The recipe for polenta taragna, typical of Valtellina – Italian Cuisine

The recipe for polenta taragna, typical of Valtellina


Typical dish of poor Valtellinese cuisine, it could be a dish in itself, but gourmets love to serve it with sausages or luganega

What is a "Saracen" doing in Lombardy? Because he is the real protagonist of the polenta taragna, a typical dish of Valtellina, in whose name its essence is contained. Saraceno is wheat, while “taragna” derives from “tarai”, the stick used to “tarare”, turning in the Valtellinese dialect. During cooking, in fact, the polenta it must be mixed without stopping to prevent it from sticking on the bottom of the pot, irremediable error. Once upon a time, on the fire of economic kitchens, the polenta that was boiling in the cauldron was “black”, made exclusively with buckwheat flour. The result was a very nutritious dish, also given the presence of butter and cheese, but with a too strong flavor. Those who could afford it added a little corn flour, to sweeten the impact with the palate. Thus was born the recipe as it is known today.

The peculiarity of the taragna? Buckwheat flour

Unlike the "blonde" corn polenta, the taragna has a definitely darker color. Thanks to buckwheat, a crop introduced in Valtellina around the middle of the 1500s and which today is a Slow Food Presidium. Resistant to cold climates, it has always represented one of the fundamental foods of the diet of the Valtellina farmers. The flour obtained from it is, in fact, also at the basis of others two typical dishes of the area: pizzoccheri and sciatt. Previously considered not very valuable, buckwheat has recently been re-evaluated for its nutritional properties. It does not contain gluten, while it has a high protein value. For this reason, like quinoa, it is considered a pseudo-cereal.

Polenta taragna: the secret

On the shelves of supermarkets it is now not difficult to find pre-cooked mixes, ready in no time. But the real secret to a polenta taragna to lick your fingers is in the prolonged cooking and in the quality of the flours used. For six people, in a saucepan, even better if made of copper, it must be brought to a boil four liters of already salted water where to pay a kilo of flour, about two thirds of buckwheat and a third of corn. The mixture must be lowered "like rain" and mixed with a whisk to prevent lumps from forming. When the mixture begins to have a certain consistency, we move on to wooden spoon to always turn it in the same direction. After about an hour, over moderate heat, when a crust has formed on the bottom and on the walls, it is time to add the other two ingredients. Before butter, 300 grams, cut into small pieces. After about 5 minutes, when cooked, add the Casera cheese, also typical of Valtelina, in chunks, about 600 grams. Before this is completely melted, the polenta taragna must be removed from the heat and poured onto a wooden cutting board. The perfect polenta taragna, of course, it still serves steaming, as a single dish, accompanied by sausages or luganega and, last but not least, a good glass of red wine.

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