Samp is dried corn kernels

Corn kernels

Corn kernels are the seeds of maize.Corn kernels are used as pelletized fuel for pellet stoves and furnaces. Corn kernels are a natural pellet, which gives them a huge economic advantage over other man-made biomass pellets and wood pellets....

 that have been stamped and chopped until broken but not as fine as Mielie-meal

Mielie-meal

In South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and many other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, a relatively coarse flour made from maize ....

 or mielie rice. The coating around the kernel loosens and is removed during the pounding and stamping process. It is used in the Xhosa variant of Umngqusho

Umngqusho

Umngqusho is a Bantu dish with several variants:* Made of stamp mielies with sugar beans, butter, onions, potatoes, chillies and lemons, made to simmer.* Made of mielie-meal, semolina and peas....

 and sometimes eaten with Chakalaka

Chakalaka

Chakalaka is a spicy African vegetable relish traditionally served with bread, pap, samp, stews or curries. To balance its fiery flavour, it is sometimes served with amasi . Chakalaka is said to have originated in the townships of Johannesburg. Chakalaka is similar to spicy baked beans...

. It can also be served with beef

Beef

Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...

, lamb, poultry

Poultry

Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...

 and in stuffings.

According to the American Heritage dictionary (4th edition), "samp" is of Native American origin, coming from the Narragansett word "nasàump." New Englanders since early colonial times have referred to cornmeal mush or cereal as "samp."

Like hominy

Hominy

Hominy or nixtamal is dried maize kernels which have been treated with an alkali in a process called nixtamalization.The English term hominy is derived from the Powhatan language word for maize. Many other Native American cultures also made hominy and integrated it into their diet...

, samp is prepared from groats

Groats

Groats are the hulled grains of various cereals, such as oats, wheat, barley or buckwheat . Groats are whole grains that include the cereal germ and fiber-rich bran portion of the grain as well as the endosperm...

 (dehulled kernels) of maize

Maize

Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...

, but the two are produced by different processes.

Unbroken and unhusked maize (corn) kernels can also be cooked (boiled) until tender. This food is called kaboemielies in Afrikaans.

Samp is often served with beans, as in "samp and beans".