Ingredient Information

Corn Meal

Cornmeal is simply ground corn. The varieties of cornmeal
are not quite that simple, however. It’s helpful to know that there are three
parts to a kernel of corn:

• The endosperm – most of the kernel is made up of the
  endosperm. The endosperm contains most of the starch.
• The germ – the living part of the corn is called the germ. It is
  at the center of the kernel and contains most of the fat in corn
  (which is where corn oil comes from).
• The paricarp – this is the outer husk of the kernel.

To make cornmeal, kernels are dried and then ground to
either a fine, a medium or a coarse texture. Packages are either labeled
stone-ground or steel-ground. The stone-ground method, sometimes referred to
as water-ground, retains some of the hull and the germ while steel-ground
cornmeal has mostly the endosperm. For cooking and baking purposes I prefer to
use stone-ground cornmeal.

Polenta is simply cornmeal and Italian polenta recipes can
be made with coarse ground cornmeal. Most of the polenta that you will find in
specialty stores is a coarser grind than the coarse stone-ground American
variety. It often has bits of corn in it and, as a result, it makes really
great cornbread. (See also Blue cornmeal.)

1/4 cup grits = 130 calories, 0 fat, 0g sat fat, 0g mono
fat, 3g protein, 29g carbohydrates, 30mg sodium, 5mg cholesterol