The Story Behind the Black Bean Polenta Puffet

Being that her dad was raised in Alabama, its not surprising that the owner of Peas of Mind grew up eating grits.

Inspired by this childhood favorite, the Black Bean Polenta Puffet was originally called the Black Bean & Grits Puffet. When nobody in California knew what grits were, polenta was the perfect substitution. But wait, what's the difference between polenta and grits?

Two main differences:
1. The corn ground to make polenta is finer than that of grits, a difference that affects the final texture.
2. The corn used to make white grits is soaked in lye to remove the bran. The resulting corn is called hominy, which is also used to make masa harina (used to make tortillas.)

* Image from: http://www.food411.com
* http://www.grits.com