Mamaliga
Encyclopedia
Porridge
Porridge is a dish made by boiling oats or other cereal meals in water, milk, or both. It is usually served hot in a bowl or dish...
made out of yellow maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
flour, traditional in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and Moldova. It is similar to the Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
polenta
Polenta
Polenta is a dish made from boiled cornmeal. The word "polenta" is borrowed from Italian.-Description:Polenta is made with ground yellow or white cornmeal , which can be ground coarsely or finely depending on the region and the texture desired.As it is known today, polenta derives from earlier...
.
In Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
and in Carpathia
Carpathia
Carpathia can refer to various things:*RMS Carpathia was a steamship, notable for its role in the rescue of survivors from the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912*Carpathian Mountains, part of a mountain range in Europe...
mămăligă is also called puliszka. This version of the recipe is roasted in an oven after boiling, with juhtúró, a sheep's cheese, and bacon.
History
Historically a peasant food, it was often used as a substitute for bread or even as a staple foodStaple food
A staple food is one that is eaten regularly and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a diet, and that supplies a high proportion of energy and nutrient needs. Most people live on a diet based on one or more staples...
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, porridgePorridge
Porridge is a dish made by boiling oats or other cereal meals in water, milk, or both. It is usually served hot in a bowl or dish...
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
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
or einkorn.
Before the introduction of maize in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in the 16th century, mămăligă had been made with millet flour, known to the Romans as pulmentum. Moreover, the Romans ate so much of it that the Greeks called them pultiphagonides (porridge eaters).
Corn's introduction in Romania
Corn was introduced in Spain by Hernán CortésHernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
and spread in Europe in the 16th century. Corn requires a good amount of heat and humidity. The Danube Valley is one of Europe's regions ideal for growing wheat.
A Hungarian scholar declare the arrival of corn in Temesvar, in the Banat
Banat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
since 1692.
Therefore, the mămăligă of millet will be replaced gradually by the mămăligă of corn. The corn then becomes a first-rate food, including the fight against famine that prevailed even in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The historian Nicolae Iorga
Nicolae Iorga
Nicolae Iorga was a Romanian historian, politician, literary critic, memoirist, poet and playwright. Co-founder of the Democratic Nationalist Party , he served as a member of Parliament, President of the Deputies' Assembly and Senate, cabinet minister and briefly as Prime Minister...
said that farmers of Principality of Romania grow corn since the early to mid 17th century.
Etienne Ignace Raicevich a Ragusan, consul of the Empire in Bucharest in the third quarter of the 18th century, wrote that corn was introduced only da poco tempo.
The existence of the corn's mămăligă is attested since 1873 in the edition of Larousse
Larousse
Larousse can refer to:*Éditions Larousse, a French publishing house founded by Pierre Larousse**some of its publications***Grand Larousse encyclopédique***Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology***Larousse Gastronomique***Petit Larousse...
, a french dictionnary: mamaliga s. f. Boiled corn meal, in the Danubian principalities.
Preparation
Traditionally, mămăliga is cooked by boiling water, salt and cornmeal in a special-shaped cast ironCast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
pot called ceaun or tuci. When cooked peasant-style and used as a bread substitute, mămăliga 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 porridge
Porridge
Porridge is a dish made by boiling oats or other cereal meals in water, milk, or both. It is usually served hot in a bowl or dish...
. Because mămăligă sticks to metal surfaces, it can be cut with a string into slices, and is eaten by holding it with the hand, just like bread would be.
Mămăligă is often served with sour cream and cheese on the side (mămăliguţă cu brânză şi smântână) or crushed in a bowl of hot milk (mămăliguţă cu lapte). Sometimes slices of mămăligă are pan-fried in oil or in lard, the result being a sort of corn pone.
Since mămăliga can be used as an alternate for bread in many Romanian
Romanian cuisine
Romanian cuisine is a diverse blend of different dishes from several traditions with which it has come into contact, but it also maintains its own character...
and Moldovan dishes, 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
Sarma (food)
Sarma is a dish of grape, cabbage or chard leaves rolled around a filling usually based on minced meat. It is found in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire from the Middle East to the Balkans and Central Europe.-Etymology and names:...
(a type of cabbage roll
Cabbage roll
A cabbage roll is a dish consisting of cooked cabbage leaves wrapped around a variety of fillings. It is common to the ethnic cuisines of England, and has also found popularity in areas of North America settled by English Settlers....
with mămăligă.
Another very popular Romanian dish based on mămăligă is called bulz
Bulz (food)
Bulz, also called urs de mămăligă, is a Romanian dish composed by roasting mămăligă and cheese in an oven. Bulz is often eaten with smântână....
, and consists of mămăligă with cheese and butter and roasted in the oven.
Balmoş (sometimes spelled balmuş) is another mămăligă-like traditional Romanian dish, but is more elaborate. Unlike mămăligă (where the cornmeal is boiled in water) when making balmoş the cornmeal must be boiled in sheep milk. Other ingredients, such as butter, sour cream, telemea
Telemea
Telemea is the name of the traditional Romanian cheese. The term encompasses cheese made out of cow milk and more often, sheep milk. As is the case in Greek feta, Bulgarian/Macedonian sirene, and Serbian sir; Telemea can have a higher water content, making it a semi-soft, white cheese with a...
(a type of feta cheese), caş
Caş
Caș , is a type of semi-soft fresh white cheese produced in Romania. It is unsalted , made out of sheep milk or cow milk and stored in brine.Caș cheese is also used to make other types of cheese such as Brânză de burduf and Caşcaval....
(a type of fresh curd
Curd
Curds are a dairy product obtained by curdling milk with rennet or an edible acidic substance such as lemon juice or vinegar, and then draining off the liquid portion. The increased acidity causes the milk proteins to tangle into solid masses, or curds. The remaining liquid, which contains only...
led ewe cheese without whey
Whey
Whey or Milk Serum is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a by-product of the manufacture of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is manufactured during the making of rennet types of hard cheese like cheddar or Swiss cheese...
, which is sometimes called "green cheese
Green cheese
Green cheese is a name applied to several varieties of cheese that are green in colour. The term was first used in English to mean fresh cheese, not thoroughly dried. The Oxford English Dictionary gives a reference from the year 1542 of the four sorts of cheese...
" in English), urdă (a type of curd
Curd
Curds are a dairy product obtained by curdling milk with rennet or an edible acidic substance such as lemon juice or vinegar, and then draining off the liquid portion. The increased acidity causes the milk proteins to tangle into solid masses, or curds. The remaining liquid, which contains only...
led cheese obtained by boiling and curdling the whey left from caş
Caş
Caș , is a type of semi-soft fresh white cheese produced in Romania. It is unsalted , made out of sheep milk or cow milk and stored in brine.Caș cheese is also used to make other types of cheese such as Brânză de burduf and Caşcaval....
), 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 balmoş.
Mămăliga 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. Mămăliga 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.
Trivia
- A gruelGruelGruel is a food preparation consisting of some type of cereal—oat, wheat or rye flour, or rice—boiled in water or milk. It is a thinner version of porridge that may be more often drunk than eaten and need not even be cooked...
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 mieşniţă or terci. - Depending on the context, mălai is the Romanian word for either:
- The Romanian version of cornmealCornmealCornmeal is flour ground from dried maize or American corn. It is a common staple food, and is ground to fine, medium, and coarse consistencies. In the United States, the finely ground cornmeal is also referred to as cornflour. However, the word cornflour denotes cornstarch in recipes from the...
- Any type of cerealCerealCereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
s or edible grains (much like the English cornMaizeMaize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
), but this use of the word is becoming increasingly obsolete
- The Romanian version of cornmeal
- Corn flour (i.e., maizeMaizeMaize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
flourFlourFlour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
) is called in Romanian mălai or făină de mălai. - Before the arrival of maizeMaizeMaize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
in Eastern Europe, mămăliga was made of milletMilletThe millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
flour, but nowadays millet mămăligă is no longer made. - It is necessary to exercise caution when preparing. There is a risk of splattering and it is extremely hot, and can cause burns.
Mămăligă in literature
In DraculaDracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
by Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker
Abraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula...
, in chapter 1 it's written :"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"."
In the french novel, Carpathian Castle
Carpathian Castle
The Carpathian Castle is a novel by Jules Verne first published in 1893.-Title:The original French title was Le Château des Carpathes and in English there are some alternate titles, such as The Castle of the Carpathians, The Castle in Transylvania, and Rodolphe de Gortz; or the Castle of the...
by Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
: À ceux‑ci, Jonas [propriétaire d'une auberge en Transylvanie] offrait cette sorte de bouillie ou gâteau de maïs, connue sous le nom de mamaliga, qui n'est point désagréable, quand on l'imbibe de lait fraîchement tiré.
In the french novel, Capitaine Conan
Capitaine Conan
Capitaine Conan is a 1996 French film that is directed by Bertrand Tavernier. The film is based on the 1934 Prix Goncourt-winning novel Captain Conan by Roger Vercel.-Plot:...
by Roger Vercel
Roger Vercel
Roger Vercel was a French writer.-Biography :He was fascinated by the sea and marine life .The World War I interrupted his studies of letters...
: la table grasse où traînaient des guenilles, où durcissait un morceau de mamaliga, cette coriace galette de maïs qui nous avait tant déçus, car à sa couleur nous la croyions pétrie de beurre et d'œufs.
Similar dishes
Its analogue in SerbiaSerbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
is called kachamak , and is served mainly with white brine cheese or fried pieces of pork fat with parts of the skin.
External links
- BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
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