Polenta

Italian porridge, usually of cornmeal

For other uses, see Polenta (disambiguation).

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Polenta

Polenta served with boiled cotechino Modena (top) and lentils (bottom)

Type| Porridge
Place of origin| Italy
Region or state| Northern and central Italy[1]
Main ingredients| Yellow or white cornmeal, liquid (water, soup stock)

* Cookbook: Polenta
*   Media: Polenta

Polenta (/pəˈlɛntə, poʊˈ-/, Italian: [poˈlɛnta])[2][3] is an Italian dish of boiled cornmeal that was historically made from other grains. It may be allowed to cool and solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried or grilled.[4]

The variety of cereal used is usually yellow maize, but often buckwheat, white maize or mixtures thereof may be used. Coarse grinds make a firm, coarse polenta; finer grinds make a soft, creamy polenta.[5] Polenta is a staple of both northern and, to a lesser extent, central Italian, Swiss Italian, southern French, Slovenian, Romanian and, due to Italian migrants, Brazilian and Argentinian cuisine. It is often mistaken for the Slovene-Croatian food named žganci.[1] Its consumption was traditionally associated with lower classes, as in times past cornmeal mush was an essential food in their everyday nutrition.[6]

Polenta served in the traditional manner on a round wooden cutting board Polenta in paiolo

## Etymology

[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2024)

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Polenta covered any hulled and crushed grain, especially barley-meal. It is derived from the Latin pollen for 'fine flour', which shares a root with pulvis, meaning 'dust'.[7]

## History

[edit]

As it is known today, polenta derives from earlier forms of grain mush (known as puls or pulmentum in Latin) that were commonly eaten since Roman times. Before the introduction of corn (maize) from America in the 16th century,[8] it was made from starchy ingredients such as farro, chestnut flour, millet, spelt, and chickpeas.[9]

Polenta was brought to the south of Brazil by Italian immigrants in the late 19th century and has become an important part of Italian-Brazilian culture and identity in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, and Paraná.[10] The fried version, though, has become popular even in other regions that did not receive Italian migration and is a popular snack and finger food in bars across the country.[11]

## Cooking time

[edit]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

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Sorghum-meal polenta with soup stock in center

Polenta takes a long time to cook, simmering in four to five times its volume of watery liquid for about 45 minutes with near-constant stirring; this is necessary for even gelatinization of the starch. Some alternative cooking techniques have been invented to speed up the process or not require constant supervision. Quick-cooking (pre-cooked, instant) polenta is widely used and is prepared in just a few minutes; it is considered inferior to polenta made from unprocessed cornmeal and is best eaten after being baked or fried.[12] In his book Heat, Bill Buford talks about his experiences as a line cook in Mario Batali's Italian restaurant Babbo. Buford details the differences in taste between instant polenta and slow-cooked polenta and describes a method of preparation that takes up to three hours but does not require constant stirring: "polenta, for most of its cooking, is left unattended. ... If you don't have to stir it all the time, you can cook it for hours—what does it matter, as long as you're nearby?".[13] Cook's Illustrated magazine has described a method using a microwave oven that reduces cooking time to 12 minutes and requires only a single stirring.[citation needed] In March 2010, it presented a stovetop, near-stir-less method that uses a pinch of baking soda (an alkali), which replicates the traditional effect.[14][15]

## See also

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Media related to Polentas at Wikimedia Commons  Polenta at the Wikibooks Cookbook subproject

* Italy portal
* Food portal

* List of maize dishes
* List of porridges

## References

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1. ^ a b Righi Parenti, Giovanni (2003) [1995]. "Pisa, Lucca, Livorno". La cucina toscana [Tuscan cuisine] (in Italian). Rome: Newton & Compton. p. 384\. ISBN 88-541-0141-9.
2. ^ Migliorini, Bruno; Tagliavini, Carlo; Fiorelli, Piero. Tommaso Francesco Borri (ed.). "Dizionario italiano multimediale e multilingue d'ortografia e di pronunzia". dizionario.rai.it. Rai Eri. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
3. ^ Canepari, Luciano. "Dizionario di pronuncia italiana online". dipionline.it. Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
4. ^ "Polenta: All you Need to Know About the Comfort Food of Northern Italy". La Cucina Italiana. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
5. ^ "Polenta – How to Cook Polenta". mangiabenepasta.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
6. ^ "La storia della polenta" [The history of polenta]. I primi d'Italia (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
7. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd edition, 2006, s.v..
8. ^ Dubreuil, P.; et al. (2006). "More on the Introduction of Temperate Maize into Europe: Large-Scale Bulk SSR Genotyping and New Historical Elements" (PDF). Maydica. 51: 281–291\. hdl:10883/3026.
9. ^ Zeldes, Leah A. (3 November 2010). "Eat this! Polenta, a universal peasant food". Dining Chicago. Chicago's Restaurant & Entertainment Guide, Inc. Archived from the original on 30 December 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
10. ^ Sganzerla, Eduardo (17 December 2021). "Polenta, história e identidade cultural. Veja receitas". Retrieved 3 August 2023.
11. ^ "Como fazer polenta frita para petisco". 24 November 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
12. ^ Delaney, Alex (12 December 2017). "What is the Difference Between Grits and Polenta?". Retrieved 4 October 2024.
13. ^ Buford, Bill (2006). Heat. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 150. ISBN 1-4000-4120-1.
14. ^ Kimball, Christopher; Yanagihara, Dawn (January 1998). "The Microwave Chronicles". Cook's Illustrated: 11.
15. ^ Kimball, Christopher (March 2010). "Creamy Parmesan Polenta". Cook's Illustrated.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Brandolini, Giorgio V., Storia e gastronomia del mais e della patata nella Bergamasca, Orizzonte Terra, Bergamo, 2007. 32 pages.
* Eynard, W., La Cucina Valdese, Claudiana, 2006.

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