My Life in Argentina and Beyond

Saturday, November 29, 2008: Surprisingly, some people don't know what polenta is. Simply put, polenta is like grits, except that it's Italian. It has long been a staple of Italian and Argentine cooking. You can get instant polenta or the kind that takes 5 minutes to cook. Then you can eat it by itself (not recommended) or add butter, Brie cheese, salt, tomato sauce with or without chicken or meat and enjoy. Polenta is down home food at its best.

January 10, 2008: It is sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. It is dark brown and similar to caramel. But it is not caramel because it doesn't really taste like caramel. Some people spread it on a slice of French bread, others take a spoon and eat it out of a jar. It is also used as a topping for creme brulee, better known as flan.