Mealie Pap vs. Polenta

I'm sure that the discriminative diners among you are familiar with polenta, an Italian side dish made of corn meal. It can replace potatoes or pasta in many dishes with sauces, such as meat sauce, alfredo sauce, or tomato based sauce.

I was surprised to learn of the Italian origin, as I had learned to eat a simplified version of it years ago in South Africa. It was called mealie pap, which is a thick porridge made from corn meal. It had been the staple of the black people's food for years.

The white population loved to serve it as pap en vleis, (porridge and meat) at cookouts instead of potatoes or bread. Next to your lamb chop or boerewors (sausage), or steak, a portion of pap would be placed on your plate, so thick it was often eaten with one's hands, just like the blacks did.

When first offered this, I had to politely say, "No, thank you!" It sounded and looked very unappetizing to me. But over time, I grew to really like it and found it to be a very good accompaniment to meat -- but it had to have lots of butter! It was also served with a sauce called sheba at the cookouts, which was made with tomatoes and onions.

Polenta is more sophisticated than plain pap, with the addition of cheeses or herbs. Some people even like to fry squares of it, but here's how I usually make it:

Polenta

Bring to a boil 4 cups of water (part chicken broth) and salt. Gradually add 2 cups of cornmeal, stirring vigorously, taking the pan off the heat. Stir till relatively smooth, return to heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring often. You can then add butter, (1/4 cup), and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese. I like to also add garlic.

Just pour over your favorite sauce and you are in for a special treat!