Here’s the secret that changes everything: texture. Grits are made from hominy—dried corn that’s been soaked in an alkali solution. Yes, it’s a process called nixtamalization. It makes the corn soft, fluffy, and chewy in the best way.
Cornmeal mush, on the other hand, is a straight-up rebel. It uses plain, ground dry corn. No fancy soaking. No chemical bath. Just corn, ground into a fine or medium meal, boiled into submission.
So grits have that distinctive, slightly gritty bite. Mush? It’s smoother, softer, and a little bit humble. Think of grits as the confident, tan-line-sporting cousin. Mush is the one who shows up in pajamas and owns it.
