hominy

[hom-uh-nee] /ˈhɒm ə ni/
noun
1.
whole or ground hulled corn from which the bran and germ have been removed by bleaching the whole kernels in a lye bath (lye hominy) or by crushing and sifting (pearl hominy)
Origin
1620-30, Americanism; < Virginia Algonquian (E spelling) uskatahomen, usketchamun a nominalized passive v., literally, that which is treated (in the way specified by the unidentified initial element), here probably that which is ground or beaten
Examples from the web for hominy
  • Corn kernels can be soaked in lye to produce hominy.
  • Add hominy mixed with salt to boiling water and let stand until hominy absorbs water.
  • It was suggested that research on the dry hominy packaged in a bag, as an alternative to canned hominy be explored.
  • To make hominy, the dried corn was soaked in a mixture of water and ashes for two days.
  • Also called snow pellets, soft hail, and hominy snow.
British Dictionary definitions for hominy

hominy

/ˈhɒmɪnɪ/
noun
1.
(mainly US) coarsely ground maize prepared as a food by boiling in milk or water
Word Origin
C17: probably of Algonquian origin
Word Origin and History for hominy
n.

1629, first recorded by Capt. John Smith, probably from Powhatan (Algonquian) appuminneonash "parched corn," probably literally "that which is ground or beaten." See grits.

Encyclopedia Article for hominy

kernels of corn, either whole or ground, from which the hull and germ have been removed by a process usually involving a caustic agent. Hominy was traditionally prepared by boiling the corn in a dilute lye solution made from wood-ash leachings until the hulls could be easily removed by hand and flushed away with running water. In the modern commercial technique, the corn is boiled in dilute sodium hydroxide, and the hulls are removed by the combined action of rotating cylinders and running water.

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