"We Real Yankees don't eat grits, much less cook 'em. Don't even know what to do with 'em, but we are curious. A real Yankee walked into a restaurant in the south and asked for some grits. The waitress says "Hominy?" and the real Yankee says "Oh, 10 or 12, I guess". < /rimshot >"
Grits were introduced to the first pilgrims by the Indians. Grits were a yankee food before they were a southern dish.