A Yummy Food with a Dumb Name

Who ever thought of calling it Corn Meal Mush? With a texture similar to Malt-O-Meal or Cream of Wheat, and a flavor like cornbread, couldn't someone come up with a better name than "mush"?! I have tried many times, but I guess no name really fits. Cream of Corn? Too close to creamed corn. Corn Meal Cereal? Too boring. I guess you could call it polenta, but it's used a bit differently. So Corn Meal Mush it is.

So look past the name, if you can, and give this humble breakfast food a try. It really is better than its name sounds, and a much better price than Malt-O-Meal or Cream of Wheat!

Corn Meal Mush
1 serving:
3 tbsp. corn meal
dash salt
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup boiling water

2 servings:
1/3 cup corn meal
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup cold water
1 cup boiling water

6 servings:
1 cup corn meal
1 tsp. salt
1 cup cold water
3 cups boiling water

Combine corn meal, salt, and cold water; pour into boiling water, stirring quickly.

Return to boil, stirring constantly.

Lower heat, cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally (I never make it to 10 minutes. It thickens quickly, so I usually just call it done 5-7 minutes in).


Serve with milk and sugar, or however you would serve the above-mentioned hot cereals: syrup, honey, brown sugar, fruit, whatever floats your boat. The dark swirlies on my pictures are dissolved brown sugar - yum!

As a variation, you can do Fried Mush (another bad name for another good food): Rinse a loaf pan with cold water. Pour cooked mush (6 servings) into the pan. Cool slightly; cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Cut into slices. Pan-fry in small amount of butter until golden brown, about 10 minutes per side. Serve hot with syrup or honey.

Calories per serving: 95