Polenta Day, observed primarily on October 9th, celebrates polenta, a traditional Italian dish made from cornmeal. In addition to this national day, various Italian towns host "Polenta Festivals" on different dates, many of which have deep historical roots. These festivals celebrate the dish through tastings, events, and reenactments. Examples are the Polenta Festival in Storo (Trentino), the Polenta Festival in Naz-Sciaves (Alto Adige) and the Polenta Fair in Vigasio.
If you want to stick to the classics, yellow polenta made from corn is an excellent choice. However, the darker variety, known as Taragna, is also worth enjoying from the first bite to the last. Typical of Lombardy, Taragna is made from a blend of corn and buckwheat flour. It gets its name from the wooden stick used to stir it, called a "tarèl," which in the Valtellina dialect means "to stir." Another variation is white polenta, common in the Veneto region, which is made from light-colored corn flour known as Biancoperla.
Traditional cornmeal is used to make Polenta Concia, a dish typical of Piedmont, Lombardy, and the Aosta Valley. Cheeses such as Fontina, Toma, or butter are added to the mixture to make it creamier. A true gem of Trentino cuisine is polenta made from "Mais Nostrano di Storo," a variety of corn native to the area. This corn, known as "Marano," features reddish kernels and is cultivated in the Chiese Valley, where it is dried in the sun and exposed to mountain winds. Once cooked, this polenta takes on a deep yellow color and is often served on a platter alongside meat and cheese stews.
What to eat polenta with: meat and fish Ragù or stews. The simple sauce of meat, tomato, and soffritto - al Ragù is the most classic pairing. Other combinations with Polenta include: Sausage Stew; Chicken Cacciatore; Pork ribs in tomato sauce; Merluzzo or cod in white sauce, Livorno-style or Vicenza-style and any game dish with sauce.
Baccalà alla vicentina
Ingredients (serves 12):
1 kg dried stockfish; 250 g onions; ½ liter non-fruity olive oil; 3 or 4 salted sardines; ½ liter fresh milk; a little flour;
50 g grated Parmesan cheese; a sprig of parsley; salt; pepper
Preparation:
Soak the well-battered stockfish in cold water, changing the water every 4 hours, for 2 to 3 days. Remove some of the skin. Next, open the fish lengthwise and remove the backbone and all the bones. Cut the fish into square pieces, preferably of equal size. Finely slice the onions and sauté them in a small pan with a glass of oil. Add the desalted, boned, and chopped sardines. Finally, remove the pan from heat and stir in the chopped parsley. Dredge the stockfish in flour, then drizzle them with the prepared soffritto. Arrange the pieces side by side in a terracotta or aluminum pan, or in a baking dish, starting with a few spoonful’s of soffritto on the bottom. Cover the fish with the remaining soffritto, adding milk, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Pour oil over the pieces until they are well coated, smoothing them out. Cook over very low heat for about 4.5 hours, shake the pan occasionally but never stir. In Vicenza dialect, this cooking stage is called "pipare." The exact doneness of the stockfish will vary based on experience, as it may differ in consistency from one specimen to another. Serve piping hot with slices of polenta. Vicenza-style cod is excellent even after resting for 12-14 hours.
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