Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A thick mush made of boiled cornmeal.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In Italy: A porridge made of Indian meal (maize-meal), the principal food of the poorer people throughout large sections of the country.
- noun A porridge made of chestnut-meal, much used in autumn.
- noun In France, a porridge made of barley-meal, not common except in the south.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Italy Pudding made of Indian meal; also, porridge made of chestnut meal.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun any of various types and consistencies of a
starchy accompaniment to a meal made from coarsemaize -meal porridge , sometimes fried or grilled
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a thick mush made of cornmeal boiled in stock or water
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The American Heritage Dictionary, 3rd edition notes the word polenta as being of Italian origin and defines it as “a thick mush made of cornmeal and boiled in water or stock.”
The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004
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The American Heritage Dictionary, 3rd edition notes the word polenta as being of Italian origin and defines it as “a thick mush made of cornmeal and boiled in water or stock.”
The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004
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Bring the water to a boil, add the salt and polenta and cook, stirring, until the polenta is creamy.
Polenta with Fresh Cheese and Chard: Polenta con Requeson y Acelgas 2007
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This same Lethlean article also refers to another kind of porridge, one made from ground corn - polenta - which was also the Italian word to describe gruels made in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance from things like spelt, chestnut flour and the aforementioned millet and acorns.
At My Table 2008
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This same Lethlean article also refers to another kind of porridge, one made from ground corn - polenta - which was also the Italian word to describe gruels made in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance from things like spelt, chestnut flour and the aforementioned millet and acorns.
Archive 2008-06-01 2008
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When the polenta is finished cooking, take it off the heat, and pour out onto a large piece of parchment spread on your kitchen counter.
Is My Blog Burning #11 – sun-dried tomato and bean dip on polenta « Dyepot, Teapot 2005
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"A few years ago I made Savory Twinkies from goat cheese wrapped in polenta, based on a suggestion by Joe Bay," he says.
Boing Boing: January 23, 2005 - January 29, 2005 Archives 2005
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I have, in a former letter, observed that the meal of this grain goes by the name polenta, and makes excellent hasty-pudding, being very nourishing, and counted an admirable pectoral.
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(ok, call it polenta, if the idea of "mush" doesn't appeal ...)
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These people don’t even know how to cook grits; but if you call it polenta and charge extra, they’ll eat it up.
vaguelyremincent commented on the word polenta
My mother buys a package of polenta every year, though I've never eaten it. She doesn't even make it; she just buys it out of duty to her mother, who loves it.
I wonder if it is good...
September 8, 2008
bilby commented on the word polenta
Sure, can be lovely. Northern Italians are sometimes referred to by southerners as polentone because they eat so much of it. I'm not sure if the term is derogatory.
September 8, 2008
john commented on the word polenta
Oh, polenta can be wonderful. In its most basic form it's more or less just mush--delicious, but not much to it. Liven it up a little and it can be sublime.
September 8, 2008
frindley commented on the word polenta
I always find myself preferring semolina.
September 8, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word polenta
I hated when mom made this, growing up. Hated it. I used to put so much sauce and grated Romano cheese on it that you probably couldn't taste the polenta at all. Now I have to be in the mood for it, which comes 1 or 2 times a year, and I still dump loads of cheese on it, but it's good. :) And easy to make, and cheap, and filling...
September 18, 2008
Prolagus commented on the word polenta
There are many varieties of polenta, very different from one another... and I love most of them! Polenta taragna, from Valtellina, is one of my favorites.
September 18, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word polenta
Oh sure, there are many varieties where it's eaten frequently. We only had the one, growing up. :) (And now I count myself fortunate for that experience.)
p.s. finally went to see what polenta taragna is. It looks really good. Thanks Pro!
September 19, 2008
reesetee commented on the word polenta
C_b, you hated it?? Does...not...compute....
September 19, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word polenta
Usage/historical note can be found in comment on mawmenee.
January 8, 2017