Mămăligă (Polenta)

Mămăligă (Polenta) or mamaliga is a staple in Romanian cooking. It has always been considered peasant food, but you are bound to find polenta in just about any household in Romania, villages, and cities.

Polenta is a dish made with coarsely ground cornmeal, a little water, and a little salt. Cook a little, and you're done. You have a wonderful, healthy, and delicious meal.

You can use mamaliga or polenta as an accompaniment to other dishes with sauces, or it can be a separate meal with some cheese and yogurt/creme fraiche/sour cream on the side.

And the possibilities of making a main dish using polenta are endless. You can make casseroles. You can grill, you can bake, you can make cakes, you can make fries, and so on. It goes well with any meat, vegetable, or dairy product.

Polenta is also a good source of iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin B6 and cholesterol-free. So try polenta!