Grotto Staple · Cornmeal Porridge
Polenta Ticinese
Photo: Matthias Mueller / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Traditional grottos still stir it for the better part of an hour in a copper pot over an open fire — a slow method locals insist changes the texture enough to be worth the arm workout.
Coarse cornmeal is stirred continuously into simmering water until it thickens into a dense, spoonable mass, then served soft with melted cheese or sliced and grilled alongside braised meat or game. Ticino's rustic grotti (stone taverns) and market food stalls serve it as a hearty regional staple.
Why it's made this way: Corn took hold as a staple crop in Ticino earlier than in much of Switzerland thanks to trade with northern Italy, making polenta a foundational regional dish rather than a garnish.
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Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries.
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