What the Heck is Hominy?
Hominy is a considered a traditional food by southerners in the United States, Latin Americans, and native Americans from both the northern and southern continents. It’s made from whole corn kernels that have been shucked from the cob, and soaked in lye or a chemical lime solution to soften the tough outer hulls. The kernels are then washed to remove the excess solution, the hull, and often the germ. The solution also causes the grain to puff up to about twice its normal size, giving it an almost cartoonish but rather child friendly appearance of giant corn. Archeologist have found evidence that hominy was produced in Mesoamerica as far back as 1500 BC. At that time the corn kernels were soaked in a lye solution made from wood ash. The process of treating the corn with lye is called Nixtamalization, and is derived from the native Mesoamerican Nahuatl language word Nextamalli, which means Hominy. You might also notice the word ends in “tamalli,” from which we derive the modern word “Tamale.” Tamales are made from masa, a ground form of Hominy. Hominy is also a traditional southern US dish. It’s the basis for the old southern staple Grits. So if you’ve eaten tamales, or grits, you’ve eaten Hominy. As a child I frequently requested Hominy as a side at dinner. Served heated and with a little butter, salt, and black pepper, it was a favorite. I discovered the following slightly more sophisticated recipe when I was in college.
Hot Hominy Side Dish
Ingredients
1 #2 (20 oz) can if available, or 1 15.5 oz can white or yellow hominy, drained.
2 pieces bacon
1 Tbs butter
1/4 cup diced white onion
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Fry bacon in a medium to large saucepan until very crispy, take out and set aside to cool.
2. Add the butter to the rendered bacon grease and saute the pepper and onion over medium heat until translucent.
3. Stir in garlic and cayenne pepper.
4. Add the water and drained hominy, stir lightly until combined and heat over medium heat until heated through.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve hot with crumbled bacon on each serving.