hominy
Noun: - Hulled corn with the bran and germ removed: Hominy refers to dried maize (corn) kernels that have been treated through a process called nixtamalization. This involves soaking and cooking the kernels in an alkaline solution, usually limewater, which removes the hull and germ. The result is larger, softer, puffy kernels used in various dishes.
Hominy is used as a food ingredient. It is typically canned or dried and must be cooked before eating. It serves as a staple in many cuisines, particularly in the Americas.
- As a main ingredient:
- For dinner, she prepared a hearty stew with chicken and hominy.
- The traditional recipe calls for white hominy, not yellow corn.
- Describing preparation:
- After soaking the dried hominy overnight, it was ready to be cooked.
- Canned hominy is a convenient option for making quick meals.
- "Hominy grits": This is a related term for a dish where hominy is ground into a coarse meal and then boiled, often eaten as a breakfast porridge or side dish. It is a distinct preparation from whole-kernel hominy.
- He ordered shrimp and grits, a classic Southern dish made from hominy grits.
- Posole / Pozole (n): A traditional Mexican soup or stew that prominently features hominy as a key ingredient, along with meat (usually pork) and chili peppers.
- We ate pozole every Sunday, a rich soup full of pork and hominy.
- Nixtamal: This is the technical term for the treated corn kernels before they are washed and hulled to become hominy. It refers to an earlier stage in the same process.
- Mote: A term used in Andean cuisine for hominy or similar large-kernel corn.
The word "hominy" refers specifically to the treated corn kernel product itself. It is not used to describe the final prepared dish (like porridge) unless that dish is named directly (e.g., "hominy grits"). The example from the reference context ("cháo ngô, bánh đúc ngô") describes dishes made from hominy, not the definition of the word "hominy" in isolation.
- hulled corn with the bran and germ removed