SC - corn vs. polenta

[Decker, Terry D.]

Polenta is crushed and boiled grain.  It takes the form of a thick gruel or
a coarse loaf shaped by some container, commonly a bowl.  It was a staple of
the Roman legions.  Apicius and Pliny give recipes for polenta, the first of
fine wheat, the second of barley.

Maize polenta appears to be very late period and most common to Northern
Italy, which is the grain belt of the country.

Modern polenta is primarily cooked corn meal and is regionally known in the
U.S. as cornmeal mush.

A basic recipe for polenta is heat three cups of water to boiling, add a
teaspoon of salt and one cup of grain.  Continue boiling, stirring the
mixture often, until the grain absorbs the water and the gruel thickens to
the desired consistency (thicker for loafs than gruel).  Serve or scoop into
a bowl and allow to cool.  With modern heat sources, you may want to boil
this for about 10 minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer to reduce the
chance of burning the polenta.

Loaves can be cut with a string.  Slices can be served cold or reheated.
Fine wheat or corn polenta, pan fried and served with honey or syrup is
quite tasty.

Bear

> Does anyone have any Idea when Polenta was first cooked, and did it have
> any antecedents that predate the introduction of EarCorn? I think that
> barley, peas, and farina can all produce a similar pastes, was there a
> polenta type dish in our "Period"?
> 
> 
> Brandu
> 
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