Organic Polenta

Traditionally made from wild grains and later from primitive wheat, millet, spelt or chickpeas, polenta was said to have originated both in Italy and Southern parts of the US though is more traditionally associated with Italian cooking. Now popular in many European countries and around the globe, these days polenta is made with corn (or maize) and is produced by coarsely milling the grain into a gritty textured meal, then sifting out the bran and flour.

Recipe Inspiration:

Polenta is traditionally used to make corn meal porridge or bread, and can also be combined with sweet, savoury or spicy flavours in many traditional Mediterranean dishes.

According to the Italian’s, the best and simplest way to eat polenta is just with a little butter (or olive oil) and Parmesan cheese. Polenta can be made and served soft (more watery) or firm (less water on cooking). The firmer variety is often then baked or BBQ’ed for added flavour. Some ingredients that can be added to polenta to bring flavour to the dish include fresh herbs such as basil, thyme, parsley or sage, fresh olives, semi-dried tomatoes, onions, garlic or capsicum. It is fun to explore cooking with polenta as there is so much you can do with it.

For a delicious porridge try cooking polenta with cinnamon, pear and honey.

Interesting Facts about Polenta:

In Roman times, polenta (or as they knew it, pulmentu) was the staple of the mighty Roman Legions and was eaten in either a porridge or in a hard cake like form, much like it is today.

In Italy (where polenta originated) soft polenta is often a replacement for bread during a meal, or instead of pasta, served with butter and cheese and sometimes shaved truffles.