What is Hominy Again?
I grew up eating hominy. As a child, it was a favorite of mine because it seemed kind of odd, and I only ate it at my grandmother’s house. She served it out of a can, warmed up as a side dish…nothing too fancy. Every now and then, I get a craving, and last week, I brought salads to work with fajita peppers, refried beans, and hominy.
My lunch sparked quite the conversation in the kitchen, specifically about the hominy. A few of my co-workers had never tried hominy, and the rest of us were left perplexed as to what hominy actually is. We knew it was corn, but how did it come to be in this white, puffy state?
I set off to the Internet to find out. According to Wikipedia…
Hominy consists of dried maize kernels which have been treated with an alkali in a process called nixtamalization. Soaking the corn in lye kills the seed’s germ, which keeps it from sprouting while in storage.
If you’re not familiar with eating hominy or if you’d like to try it in a new way, I found a few recipes that sound really good. These recipes seem a little “different” to me, and I look forward to trying them soon! I usually add it to black bean soup, taco soup, or chili mac. I like it plain as a side dish (just like old times). I think it would be good in white chicken chili, too.
Hominy with Cilantro and Lime from SweetLifeBake.com
Hominy Casserole Recipe from TasteofHome.com
Indian Frybread Taco with Hominy Salsa from SweetLifeBake.com
Veggie Tortilla Soup with Golden Hominy & Chipotle from HispanicKitchen.com
And if you’ve ever heard of hominy grits, here’s why: Modern grits are commonly made of alkali-treated corn known as hominy. (Source) When ground into small grains, it’s often called grits, hominy grits, or little hominy. (Source) This recipe for shrimp and grits has my mouth watering!
Do you like hominy? What’s your favorite recipe? Link up your favorite hominy or grits recipe in comment below.
Looking for more hominy info? Here are two more helpful guides:
H is for Hominy! What Is It and How Is It Used? from TheKitchn.com
Hominy: What it is and how to cook with it from FarmCarolina.com
______
About the Author: Becca Ary blogs about her adventures in the kitchen and around the house at BettyBecca.com.