Mămăligă (;) is a

porridge Porridge is a food made by heating or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, (dried) fruit or syrup to make a sweet cereal, ...

made out of yellow maize flour, traditional in Romania, Moldova and West Ukraine.

Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...

from the Lviv area also prepare this traditional dish. It is also a traditional dish in Thessaly and

Fthiotis Phthiotis ( el, Φθιώτιδα, ''Fthiótida'', ; ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Φθιῶτις) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Central Greece. The capital is the city of Lamia. It is border ...

, Greece. In Italy,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, Slovenia, Croatia and many other countries, this dish is known as

polenta Polenta (, ) is a dish of boiled cornmeal that was historically made from other grains. The dish comes from Italy. It may be served as a hot porridge, or it may be allowed to cool and solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried, or grilled. ...

History

Historically a peasant food, it was often used as a substitute for bread or even as a

staple food A staple food, food staple, or simply a staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for a given person or group of people, supplying a large fraction of energy needs and ...

in the poor rural areas. However, in the last decades it has emerged as an upscale dish available in the finest restaurants.

Roman influence

Historically,

is the oldest form of consumption of grains in the whole of humanity, long before the appearance of bread. Originally, the seeds used to prepare slurries were very diverse as

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...

or einkorn. Before the introduction of maize in Europe in the 16th century, mămăligă had been made with millet flour, known to the Romans as ''pulmentum''.

Corn's introduction in Romania

Maize was introduced into Spain by

Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquess of the Valley of Oaxaca (; ; 1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of w ...

from Mexico in 1530 and spread in Europe in the 16th century. Maize (called ''corn'' in the United States) requires a good amount of heat and humidity. The Danube Valley is one of Europe's regions ideal for growing maize. A Hungarian scholar documented the arrival of corn in Timișoara, Banat region, 1692. In Transylvania, maize is also called 'cucuruz', which could imply a connection between Transylvanian and Serbian merchants, kukuruz being a Slavic word. Some assume it was either Șerban Cantacuzino or

Constantin Mavrocordat Constantine Mavrocordatos (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Μαυροκορδάτος, Romanian: ''Constantin Mavrocordat''; February 27, 1711November 23, 1769) was a Greek noble who served as Prince of Wallachia and Prince of Moldavia at several ...

who introduced corn in Wallachia,

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...

in Transylvania and

Constantine Ducas Constantine X Doukas or Ducas ( el, Κωνσταντῖνος Δούκας, ''Kōnstantinos X Doukas'', 1006 – 23 May 1067), was Byzantine emperor from 1059 to 1067. He was the founder and first ruling member of the Doukid dynasty. Duri ...

in Moldavia where it is called păpușoi. Mămăligă of millet would have been replaced gradually by mămăligă made of corn. The corn then become an important food, especially in the fight against famine which prevailed in the 17th and 18th centuries. Historian Nicolae Iorga noted that farmers of the Romanian Principalities had grown corn since the early-to-mid-17th century. Etienne Ignace Raicevich, a Republic of Ragusa Ragusan consul of the Napoleonic Empire to Bucharest in the third quarter of the 18th century, wrote that corn was introduced only ''da poco tempo'' (recently). In an edition of Larousse, the French dictionary, in the Danubian principalities, the existence of corn-based mămăligă dates from 1873. mamaligma s. f. Boiled corn meal.

Preparation

Traditionally, ''mămăligă'' is cooked by boiling water, salt and cornmeal in a special-shaped cast iron pot called ''ceaun'' or ''tuci''. When cooked peasant-style and used as a bread substitute, ''mămăligă'' is supposed to be much thicker than the regular Italian polenta to the point that it can be cut in slices, like bread. When cooked for other purposes, ''mămăligă'' can be much softer, sometimes almost to the consistency of

. Because ''mămăligă'' sticks to metal surfaces, a piece of sewing thread is used to cut it into slices instead of a knife; it can then be eaten by holding it with the hand, just like bread. ''Mămăligă'' is a versatile food: various recipes of ''mămăligă''-based dishes may include milk, butter, various types of cheese, eggs, sausages (usually fried, grilled or oven-roasted), bacon, mushrooms, ham, fish etc. ''Mămăligă'' is a fat-free, cholesterol-free, high-fiber food. It can be used as a healthy alternative to more refined carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta or hulled rice.

Serving mămăligă

''Mămăligă'' is often served with sour cream and cheese on the side (''mămăligă cu brânză și smântână'') or crushed in a bowl of hot milk (''mămăligă cu lapte''). Sometimes slices of ''mămăligă'' are pan-fried in oil or in lard, the result being a sort of corn pone. Also, the traditional meal is served with meat, usually pork called "tocana" or fried fish and "

mujdei ''Mujdei'' (, plural: ''mujdeie'') is a spicy Romanian sauce. It is made from garlic cloves crushed and ground into a paste, salted and mixed energetically with vegetable oil (almost always sunflower oil). Depending on regional preferences and t ...

" (a mix of oil and garlic)/(garlic sauce)

Similar dishes

Since ''mămăligă'' can be used as an alternative for bread in many

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

and

Moldovan dishes Moldovan and Moldavian refer to something of, from, or related to Moldova or Moldavia. In particular, it may refer to: *Moldovans, the main ethnic group of the Republic of Moldova *''Moldavians'', the inhabitants of the historical territory of the ...

, there are quite a few which are either based on ''mămăligă'', or include it as an ingredient or side dish. Arguably, the most popular of them is sarmale (a type of

cabbage roll A cabbage roll is a dish consisting of cooked cabbage leaves wrapped around a variety of fillings. It is common to the cuisines of Central, Northern, Eastern and Southeastern Europe and much of Western Asia, Northern China, as well as parts ...

grapevine roll ''Vitis'' (grapevine) is a genus of 79 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus is made up of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, b ...

) with ''mămăligă''. Another very popular Romanian dish based on ''mămăligă'' is called bulz, and consists of ''mămăligă'' with cheese and butter and roasted in the oven. Mamaliga bucatarie moldoveneasca

Balmoș (sometimes spelled balmuș) is another ''mămăligă''-like traditional Romanian dish, but is more elaborate. Unlike ''mămăligă'' (where the cornmeal is boiled in water) when making ''balmoș'' the cornmeal must be boiled in sheep milk. Other ingredients, such as butter, sour cream, '' telemea'' (a type of feta cheese), ''

caș Caș () is a type of semi-soft white fresh cheese produced in Romania. It is made by curdling sheep or cow milk with rennet, and draining the whey. The resulting cheese is unsalted or lightly salted. If stored in brine, caș turns into Telemea T ...

'' (a type of fresh curdled ewe cheese without whey, which is sometimes called " green cheese" in English), ''

urdă Urdă (; sq, urdha, indefinite form ''urdhë''; sr, / ; bg, урда, извара, urda, izvara; mk, урда, изварка, urda, izvarka; uk, вурда, vurda; hu, orda, zsendice) is a sort of whey cheese commonly produced in South ...

'' (similar to ricotta), etc., are added to the mixture at certain times during the cooking process. It is a specialty dish of old Romanian shepherds, and nowadays very few people still know how to make a proper ''balmoș''.

Trivia

* A gruel made of cornmeal, water, milk, butter, salt and sugar is called in Romanian ''cir de mămăligă''. If it is exceedingly thin and made only of cornmeal, water and salt it is called ''mieșniță'' or ''terci''. * Depending on the context, ''mălai'' is the Romanian word for either: ** The Romanian version of

cornmeal Cornmeal is a meal (coarse flour) or a cell membrane ground from dried corn. It is a common staple food, and is ground to coarse, medium, and fine consistencies, but not as fine as wheat flour can be.Herbst, Sharon, ''Food Lover's Companion'', ...

** Any type of

cereal A cereal is any Poaceae, grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, Cereal germ, germ, and bran. Cereal Grain, grain crops are grown in greater quantit ...

s or edible grains (much like the English

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

), but this use of the word is becoming increasingly obsolete ** Money, as a slang term. *

Corn flour Cornflour may refer to: * Cornflour (in the UK), corn starch, from the endosperm of the kernel of the corn (maize) grain * Corn flour (in the US and elsewhere), very finely ground cornmeal, ground from dried maize See also * Flour * Starch * Gl ...

(i.e., maize

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

) is called in Romanian ''mălai'' or ''făină de porumb''. * Before the arrival of maize in Eastern Europe, ''mămăligă'' was made of

flour. Long lost, millet ''mămăligă'' is now again fashionable in western Europe. * Mămăligă is mentioned multiple times in

Aaron Lebedeff According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ''′aharon'', ar, هارون, Hārūn, Greek (Septuagint): Ἀαρών; often called Aaron the priest ()., group="note" ( or ; ''’Ahărōn'') was a prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of ...

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

novelty song ''Rumania, Rumania''. In Yiddish it is spelled מאַמאַליגע.

In literature

In Chapter One of ''

Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...

'' by

Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish author who is celebrated for his 1897 Gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Sir Henry Irving and busine ...

is the commentary, "I had for breakfast more paprika, and a sort of porridge of maize flour which they said was ‘mamaliga’, and egg-plant stuffed with forcemeat, a very excellent dish, which they call ‘impletata’”.

Similar dishes

Mămăligă is similar to the Italian ''

'', which is also very popular in Brazil.

Cornmeal mush Mush is a type of cornmeal pudding (or porridge) which is usually boiled in water or milk. It is often allowed to set, or gel into a semisolid, then cut into flat squares or rectangles, and pan fried. Usage is especially common in the eastern ...

is its analogue common in some regions of the United States and grits in the southern regions. Its analogue in Serbia and Bulgaria is called

kačamak Kačamak is a kind of maize porridge made in parts of Western Asia and Southeastern Europe. Its name is derived from the Turkish word ''kaçamak'', meaning escapade. It is also known as bakrdan (бакрдан) in North Macedonia. History The di ...

( sr, качамак/kačamak, bg, качамак) and is served mainly with white

brine cheese Brine is a high-concentration solution of salt (NaCl) in water (H2O). In diverse contexts, ''brine'' may refer to the salt solutions ranging from about 3.5% (a typical concentration of seawater, on the lower end of that of solutions used for br ...

or pork rind (fried pieces of pork fat with parts of the skin). In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia (also ''polenta'' or ''palenta''), Serbia (also ''kačamak'') and in Montenegro the dish is mainly called ''pura''. In North Macedonia it is called ''bakrdan'' ( mk, бакрдан) and in Slovenia ''polenta''. Hungarians call it ''puliszka''. In Turkey a similar dish, called ''kuymak'' or ''muhlama'', is among the typical dishes of the

Black Sea Region The Black Sea Region ( tr, Karadeniz Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The largest city in the region is Samsun. Other big cities are Trabzon, Ordu, Tokat, Giresun, Rize, Amasya and Sinop. It is bordered by the Marmara Region to the ...

, although now popular in all the greater cities where there are many regional restaurants. Broccoliga is a variant of Mămăligă featuring a broccoli-polenta mixture suffused with cheddar cheese and herbs. Known by different names in local languages ( ab, абысҭа ''abysta'', ady, мамрыс ''mamrys'', ka, ღომი ''ghomi'', inh, журан-худар ''zhuran-khudar'', Chechen: ''ah'ar-hudar/zhuran-hudar'', Nogai: мамырза ''mamyrza'', os, сера ''sera''), it is also widespread in Caucasian cuisines. There is also a distinct similarity to ''

cou-cou Cou-cou, coo-coo (as it is known in the Windward Islands), or fungie (as it is known in the Leeward Islands and Dominica) makes up part of the national dishes of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands ...

'' (as it is known in the Barbados), or ''fungi'' (as it is known in

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda (, ) is a sovereign country in the West Indies. It lies at the juncture of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Leeward Islands part of the Lesser Antilles, at 17°N latitude. The country consists of two maj ...

and other

Leeward Islands french: Îles-Sous-le-Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Leeward Islands. Clockwise: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint kitts and Nevis. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth Atlantic Ocean , coor ...

in the Caribbean Sea). This dish is eaten widely across Africa, often with white maize flour instead of yellow, where it has different local names:

Gallery

File:Bulz și pastramă la grătar 02.jpg, Grilled bulz and pastrami File:Kulesha&brunza.jpg, Mămăligă with pork rind,

bryndza Bryndza (from Romanian ''brânză'' cheese) is a sheep milk cheese made across much of East-Central Europe, primarily in or around the Carpathian Mountains of Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania and southern Poland. Bryndza cheese is creamy white in app ...

and sour cream File:Mamałyga-e.jpg, Mămăligă with a spoonful of sour cream and sarmale File:Păstrăv la staniol.jpg, Mămăligă and trout wrapped in tinfoil File:Tochitura-moldoveneasca.jpg, Moldavian

tochitură Tochitură () is a traditional Romanian and Moldovan dish made from pork cut into small cubes, (tochitura comes from the verb "a topi" which means "melted slow fried meat in fat") cooked over low fire in its own fat and juices usually in a cast- ...

with mămăligă, cheese and

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...

File:Bulz cu ou.jpg, Bulz with egg Mămăligă2020-02-12.jpg,