A Black farmer in South Carolina cultivates culture, history — and rice
The Washington Post
What has surprised Chalmers most is the popularity of rice grits, or middlins. “It’s the hot thing with all the chefs,” he says. When milling rice, any broken grains get separated and sifted out; in the days of slavery, these castoffs went to animals and enslaved workers. Even with modern milling technology, 10 to 15 percent of Chalmers’s harvest cracks into middlins. However, he sells these “seconds” as rice grits for a higher price than whole grains. At home, Frances Chalmers likes to turn the grits into a creamy risotto with chicken stock, parmesan and mushrooms.
— Caroline Hatchett
