Cornmeal mush is the thick breakfast porridge made from cornmeal and traditionally associated with the southern United States.
The dish is prepared by cooking cornmeal in water or another liquid until the mixture thickens. It can be served hot as a soft porridge, often with salt, butter, or milk. Leftover mush may be cooled, sliced, and fried, creating a firmer form that is also used as a breakfast food.
Cornmeal mush belongs to a broad family of cooked cornmeal dishes found in many regions. It resembles Italian polenta, but the names and culinary traditions are different. Grits are also made from ground corn, yet they traditionally use a coarser preparation of dried maize, often hominy.
The dish reflects the importance of maize in North American foodways. Indigenous knowledge of corn processing strongly influenced later colonial and regional cuisines, while cornmeal mush became an inexpensive and filling household food.