Call me stupid, but I always thought polenta was a Mexican dish. After all, it was made out of cornmeal, and it looked like the little sweet scoop of corn I get at the Mexican restaurants. Surprisingly enough, I had a misconception - actually, two misconceptions. Number one is that polenta is actually an Italian peasant's dish. The second misconception is that just because it says Mexican restaurant on the sign does not mean it is telling the truth (that was definitely not Mexican food).
In fact, along with pizza and pasta, polenta is one of the three staple foods of Italy. While I was never a fan of baked polenta, I fried polenta one day and it was a whole different story. I also am a firm believer that if you love your food you should know where they came from before you cook them. After all, culture lives on through the tastes and smells of food.
When researching polenta I found out some pretty terrific facts. Number one, polenta came all the way from primitive Italy. Right when they started creating compound dishes (back in their own type of cave days) was when polenta was created. Back then it was made with water and kernels of wild grasses to make a thick paste. It was then toasted and dropped on a hot stone. There was no corn yet.
Polenta was the equivalent of bread to Italy at this time. Yeast was very hard to come by at this time. Roman legions carried polenta with them everywhere. It was made of wheat, garbazo beans, or chickpea. They would toast the grains, crush them, and put them in their sacks. When they halted they would then ground the grain to gruel and boil it like porridge. They would eat it in the form of porridge or they would let it harden into semi-leavened cake. Think about it, polenta almost helped the Italians conquer the world.
Another amazing fact is the crushed grains of polenta were used to make the first genuine flour. After that (for a great period of time) nothing changed much in the lives of the peasants and, therefore; nothing changed much in the world of polenta. In the 15th century is when Mister Cristoforo Colombo brought maize back from the New World. This delicious crop was grown prosperously in Northern Italy where rainfall is very abundant. Soon after that it was used as an ingredient in polenta and became not only a peasant dish, but a dish for all, even preferred over bread and pizza. The rest is polenta history.
My polenta? I love it fried. The following is the best way to make it:
"You Could Conquer The World Fried Polenta"*
Ingredients: 1 and ½ tsp salt, 1 cup yellow cornmeal, 3 and ¼ cups boiling water, 2 tbs butter, sour cream (if desired) and ¾ cup water.
1) Spray a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray
2) In a saucepan, mix the cornmeal and ¾ cup water. Stir in 3 and ¼ cups boiling water and the salt. Cook over medium heat for about nine minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils; reduce heat.
3) Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until thick. Spread in loaf pan.
4) Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours. Turn pan upside down to unmold.
5) Cut into ½ inch thick slice. Coat slices with flour. In a large skillet melt 2 tbs butter over low heat. Cook slices for about 5 minutes on each side until brown.
6) Enjoy with the yummy taste of sour cream on top if desired.
Sources:
Base of recipe from Betty Crocker
http://www.floria-publications.com and http://www.lifeinitaly.com
Rachael Rizzo has been acting since she was nine years old. She uses her experience to write about what the things she loves mean to her (mostly movies and baking). She is twenty-three years old and resides in beautiful Oregon.
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