[Sca-cooks] Apicius' polenta recipe

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On Dec 8, 2005, at 11:07 PM, Terry Decker wrote:

> Gnocchi is a dough that is formed, then cooked.  Polenta is batter  
> which is boiled to density, then formed.  Apicius calls for a firm  
> polenta which is then cut to shape and fried.  I can see why you  
> might think of gnocchi, but my mind sees my Mom cutting slices off  
> the loaf of mush that she shaped in a bread tin.
>
> I tend to think of polenta and mush as equivalents as both are  
> boiled grain meal of varying consistency.  If mush is an alteration  
> of mash as is suggested by the dictionary, then both terms pre-date  
> maize in Europe, they have a general meaning, they are essentially  
> equivalent, and their relationship to cornmeal is one of modern  
> usage with any equivocation being a lack of serious consideration  
> about the origins of the words and dishes. Damn, that's pompous  
> sounding.  Fun.
>
> The chief difference I see is one word is derived from Latin and  
> the other is an Anglo-Saxon derivative.

Okay, as I said, this was largely the result of a momentary view of  
the question through the window that shows modern polenta as a maize  
meal product. It was with that in mind that I asked Niccolo for  
clarification.

Actually, though, gnocchi a la romana is generally made from boiled  
semolina meal or even Cream of Wheat in the US, allowed to cool like  
mush in a pan, cut into squares or diamond shapes, then either  
sauteed or broiled under a dusting of grated cheese... pretty much a  
savory version of the Apician dish in question.

Adamantius


"S'ils n'ont pas de pain, vous fait-on dire, qu'ils  mangent de la  
brioche!" / "If there's no bread to be had, one has to say, let them  
eat cake!"
     -- attributed to an unnamed noblewoman by Jean-Jacques Rousseau,  
"Confessions", 1782

"Why don't they get new jobs if they're unhappy -- or go on Prozac?"
     -- Susan Sheybani, assistant to Bush campaign spokesman Terry  
Holt, 07/29/04