Polenta
/poʊˈlɛn.tə/noun
A thick porridge or mush made from boiled cornmeal, or the meal used to make it.
Did you know?Polenta comes from Latin pollen, meaning “fine flour” or “powder,” the same root behind English pollen, so this food’s name is literally tied to dust-like grain particles.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pel-
“To beat, strike, or grind into fine material”
Latin
Latin
pollen
“Fine flour; dust; meal”
Late Latin
Latin
pultem / polenta
“Thick porridge or mush made from grain”
Old Italian
Italian
polenta
“Porridge made from crushed grain, especially barley or millet”
Modern English
English
polenta
“A dish of boiled cornmeal or the cornmeal itself”