This fried cornmeal mush recipe is the perfect Midwest breakfast. Delicious firm cornmeal (or you might call it polenta) is lightly fried in butter and drizzled with maple syrup. It’s so incrediblysimple and totally delicious.
Have you ever heard of mush?
Or what about polenta?
It’s the same thing but where it’s different is in the way it’s prepared and the way it’s eaten.
Growing up in Ohio we always gently fried it in butter and served it with maple syrup for dipping or drizzling.
It was the perfect side dish for dinner, breakfast for dinner, or even a fast and easy dinner for one.
I have always loved it because it’s the perfect pairing of sweet and savory and can be ready in just 20 minutes.
Fried cornmeal mush is cornmeal made into a thick porridge, set up and cooled, sliced, and then lightly pan-fried in butter.
If you don’t like butter you can use bacon fat or your oil of choice.
It’s a very southern and midwest dish that takes me right back home with every single bite!
Looking for a different but similar Southern dish? Try these easy grit cakes!
How is mush different than polenta?
Polenta and cornmeal mush are the same thing but typically served in very different ways.
Oftentimes polenta is made into a thick porridge and then mixed with savory items like herbs, spices, and cheese. Then it’s usually served with roasted tomatoes or topped with cooked meats.
Mush is typically eaten in the fried sliced format and served with a sweet dipping sauce like maple syrup.
It is also common to fry up polenta like mush but instead of serving it with maple syrup, it is instead served with warmed marinara sauce.
Where can I find prepared polenta or mush?
If you’re looking for the preformed logs of polenta you can typically find them in 2 different areas of the grocery store.
The first area is over by the pasta, rice, and gnocchi aisle. It is typically shelf stable so you’ll find it in a plastic roll on the shelf.
If you don’t see it on the shelf it can also sometimes be found over by where you find fresh pasta or egg roll wrappers.
What do I serve with fried cornmeal?
Fried cornmeal mush can be served alone with maple syrup or as a piece to a full breakfast.
Growing up, we would often eat it served alongside sausage or bacon and a few fried eggs.
It’s a great substitute for potatoes, pancakes, French toast, or waffles.
I love serving it with sausage because I love that sweet and savory combination.
What does fried cornmeal taste like?
It tastes very mildly of corn as it’s just dried corn kernels that have been ground into a fine powder.
It’s slightly sweet (naturally from the corn) but overall very mild in flavor.
How do I store fried cornmeal mush?
If you don’t eat all your mush in one sitting it can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
I usually just reheat it in the microwave for about 30 seconds to warm it back up.
Love this fried cornmeal mush recipe?
Why not try a few of my other tasty breakfast recipes?
Chorizo Cotija Guacamole Toast
Blackberry Lemon Dutch Baby
2 Ingredient Cinnamon Roll Wrapped Sausages
Cranberry Apple Yogurt Parfait
Fried Cornmeal Mush
Author: Brandy O’Neill – Nutmeg Nanny
This fried cornmeal mush recipe is the perfect Midwest breakfast. Delicious firm cornmeal (or you might call it polenta) is lightly fried in butter and drizzled with maple syrup. So incrediblysimple and totally delicious.
Topped with butter, maple syrup, dried beef gravy, or sausage gravy, it's the perfect complement to a delicious breakfast. Aside from being delicious, corn mush is also a nutritious dish. Cornmeal is rich in fiber and essential vitamins and minerals, making it a healthy addition to any diet.
It is considered one of the true comfort foods of the Italian table with roots in the peasant cooking of the countryside, notably Piedmont, Lombardy and Veneto. Mush is the same thick, cooked mixture as polenta but it can be made by using any grind of cornmeal.
It's All Mush. Call it cornmeal porridge, polenta, grits, cou cou, mamaliga, or l'escaoutoun; these cornmeal mushes are produced and consumed in hundreds of ways in their respective regions. Some are sweet, some are savory, and some are both.
Cornmeal adversely affects people with diabetes as it increases the blood sugar level in the body. Cornmeal has a high carbohydrate content, which leads to an increase in blood sugar levels. So people who have diabetes should not consume cornmeal in large quantities.
Corn, and cornmeal, has been found to improve cardiovascular health and lowering cholesterol levels. Cornmeal is relatively high in selenium—one cup has 18.9mcg, or 34% of your daily recommended value—which has been found to lower coronary heart disease risk.
Grits: Grits are a type of cornmeal mush that originated with Native Americans and is still widely consumed across the southern United States today. Grits are most commonly served as breakfast or a side dish to other meals. Similar to cornmeal, grits are made from dried and ground corn but are usually a coarser grind.
Leftover Storage: Do not pan-fry until ready to enjoy. Store cooled cornmeal in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Slice as you desire to pan-fry the mush.
Since polenta and grits are both made from ground corn, you can use them interchangeably. Bear in mind that grits are higher in starch than polenta, so if you sub in polenta for grits, you won't have to stir it as frequently, but it won't cook up as creamy as grits.
In the UK we call it cornflour, whereas in the US they call it corn starch. Although, to confuse things, in the US they have something called cornflour which is what you might call cornmeal. To put it simply: UK cornflour = US corn-starch and US cornflour = UK cornmeal.
According to the late Professor Don Yoder, the dean of Pennsylvania German folk-life studies, “mush” is an Americanism for “porridge” and the first documented use of the term is in1671.
Scrapple, also known by the Pennsylvania Dutch name Pannhaas ('pan tenderloin' in English; compare Panhas), is a traditional mush of fried pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and wheat flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices.
Cornmeal is low in sodium and fat, thus, it's a great alternative breakfast for people who have diabetes or other health conditions. Cornmeal is low in cholesterol which is great news. It means you can eat cornmeal mush almost every day! Cornmeal contains lots of B vitamins, thiamine, manganese, folate, and selenium.
Commercial mush, sold in bricks in supermarkets — and wonderful for breakfast — has a heavy texture and an assertive corn flavor. Homemade polenta has a creamier, more delicate texture and a noticeably sweeter flavor because of the longer cooking time. Italians say true polenta has a more interesting texture, too.
Store the cornmeal in a cool, dry and dark place. Warm, damp conditions will cause mold to grow and a bad flavor and odor to develop. Don't store cornmeal near the dishwasher or range, or next to the refrigerator. Those are all warm places that can contribute to deterioration.
The fact is that cornmeal porridge usually has a large amount of calories and if you're not careful it can hinder your weight loss. But it is not impossible to lose weight while drinking cornmeal porridge. The simple thing about weight loss is that it usually happens if the calories are reduced.
When comparing refined cornmeal versus rice, cornmeal is less rich in both carbs and calories. However, despite this, brown rice is the most nutritious when comparing all three products.
3. Promote lower cholesterol. Mushrooms make an excellent substitute for red meat while minimizing calories, fat and cholesterol. Research shows that shiitake mushrooms, in particular, help to keep cholesterol levels low.
Introduction: My name is Rueben Jacobs, I am a cooperative, beautiful, kind, comfortable, glamorous, open, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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