Polenta

Made of cornmeal, a traditional dish of northern Italy, which both Venice and Lombardy claim to have invented. The Greeks ate various cereal porridges called poltos. The Romans made a savory porridge that they called puls, using farro; the tradition continued in northern Italy, where gruels were prepared from local cereals, such as buckwheat, barley and oats. Corn was only introduced to Italy from the New World in the 17th century; soon afterward, it was being grown in all the northeastern regions of the country.

Traditionally, polenta was cooked in a paiolo, a special copper pot, which hung in the fireplace; it was stirred for at least an hour with a special long-handled spoon made of chestnut or acacia wood and served for breakfast, lunch or dinner (sometimes all three). In Italy, the piping-hot polenta is first poured onto a white cloth and then placed on a wooden board. Polenta was traditionally cut with a wooden spatula or a thick cotton thread. Today, many brands of packaged "instant" polenta, which cook in three to five minutes (in the microwave or on the stove), are available.

---