Hot, yellow and steaming – this is how polenta ends up on the table when traditionally prepared and is therefore a popular satiator, especially in autumn and winter. However, one gets warm already during the preparation, because the cooking of polenta is true backbreaking work. But the effort in cooking is worth it, because polenta is a delicious side dish that contains carbohydrates and important minerals.
Is polenta healthy?
Since polenta is usually just cornmeal and water, it is not particularly high in nutrients. Similar to pasta or rice, it primarily provides carbohydrates and fills you up quickly. However, the porridge also contains:
- Protein
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- Silica
This makes the corn semolina porridge a healthy side dish. In 100 grams of cooked polenta is about 139 calories, which is 40 calories less than in cooked pasta. Moreover, pasta is often served with greasy cream sauces – polenta, on the other hand, tends to serve as a side dish with roasted vegetables, mushroom dishes or meat.
If the porridge is eaten without a side dish, it is a tasty satiator – but in the long run this is not healthy. In the past, polenta was often the only food in poorer families in northern Italy – throughout the winter. This often led to deficiency symptoms and scurvy, as the porridge provides carbohydrates but hardly any vitamins and minerals.
What is polenta?
Polenta is usually made of corn grits that are cooked with water or milk to form a porridge. Depending on preference, the mixture is then sliced and eaten directly, enhanced with garnishes and sauces, or sautéed. In ancient times, polenta was also prepared by the Romans and Greeks from millet, spelt, chickpea flour or wheat.
Since the discovery of America, however, cornmeal has become the basis of polenta. From Spain to southern Russia, this cornmeal porridge has since been considered a poor man’s food, filling stomachs almost daily in winter. Especially in northern Italy, the porridge enjoys great popularity and was prepared differently in each region. Only in recent years polenta also conquered the German kitchens and is now even served in starred restaurants as a side dish.
Preparation: polenta basic recipe
Polenta is not exactly one of the slimmest meals, but the preparation requires quite a bit of effort, which means that the calories absorbed are already partially burned in advance. In the traditional basic polenta recipe, the cornmeal is gradually stirred into already boiling salted water. It must be stirred clockwise without stopping for at least an hour, because the porridge burns quickly. For fast food friends this corn semolina porridge is therefore nothing.
However, the Italian specialty is better suited for families or friends who like to cook together and can take turns stirring. This way, the person stirring is always tied to the stove, but at least has nice conversation and support while preparing the side dishes. When the porridge solidifies and separates from the sides of the pot, the polenta is ready.
Traditionally, it is now smoothed onto a moistened wooden board as a layer about 1.5 centimeters thick and cut with a string into triangular slices, called polenta slices. Alternatively, however, a baking tray and a knife are also suitable for this purpose. The polenta slices can now be eaten directly hot with some melted butter, herbs, cheese, bacon or vegetables. Otherwise, you can also let the polenta slices cool and dip them in milk, eat them as a snack, fry them in olive oil or grill them.
Polenta – alternative recipes
If you want to save yourself the “stirring arm” when cooking polenta, you can now also resort to pre-cooked polenta semolina in the pre-pack – so the porridge is ready in a few minutes.
If you don’t care for simple polenta slices, you can also boil the corn semolina with milk, sweeten it with sugar or honey and enjoy it like normal semolina porridge together with peaches or apricots as a dessert. Polenta pizza is also becoming increasingly popular. Michelin-starred chefs also occasionally serve polenta with fine meat dishes, with grated truffles or as salad croutons.
