Polenta

This traditional dish may be found in Italy, in the region of Tyrol, Switzerland, Austria and even in more exotic countries such as Romania, Moldova and the Balkans.

Polenta is generally known as an Italian food made from ground maize or corn meal. Whether you eat it in Carinthia, Styria or South Tyrol - they all have their own variations and names referring to this healthy and low-calorie dish. Since 1650, the Italian cuisine has been known to use maize (pic) for their exquisite dishes. And for a long time, it was especially popular with poor people.

Polenta is made by stirring the maize flour into boiling water, traditionally in a heavy copper saucepan. It can be made soft like porridge or more firm - firm polenta can be shaped into a block that is then cut into slices and grilled or fried. The cooked consistency depends on how much water is added during cooking: double the amount of water to polenta makes it very stiff; four times as much water makes polenta suitable for frying or grilling; six times the amount of water makes a creamy polenta and eight times water to polenta makes a soft custard. Polenta made from buckwheat or sweet chestnut flour is a further tasty variation. In South Tyrol, you may still find people cooking polenta in a traditional copper pot on the fireplace. This happens when it is harvesting time and the polenta is served along with home-made sausages.

There are, obviously, various ways how this flavoury dish may be served: with milk, cranberry jam and butter, cabbage and sausages, butter and parmesan, red and yellow peppers, goulash or other kinds of meat…