Hominy porridge is a popular breakfast food in Ghana, and in Jamaica too, although it’s prepared slightly differently.
Hominy is dried corn kernel that’s been processed to remove its hull and germ.
The ancient traditional process, called nixtamalization keeps the corn from sprouting, hence extending its storage life for food.
And according to Wikipedia, nixtamalization also…
“ converts some of the niacin (and possibly other B vitamins) into a form more absorbable by the body, improves the availability of the amino acids, and (at least in the lime-treated variant) supplements the calcium content, balancing maize’s comparative excess of phosphorus.â€
Hominy porridge is also a street (breakfast) food both in Ghana and Jamaica.
My earliest memory of eating hominy porridge was when we’d visit my grandmother in Koforidua.
In the mornings, the women would come by the house carrying pots of breakfast wares; and they’d announce what they were selling in a sing-song tone.
My favourite was the hominy porridge, I’d keep an ear out for her, I’d run and get my grandmother, we’d come out with bowls and get generous helpings of delicious hot hominy porridge.
We’d add sugar and a few tablespoons of evaporated milk, and settle in to eat breakfast – and that’s how I’d start my day at my grandmother’s.
I didn’t eat hominy porridge for a while after my grandmother passed away, it didn’t taste like I remembered it when I tried it again years later. It had lost its specialness.
In a way, I think I needed to be in a happy place to be able to remember it like it used to be.
A few years ago I picked up a bag of dried hominy at the store, I wasn’t even sure that it was the same thing, and I had no idea how to make it.
Instinctively, I emptied the bag into a slow cooker, added water and set it to cook overnight.
Next morning I walked into the kitchen announcing in a sing-song tone that my porridge was ready.
This time it reminded me of my childhood, and enough time has passed to add on new memories.
I love having this for breakfast, especially on weekends – my recipe has evolved a bit.
I add a bit coconut milk, and I add toppings too; blueberries, cashews, raisins, dried cranberries, shredded coconut.
It’s really really good, and hearty and filling and delicious.
There isn’t much to the recipe, just one part hominy to three parts water or milk or coconut milk.
Whole hominy is usually sold canned, frozen or dry, and can be found in Latin American grocery stores or the international aisle of grocery stores.
Grits and tortilla flour are made from ground hominy.
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