Concept in Definition ABC

Polenta is a dish that originated in Italy and has spread to several European and Latin American countries. The main component of this dish is the corn, specifically coarse cornmeal. As for its basic ingredients, they are the following: preferably organic and chemical-free polenta, vegetable broth, butter and Parmesan cheese as a regular condiment. Regarding the doses, generally three measures of broth are used for each one of polenta.

A simple polenta dish

If we already have the basic ingredients, it is possible to prepare a dish by applying the following steps:

1) the vegetable broth is heated,

2) When the broth comes to a boil, lower the heat and pour the polenta over the broth (it is important to add the polenta in the form of rain to get the right consistency),

3) once the polenta is poured, add the butter and cheese,

4) all the mixed ingredients are stirred with a spoon,

5) when the mass produced is more compact this indicates that the polenta is ready to pour into a container,

6) After it sits for a few minutes, the dish is ready to eat. The end result is like a cake that can be cut into pieces of different sizes and can be used as a single dish or as a side.

Polenta is a versatile dish and many different recipes can be made: fried polenta, with snails and mushrooms, stew with polenta, in the form of arepa, baked with mushrooms and dried tomato, with sautéed vegetables, in the form of pizza, croquettes, adapted for vegans and a long list of possibilities.

History of polenta

The gastronomy has a dimension indisputable historical. In fact, some of the dishes we eat have a remote past and a evolution over time. In the case of polenta, it should be noted that it is a dish that was already known to the Greeks and Romans, who prepared it with flour, Water and barley.

In its origin, corn was not used, since at that time this cereal was unknown in Europe. Corn is native to America and was introduced to Spain in the seventeenth century and Italy in the seventeenth century. Thus, polenta in its current version arose in northern Italy, where it is known by various names, such as black polenta or sweet polenta. As it is a dish with high nutritional value, polenta became popular in the mountainous areas of Italy and over the years it became known beyond its borders.

The history of polenta reminds us that the so-called discovery of America has a direct relationship with gastronomy and feeding in general, since there are many food that come from continent American (potato, cocoa, peanuts, pineapple or tomato).

Photos: iStock - Andrea Carpedi / zkruger