a distinctly tortilla-like flavor.

This wonderful, nutritious, and flavorful bit of food chemistry is brought to us by the Native Americans. In fact, the whole of corn food and agriculture comes directly from Native culture. From the masa ground on the metates of Mexico to the ash breads of the Southwest, the most common corn-based Native American foods relied on nixtamal. Sadly this bit of food chemistry missed most of the settlers, and to their detriment. However, even the most "old world" grain: wheat gets its leavening from the Native American chemistry book. Artificial leavening is based on the Native American tradition of nixtamalization.

Nixtamalization improves corn in a variety of ways. Practically, it makes an extensible dough (generally for corn tortillas or sopes), unlike ground cornmeal which doesn't bind together. But much more importantly, the nixtamalization makes the corn a more nutritious food. Un-nixtamalized corn contains no niacin that is available to the human gut. This fact figures heavily into modern America's approach to corn in our diets. A diet that relies heavily on un-nixtamalized corn can actually be fatal.

Now slow down, the biggest grit-eater alive today is highly unlikely to ever die of pellagra. The widespread prevalence in the American South of the disease led  food producers to fortify their corn products with niacin (the vitamin deficiency that leads to pellagra) and folic acid among other nutrients.

The American diet of today is heavily enriched, so enjoy all the whole-grain stone-ground grits you like.