Hominy means kernels of corn that have been dried and hulled. To be eaten as food it has to be boiled. Hominy comes from a Native American word of the Algonquian people of Virginia "uskatahomen".

It forms part of the history of the United States as it was one of the earliest gifts of food given by the Natives to the Colonialist. The pioneers prepared it for consumption by using weak wood lye to soak the hulls. Now much like then it is generally boiled until nice and tender and eaten like any other vegetable. There are several other ways in which it can be eaten. Hominy grits which is basically ground hominy is eaten as a cereal or a vegetable. An alternative is patties being made of the grits and fried.