Oklahoma’s State Meal: The Awkward Case of Grits

If you didn't know, Oklahoma is one of only two states in the country with an Official State Meal on the books. How did it come about? Who knows. Legislatures were probably just looking for a creative way to waste your tax dollars back in 1988, and here we are now.

The Origins of Oklahoma’s State Meal

It's not a bad line-up of food, though. BBQ pork, chicken fried steak, biscuits and gravy as the mains. Pecan pie and strawberries as dessert, cornbread as your starch, and black-eyed peas, fried okra, corn, squash as the bulk of the sides... but somehow, also, grits.

How in the world did grits sneak their way onto Oklahoma’s Official State Meal?

That’s a million-dollar question.

How did that dash of Deep South mush even get a mention, let alone atonement in the state capital? Because, let’s be honest, Oklahoma is many things, but “grits country” isn’t one of them.

The Strange Case of Grits in Oklahoma

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “But Kelso, I had grits once at a Cracker Barrel outside Shawnee...” and that just proves my point. Grits live in Oklahoma the same way palm trees live in hotel lobbies. They’re imported, watered occasionally, and mostly there for decoration.

What Real Oklahomans Eat for Breakfast

Ask the average Oklahoman what they eat for a stick-to-your-ribs breakfast, and you’ll hear biscuits smothered in sausage gravy, maybe some scrambled eggs, bacon, Blue & Gold, and if you’re feeling guilty, a token slice of melon.

And if your grandma didn’t make biscuits, she made oatmeal. Likely the instant stuff, occasionally steel-cut, and maybe cream of wheat if she was feeling fancy. But grits?

Unless you had relatives in Mississippi, you probably thought grits were just what chickens pecked at in the yard.

The state meal, in theory, is supposed to reflect who we are. Chicken-fried steak? That’s us. Squash? Absolutely. Fried okra? We’ll fight you over it. But grits feel like that one cousin who married in from out of state and suddenly shows up at family reunions talking about sweet tea like it’s a religion.

Some people defend it by pointing out that grits are made from corn, and Oklahoma does grow plenty of that, but by that logic, why not toss Hormel canned tamales and Fritos on the official plate? You’d find both of those in an average rural Oklahoma pantry.

Corn, Ethanol, and Big Grit Lobbying

Maybe the truth is simpler. Obviously, Big Grit put their lobby to work for a little random recognition at the state level. It surely couldn't have been the corn industry, Oklahoma didn't grow much corn in the 80s... not until the Feds decided ethanol belonged in gasoline. (it doesn't)

Grits in Oklahoma. That's almost as bad as adding sugar to your cornbread. Who would have thought?