The difference between cornmeal, grits, and polenta

Cornmeal, grits, polenta: although I have and use all three of these corn products in my pantry, I must confess that I was not aware of the subtle differences between them. That is, until today, when I found an article on Eater that explains their distinctive traits.

First things first: these are all very similar products that are made from dried corn that can (with a few exceptions) be used interchangeably. For instance, when I made the Toasted marshmallow butterscotch pie from Sister Pie for the Eat Your Books Cookbook Club, I substituted polenta for cornmeal. Given the way my coworkers devoured the pie, I would say the substitution was successful.

Still, the products are not exactly the same. ‘Cornmeal’ is the umbrella category under which all of these products fall, and they are all a form of dried, ground corn – although not the type of corn you eat off the cob. There are a couple of products labeled ‘cornmeal’ in stores, with the difference being in how much of the hull and germ remains after processing.

Grits is (yes, it’s singular) very coarsely ground cornmeal that hails from the southern US. Although the Eater article doesn’t explain this, if you are planning to substitute grits for cornmeal or polenta in a dish, be sure it is ‘regular’ grits and not hominy grits, which is made from nixtamalized corn. (My Southern-born-and-raised husband just alerted me to this.) Additionally, products labeled as masa harina may look like cornmeal, but masa harina is also made from nixtamalized corn.

Polenta is yet another form of dried, ground corn, although it is traditionally made from a different variety of corn (otto file) than cornmeal or grits. This makes for a slightly different texture when it is cooked. While there are nuances between cornmeal, grits, and polenta, they are far more alike than they are different.