Cornmeal

Pan de bono is a traditional bread consisting of cassava starch, cornmeal or corn flour, queso fresco, eggs, and sugar. The bread is shaped into bagels or balls that are slightly larger than golf balls. Pan de bono is similar to other South Americ... READ MORE

Chile's favorite home-cooked meal, the soft and creamy pastel de choclo is a casserole-like pie that is also popular in Peru, Argentina and Bolivia. It consists of ground beef, chicken, black olives, onions, hard-boiled eggs, and dough made from f... READ MORE

Almojábana is a traditional and Puerto Rican bread (although it is also popular in other countries of Latin America) that is very similar to pandebono. Pandebono is usually made with yuca flour and costeño cheese, w... READ MORE

Bombocado is a Brazilian dessert made with shredded parmesan, grated coconut, flour, milk, butter, eggs, and sugar. The concoction is baked, chilled, then cut into wedges. This dessert is often prepared for the Independence Day, and it is recommen... READ MORE

Elarji is a specialty of the Georgian Samegrelo region, prepared as a thick porridge consisting of coarse cornmeal, cornflour, and sulguni or tchkhinti cheese, depending on what's available. The dish has an extremely thick texture, and it is very ... READ MORE

This traditional Turkish dish combines coarsely-ground cornmeal and (oftentimes) aged local cheeses such as trabzon or kashar. Grated cheese is mixed into piping hot cornmeal until it turns stringy, and the dish is then typically... READ MORE

Cachapa, chorreada, arepa de choclo, güirila, toquera, tortilla de choclo, and tortilla changa, are all names that describe a Latin American corn dish that can be categorized as either a pancake, tortilla, or flatbread, depending on the count... READ MORE

Arepa de queso is a Colombian variety of arepas which have a dough that is combined with cheese such as queso fresco or queso seco. When served, these arepas are split in half, then spread with butter and filled with more cheese, according to pers... READ MORE

Arepa de huevo is a popular Colombian dish that is commonly sold at street stalls, especially in the Caribbean parts of Colombia. Corn arepas are filled with eggs, then fried until the eggs are fully cooked. They are often served for breakfast, bu... READ MORE

Traditional Romanian-style cornmeal porridge called mămăligă is combined with white cheese in this simple Romanian dish. To make mămăligă, a mixture of cornmeal, salt, and water is gradually poured into boiling water and cooked until it h... READ MORE

Festival is a Jamaican dumpling made with cornmeal. It is traditionally prepared in an oval shape, and is characterized by its crispy exterior. Apart from cornmeal, the dumplings consist of flour, water, salt, sugar, and baking powder. They are fr... READ MORE

Cajun popcorn is a traditional dish originating from Louisiana. The dish consists of cooked crawfish tails that are coated in a thin batter, seasoned with hot sauce, then deep-fried until crisp. The batter is usually made with a combination of egg... READ MORE

What started as a simple fisherman's dish made with shrimp cooked in bacon grease, then served over creamy grits is today a cult Southern dish due to the fact that Craig Claiborne mentioned it in the New York Times in 1985, after he tried the dish... READ MORE

Tamales tolimenses is a Colombian delicacy named after the Tolima region. This tamale variety is made with corn masa, peas, carrots, potatoes, chicken, pork, rice, and selected spices. Everything is neatly wrapped in plantain leaves, and the tamal... READ MORE

Polenta concia (or cunsa in local dialect) is a rich, creamy version of polenta that is traditionally prepared in a copper pot. The list of ingredients explains why it is also known as polenta grassa, meaning fat polenta... READ MORE

Polenta taragna is an elaborate polenta spin-off made with a mix of yellow cornmeal and buckwheat flour, enriched with butter and cheese that are mixed in right before serving. The name comes from the word tarai or tarel, referri... READ MORE

Fried catfish or southern fried catfish is a traditional fish specialty from the American South. Catfish fillets are first soaked in buttermilk and then rolled in cornmeal mixture before they are deep-fried in hot oil. The cornmeal crust ... READ MORE

Mămăliguță cu brânză și smântănă combines traditional Romanian-style cornmeal porridge with cheese and sour cream. To make mămăliguță or mămăligă, cornmeal is gradually added into boiling salted water and cooked until thickened and smo... READ MORE

Traditionally associated with the American South (and Virginia in particular), the sweet chess pie consists of a thin pastry crust that is topped with a mixture of eggs, butter, vanilla, cornmeal, and various sweeteners. When baked, the filling tu... READ MORE

There is no food more American than the classic cornbread. The soft, but firm baked bread made with cornmeal is easily the most important memorabilia of the American past, which is especially associated with the American South. Corn has been a sta... READ MORE

A staple of Southern fried food in the United States, hushpuppies are an extremely popular snack consisting of deep-fried cornmeal batter. The batter is sometimes enriched by the addition of onions, garlic, corn, and peppers. Regarding the origins... READ MORE

Inchicapi is a creamy Peruvian soup made with chicken or hen meat, cornmeal, peanuts, oil, cassava, and garlic as key ingredients. It originates from the Peruvian jungle regions of San Martin, Loreto, and Ucayali. Before serving, this traditional ... READ MORE

Urzici cu usturoi is a traditional dish originating from Romania. The dish is usually made with a combination of nettles, olive oil, onions, garlic, flour, polenta, scallions, pumpkin seeds, and salt. The nettles are blanched in boiling water, the... READ MORE

A popular side dish called fried okra is a must-have at any Southern festivity, and almost every Southern cook has a favorite recipe. Okra is usually coated with cornmeal or flour and shallow-fried in oil. It is sometimes served with ranch dressin... READ MORE

Fried green tomatoes are a staple of Southern United States. The dish is made with firm, unripe, and tangy green tomatoes that are sliced, dipped in seasoned cornmeal, then deep-fried. Ideally, the tomatoes should have a crunchy crust and a succul... READ MORE

Papo secos, also known as Portuguese rolls, are light and airy bread rolls popular in Portuguese cuisine. These rolls are made from common bread ingredients including yeast, sugar, flour, salt, water, and butter, with a little milk brushed on top ... READ MORE

Polenta taragna della Valchiavenna is a variation on the traditional polenta, originating from the Valchiavenna area in northern Italy. The porridge is made with a combination of wheat flour, cornmeal, local dark buckwheat flour, butter, salt, and... READ MORE

Humitas is a dish popular throughout South America, especially in Chile, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. The dish consists of corn cakes that are cooked in corn husks. In Argentina, humitas are usually made with corn, onions, and spices, an... READ MORE

One of the most omnipresent local dishes in the Paisa region of Colombia is the traditional arepa paisa, made from soaked threshed corn that is shaped and grilled until golden brown. This crispy and luscious corn cake can be eaten on its ... READ MORE

Ghomi is a traditional dish from Georgia consisting of coarse and fine cornflour combined with water. If the pieces of cheese such as sulguni are placed in the hot porridge to melt before consumption, the dish is called elarji. Ghomi is often serv... READ MORE

Traditionally associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch, scrapple is a regional delicacy that is created with the by-products of pig slaughter. It is prepared with a spicy blend of pork scraps, cornmeal, or buckwheat that is cooked down in pork stock... READ MORE

Mămăligă cu lapte is a traditional dish consisting of cornmeal porridge served with milk. The cornmeal porridge is made by cooking cornmeal in salted water until the concoction reaches a thick and smooth consistency. It is then allowed to chill a ... READ MORE

These rustic cornmeal cookies get their name from the word zálo, which means "yellow" in the Venetian dialect. They are typically flavored with lemon zest, studded with rum-soaked raisins, and traditionally made without sugar, whil... READ MORE

Stuffed pizza is an American pizza that started its way to popularity in Chicago a bit later than the deep-dish pizza, with which it shares many similarities. It has a more solid and smooth crust than the deep-dish pizza. The dough is also a bit d... READ MORE

Sgagliozza is an Italian dish from Bari, consisting of rectangular (or square-shaped) pieces of fried polenta. The dish is made with polenta flour, water, salt, and oil. Once cooked, the dense polenta is left to cool and it is then sliced in... READ MORE

Sorullos are Puerto Rican fried corn sticks that are traditionally served as an appetizer. They consist of cornmeal dough that is often combined with cheese, then rolled into the shape of a cigar before frying. When prepared, the texture should be... READ MORE

Roti is a flat, unleavened whole wheat bread, visually similar to a pancake, cooked on a traditional iron griddle called tawa, a key element of the rural cuisine of Punjabi. It is one of the most basic breads in India, a cross between pit... READ MORE

A corn dog consists of processed meat on a stick that is dipped in corn meal batter and deep-fried. It is a wildly popular snack (and hot dog variation) throughout the United States of America. Corn dogs are typically found at county fairs, carniv... READ MORE

Mısır ekmeği is a savory Turkish cornbread that is especially popular in the Black Sea region of the country. Its texture is usually hard and dry because it is prepared without a raising agent. The bread can be shaped into circles, tubes, oblongs,... READ MORE

Mchadi is a popular, traditional Georgian bread consisting of cornmeal, salt, and water. The dough is usually fried in hot oil until golden brown. It is recommended to serve mchadi warm with kidney beans and cheese on the side.

The authentic Ticino polenta should be cooked on an outdoor fire (or in a fireplace), but sadly, the practice is not common anymore. However, there are a few restaurants in the region that offer this traditional dish, prepared in the most authenti... READ MORE

Daktyla is a rustic Greek bread made with a combination of cornmeal, plain flour, and whole wheat flour, resulting in a light yellow color of the bread's center. It is traditionally sprinkled with sesame and nigella seeds. The name of the bread ca... READ MORE