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Italian Menus
by Regional Style
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POLENTA,
A Northern
Italian Staple
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Apparently corn was introduced to Italy in 1494 by a Venetian diplomat who received a few seeds as a present, soon after Columbus’s return from his travels to the Indies. In Venice, corn was erroneously called grano turco (Turkish wheat), a name still used today.

Due to its capacity to produce a large yield gradually, corn cultivation was developed all over the Veneto area. Soon, polenta made from corn replaced all other grains (mainly sorghum and millet) used until then. It became the food of all the peasants too poor to afford bread, especially in the mountainous areas and valleys of the Alps. For this reason, for a long time corn was considered a food of inferior quality.
Maize was also a very convenient crop for the owners of large estates to economically feed their workers. Consequently, in large areas of northern Italy, corn polenta became a unique staple—a condition that would soon lead to disastrous consequences: Maize is missing an important vitamin, niacin, indispensable for the body; niacin deficiency causes “pellagra,” a fatal disease.

This illness was unknown to the populations of the Americas who ate corn with other food, therefore integrating the missing element. In northern Italy the phenomenon reached epidemic proportions. After a few decades and thousands of fatalities, the cause was finally understood at the beginning of the 1800s. The addition of a little meat or vegetables to the diet was the easy cure for the disease.
Polenta. From a painting by Pietro Longhi, Venice 1740. The painter left an extensive documentation of everyday life in the city. In this domestic scene, two women pour polenta from the typical copper cauldron. The background shows the fireplace where the polenta was cooked.
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Polenta generally is associated with northern Italy, but it is popular in many regions, and there are many different ways to make it: In northern Italy it would be solid and then cut into slices to accompany other food as a substitute for bread.

In central Italy polenta would have the consistency of porridge, would be spread on a large wooden board in a thin layer and would be dressed with different sauces. Famous is the Polenta con le Spuntature (polenta with pork ribs and tomato sauce) of Abruzzi.
Most frequently polenta was made in a large copper cauldron hung over the fire in the wood-burning fireplace, and was stirred continuously with a wooden stick. Then the paste was poured onto a wooden board.
Polenta is an extremely versatile dish that can be fried, grilled, baked, or eaten on its own topped with meat or tomato sauce.
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The origins of polenta can be traced back to the Etruscans. They prepared a dish called puls, a mixture of mashed grains boiled in water, which eventually was enriched with any kind of dressing available at the moment.  
It was a very practical food—economical and easy to make—and the Romans inherited and diffused it everywhere. Under the name pulmentum, it became the food Roman legions ate while conquering the world: The present version of the Roman pulmentum is polenta, made today with cornmeal.
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The Land of the
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 The Cuisine of
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THE RICH
CUISINE OF NORTHERN ITALY
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BASIC POLENTA
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Using Pre Cooked
Polenta Flour
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POLENTA FRITTA
 Fried Polenta
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POLENTA PASTICCIATA
 Polenta with Tomato Sauce and Cheese
POLENTA CON LE
 SPUNTATURE
 Polenta with Pork Rib Sauce
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