Today’s
offering is an interesting perspective on the Northern Italian staple of polenta
– the yellow stuff which we all know and love, made from maize. It is made from
maize, isn’t it? The story comes from an early eighteenth century text: Botanologia, the English herbal, or, History
of plants (1710) by William Salmon.
XVI.
Polenta. This the Ancients made
variously: Pliny lib. 18. chap. 7. Says that the Greeks made it of Green Barly
taken out of the Ear before it was fully ripe, steeped in Water, then beaten in
a Mortar, after washed in Baskets, to free it from the Husks, so dried in the
Sun, and afterwards steeped and beaten again, till it was thoroughly cleansed,
which being dried was ground small: of this they took xx. pounds, and added
thereto, Lin-seed, Coriander-seed of each j. pound: Salt ij. ounces: these last
things well beaten together were mixed with the Barly, and so prepared for use.
II. Other Grecians, says Pliny, Made
it of Barly steeped for a Night in Water, and Husked by beating in a Mortar,
after dried, and so parched or fried it the next day, and then ground it to
Meal, to make Bread, Cakes, Puddings, or Broath of. III. The Italians Made it of Parched Barly, without any moistening,
ground small; to xx. pounds of which they added Millet-seed win Pounder iij.
Pounds, Salt ij ounces and a half, and them mixt them all together. IV. Galen Commends it to be Made of
Fresh Barly, not full out ripe or hardned, and before the Beard was white, or
quite dry, and then indifferently parched, and reduced to Flower, adding
nothing else to it. Many nations used this Polenta instead of Bread, and the
Cypriots, tho’ they had Wheat growing with them, yet mostly eat this. It drys
and astringes more than Barly it self, binding the Belly and stopping fluxes,
being drunk with Alicant, or red Wine: drunk with Water, it quenches thirst,
and allays Inflamations of the Throat or Lungs. It was often eaten mixed with
new Wine, or boiled up with Wine, and so eaten as every one liked best.
XVII.
Maza. This is only Polenta, or the
Flower of Parched Barly, moistned with some kind of Liquor, as every one liked
best: some with Water, some with Water and Oil Olive, some with sweet Wine,
some with Wine and Oil, and some mixed it with Honey, as Hesychius, Hippocrates
and Galen declare: but Galen says that Maza, is hard of Digestion, and
generates Wind: if it is well moistned with Water, sweet Wine, or Oil, and
Honey also is added to it, the sooner passes off.
There
are some interesting ideas for serving polenta in this piece, but it seemed
like a cop-out to make them stand for the recipe of the day, so here are a
couple of “real” recipes, from Murray's
modern cookery book. Modern domestic cookery, by a lady (1851)
Polenta Pudding.
Mix ½
lb. of polenta (or maize flour) with ½ pint of milk; let
it boil till it thickens; put into it 1 oz. of butter, a little salt, and cayenne
pepper; bake it gently for 1½ hour. Turn it out of the dish when served. This pudding is
very good with meat.
Sweet Polenta Pudding.
Mix
the polenta as in the foregoing receipt: when it boils, add 1 oz. of
butter, 1 lb. of moist sugar, the same of sultana raisins, the grated
rind of a lemon, and 1 oz. of candied orange-peel sliced very finely; mix the
whole well together, and bake it 1 ½ hour. The great recommendation of
this pudding is the absence of eggs, which are not required with polenta.
A
cheap pudding may be made by adding 2 tablespoonfuls of treacle to
the polenta instead of the raisins, sugar, and candied peel.
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