Q We vacationed in the South for the first time and fell for grits in a big way, especially ones we had in Charleston, S.C., with peas and asparagus. So what is the difference between hominy grits, grits and cornmeal? Could we use supermarket cornmeal? If not, where do you find the right kind?

A Grits have been a puzzle to me, as well. After checking several Southern-food authorities, I've come to realize that grits in the South are like pastas in Italy. What I mean is, the name may stay the same from place to place, but the actual content can change, or the content stays the same but the name changes from place to place.

These are basic definitions:

Hominy grits are usually dried corn that has been soaked in lye or limewater to loosen its husk. These whole kernels are called "hominy." One authority says when these kernels are dried again and ground, that gives you hominy grits.

If the corn isn't soaked in lye or limewater but just dried and ground, it is cornmeal and called "grits" in the South.

Variables step in with the traditions of different kinds of corn in different combinations in different parts of the South. Just like blending diverse wine grapes, different corn varieties give different flavors. And now heirloom corns are coming back on the scene as well as stone-grinding whole kernels and keeping the easily spoiled germ and heart of the grain in the mix. Once you've tasted freshly ground whole-grain grits, supermarket cornmeal will be a pass.

These are two mail-order sources we've used for stone-ground grits. Anson Mills (www.ansonmills.com) stone-grinds heirloom corns, and does a special blend of traditional Charleston grits. The Crook's Corner restaurant in Chapel Hill, N.C., which is a bastion of Southern cooking and addictive grits, sells its own blend on www.crookscorner.com.

Store grits in the freezer unless you are using them quickly. I like to cook them long and slow so that the starches in the corn can slowly absorb liquid and open up every single possible dimension of taste. Because I don't treasure standing over a boiling pot in the summer (or winter, for that matter), I use the double-boiler method. Certainly, follow the recipes that come with your grits, or try this one.

Lynne Rossetto Kasper hosts "The Splendid Table," Minnesota Public Radio's weekly show, www. splendidtable.org. Send questions to table@mpr.org.