Polenta

Polenta, or cornmeal, has long been a cornerstone of northern Italian home cooking. Traditionally, it was prepared over an open fire in a copper pot, or paiolo, with a long wooden spoon, or tarello. It called for constant stirring until the cornmeal and water thickened into a golden mass, at which point the polenta was poured out onto a wooden board for serving. Today, the mixture of grain and water still demands almost constant stirring, so making polenta calls for considerable patience and elbow grease (though some very good instant polentas are available these days). The grain is available in yellow or white and finely or coarsely textured, but most Italians favor the yellow coarse-grind cornmeal for its chewy texture and hearty taste that barely hints of sweet corn.