Recipes with polenta, a typical humble dish from Northern Italy.

Recipes with polenta: what could be better in the cold seasons? On the tables of those living in the regions of Northern Italy, but also partly in the central area of the Peninsula, there is this "poor" dish of tradition that can never be missing: polenta, an ancient Italian dish made from cornmeal. Discover with us the history of polenta, from its origins to the present day, its properties, and some amazing recipes with polenta.

Recipes with polenta: let's explore the origins of this dish

The Babylonians, Assyrians, and Egyptians ground grains between stones and cooked the resulting flour in water, while the Romans typically prepared polenta with spelt. Today, this dish is essentially made from cornmeal, but in the past, before Christopher Columbus discovered the so-called golden grains, it was mostly made with spelt, barley, millet, buckwheat, and rye. With the discovery of America and the subsequent arrival of corn in the history of polenta, a true revolution occurred: in Europe, from the sixteenth century (in Veneto, subsequently spreading to Bergamo, Milan, and Piedmont), it began to spread among the poorer classes of the population.

»CHECK OUT OUR SELECTION OF FLOURS, SEEDS, AND GRAINS«

Between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, polenta proved to be a very economical food, foundational to the diet in rural areas of the Peninsula. Sometimes it was even the only food available in the most modest households. Alongside this widespread consumption, by the end of the 1800s, pellagra, a disease linked to a deficiency of B vitamins, also spread, which was overcome only through significant dietary changes.

Corn, indeed, does contain these vitamins but, if not consumed alongside other fresh foods or subjected to an alkalinization treatment, they cannot be properly absorbed by our bodies.

Recipes with polenta: how is it prepared?

Today, recipes with polenta can easily be prepared using a home stovetop, and witnessing the preparation done like in the old days will be something magical. Tradition has it that it should be made in a copper pot, where the flour is poured in a rain-like manner into boiling water and slowly stirred with a hazel wood stick.

In the kitchen, polenta finds wide applications and regional variations are numerous: in Marche, one remembers polenta alla carbonara; in the Valtellina tradition, polenta taragna is famous; typical of Lake Como is pulenta uncia; and the characteristic Aosta Valley and Biellese version is polenta concia.

Today, precooked cornmeal can easily be found on the market, useful because they reduce preparation times while guaranteeing good quality.

Recipes with polenta: ready to sit down and eat!

This simple yellow flour, when accompanied by salsicce, cheese, beans, or meats, becomes a tasty and nutritious dish. Often, it is served as a side dish within grills.

But in reality, we are faced with a food that traverses Italy, encountering various traditions. Over the years, this has led to the creation of numerous delicious and flavorful dishes. When visiting Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, or Lazio, one will discover that each region and sometimes even each town has its own way of preparing polenta.

Polenta is made with a few simple ingredients, but there are two substantial ways to make it: either with instant polenta or with cornmeal, just like it was done in the past. If you use instant polenta, you simply need to follow the instructions on the package.

»CHECK OUT OUR SELECTION OF FLOURS, SEEDS, AND GRAINS«

If you choose to make it with cornmeal, get some and arm yourself with patience. It will take at least 40 minutes, during which you will need to stir the polenta with a ladle. When it's ready, serve it with mushrooms, meat, ragù, or any other ingredients you like.

The dosages of ingredients to make polenta for 4 people are as follows: 500 g of cornmeal, 2 liters of water, salt, and extra virgin olive oil to taste.

In Piedmont and Aosta Valley, you might find polenta concia, a much softer polenta that is seasoned and whipped with hazelnut-colored melted butter and cheese, thus becoming a spoon dish.

Then there are those who prepare polenta in the oven or fried, delicious in both cases.

A very famous dish is polenta taragna, truly delightful! For this polenta, in addition to the classic yellow cornmeal, buckwheat flour is used along with butter and fontina.

With polenta, you can also make excellent homemade polenta gnocchi, perhaps using leftover polenta. You will only need to knead the leftover polenta with eggs, cheese, salt, and flour.

Here are the dosages for 6 people: 500 g of cold polenta, 200 g of soft wheat flour, 180 g of grated cheese, 3 eggs, 1 teaspoon of oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy your meal!

Francesco Scuderi