Hominy

A corn product created by soaking white or yellow corn kernels in scalding water that is mixed with a chemical solution, such as a mild lye or slaked lime. The soaking forces the kernel to expand so the hull and germ split. This allows the kernel to be easily removed so that the remaining corn substance can be dried. After it has been dried, the whole kernels are soaked in water and a solution mixed with limestone or wood ash to expand the kernels, which are then boiled, creating a soft puffy food product referred to as Hominy. It can also be dried to provide a hard whole kernel for use as hominy in recipes requiring the dried version of this food.

In years past, Hominy and Samp have been used as a term to describe the same food product. Samp was often used to describe a type of Hominy which became a "grit" or ground Hominy to be used as an ingredient in foods such as hot cereals.

Whole hominy can be boiled or fried and served as a side dish, with or without additional ingredients (meat, vegetables, or other foods), formed into cakes, or served as a filler in soups, stews and salads. Hominy grits are another form of hominy, produced by grinding the dried and processed corn kernels several times into a finer grained substance to be sold as fine, medium, or coarse textured hominy. Grits are often combined with milk and water and traditionally served in the southern U.S. as pudding, as a side dish, or made into squares and fried. Masa harina is another hominy product that is semi-fine ground meal that is formed into flat breads such as tortillas.

Dried hominy that can be reconstituted and cooked, known also as "pozole" of "posole," is becoming popular as a food product, primarily due to the intensity of the flavor that is not available from canned hominy. The dried hominy is washed and then soaked overnight, similar to preparing beans. When the hominy is ready to be cooked, it is drained and placed in a saucepan with several inches of boiling water. The hominy is allowed to simmer for and hour or more and is stirred occasionally until tender. If the hominy is to be kept for several days, some of the water can be drained off, leaving a little to keep it moist and soft.