Polenta Carbonera

As precious as gold, in Trentino too, polenta has fed many generations of families from past to present. A unique dish, often served all by itself, seasoned with quel che c’è – whatever you have available. The rediscovery of maize flour has made its way even into Italy’s most award-winning kitchens. It’s highly versatile, with every region and family having its own recipe. It’s nutritious, a meal in its own right. It’s flavoursome, with a taste that can improve any ingredient, from vegetables to game meat.

We suggest here a typical version from the Giudicarie valleys, in western Trentino, which must be made exclusively with the prized yellow flour from Storo, a local cheese, tasty Spressa delle Giudicarie cheese, Lucanica sausage, and a good red wine. It is the original recipe from the Cooperativa Agri 90, the consortium of producers of the prized Storo maize flour. The recipe used to be followed by the charcoal burners who still inhabited the valley in the 1900s, using quel che c’era – whatever they had available.