Read Next
Discover
polenta
food
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
- Academia - Polenta or Mamaliga? British Perception of a South-East European Dish
- National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Polenta-based snack development: from maize flour to final product by assessing structural, mechanical and sensory properties
- Healthline - Polenta: Nutrition, Calories, and Benefits
- BBC Good Food - How to cook with polenta
- WebMD - Health Benefits of Polenta
- The Spruce Eats - What Is Polenta?
- Related Topics:
- corn
- cornmeal
- dish
- Italian cuisine
polenta, a porridge or mush usually made of ground corn (maize) cooked in salted water. Cheese and butter or oil are often added. Polenta can be eaten hot or cold as a porridge, or it can be cooled until firm, cut into shapes, and then baked, toasted, panfried, or deep-fried. It is a traditional food of northern Italy, especially the Piedmont region, and of Corsica, where chestnut flour is used in place of cornmeal. Polenta is also sometimes made from barley meal.