Grits are a traditional Southern American food made from coarsely ground corn that's been boiled into a thick, creamy porridge. If you've ever eaten oatmeal or cream of wheat for breakfast, grits have a similar texture but taste like corn instead of wheat.

To make grits, dried corn kernels are ground up (but not as finely as cornmeal), then slowly cooked in water or milk until they become soft and smooth. People usually add butter, salt, and sometimes cheese to make them tastier. In the American South, grits appear at breakfast alongside eggs and bacon, but they're also served at lunch or dinner as a side dish, similar to how you might eat mashed potatoes or rice.

The word grits is always plural, like scissors or pants. You'd say “these grits are delicious,” not “this grit is delicious.” That's because grits are made of many small particles of corn, so even when they're cooked together into one dish, we still use the plural form.

Grits have been eaten in America for hundreds of years. Native Americans were making them long before European settlers arrived, teaching the colonists how to grind and prepare corn this way. Today, grits remain especially popular in states like Georgia, South Carolina, and Mississippi, where they're considered comfort food and a proud part of regional cooking traditions.