So which is it?! Grits or Polenta?

I've been on a Polenta kick this year.  It pairs well with so many dishes, and it's just about as comforting as can be - creamy, buttery, cheesy (if you like it that way);  it can be a savory dinner side or the star of the show for breakfast and brunch with a bit of maple syrup or brown sugar mixed in.  In my fascination with this porridge-y goodness, I've found there is much debate over the differences in grits and polenta.  Most will stand their ground and argue they are not the same thing, however it's time to shed a bit of light on this issue.

Alton Brown did an entire show on this debate a few years back: TRUE GRITS (watch it if you can!).  I've done some digging online and also noted Alton's key points.  Here's the deal.  Grits and Polenta are the same thing.  The cornmeal used for both is most commonly made from flint or dent corn.  HERE is an interesting read from about.com on corn.

Some argue that polenta is made from medium ground cornmeal and that true southern grits are made from coarse ground white cornmeal, however, there is no set standard.

Alton did note that hominy grits, the standard grits of the deep south, are definitely different than regular corn meal grits.  Hominy is dried corn which has been treated with an alkali such as lye.  This changes the chemical structure of the corn and makes it blow up several times its original size.  Hominy grits are [obviously] made from hominy, and the end result is a coarser meal - "grittier" grits that "never get truly creamy".

Many people are also familiar with the firm version of polenta, which is poured into a pan once cooked, and chilled in the fridge.  The polenta hardens and can be cut into slices, circles, squares, or "polenta fries" and then grilled, sauteed, or deep fried.

Basically, the way I see it is grits and polenta are different based on context.  I do feel like white coarse grits seem more "country" or southern", adding more to the visualization of eating than anything, but I'd be completely fine with using the yellow variation any day of the week.  I would serve polenta with a nice ribeye and grits with biscuits and gravy.  I'd probably throw some Parmesan-Reggiano in the polenta and some sharp Cheddar in my grits.

So, what do you call your mush?  How do you like it?