Polenta

A light and fluffy polenta made with a little goose fat to enrich it, called millas, has been made locally since maize arrived in Europe from South America in the sixteenth century and became a staple crop in Languedoc for humans and livestock alike. Maize is still grown in vast quantities and millas, although no longer a crucial food, is still served at festivals and events such as the Foire des Truffes at Moussoulens.

It was made above all in the villages of the garrigue, when families killed their household pig in winter. Once the mixture of ground maize, water, salt and a spoonful of goose fat has boiled for the required time, it is poured onto a marble slab or into a container to a depth of one or two centimetres. When it has cooled and firmed up it is cut in small squares and fried, then served with sausages and a good tomato sauce. Or it may be baked in the oven under a rich béchamel or eaten with a sprinkling of sugar and a little fig or rosehip jam or crab apple jelly. For a full recipe.