Food for Thought:
Mamaliga Cu Branza
(Romanian Baked Polenta with Cheese)

If you’ve read my book Midwest Maize: How Corn Shaped the U.S. Heartland or heard my talk on corn history, then you may remember that Romania is the only European country other than Italy to have wholeheartedly adopted maize when it was introduced in the 1500s. I couldn’t help but wonder what form that adoption took, and I learned that, as had happened in Italy, the primary use was a dish made with cornmeal, which the Italians called polenta and which the Romanians called mamaliga.

For much of history, the preparation of mamaliga paralleled closely what American farmers called cornmeal mush. You boiled it and then could serve it as a soft porridge or let it cool overnight into a loaf that could be sliced and fried or grilled. It started as a basic dish for Romania’s agricultural/peasant class, but in time, it became everyone’s dish. It was eaten at home and at festivals. Books were written about its importance. Cutting edge chefs today develop new applications, but they don’t ignore it.

Among the historic and much-loved applications for cornmeal is the relatively luxurious dish called mamaliga cu branza, though it is also known as bulz. It is sufficiently iconic that Romanians went so far as to create a giant one that has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest bulz ever made. I didn’t want to make a giant one, but I definitely wanted to try this recipe.

I was amused that the brand name of the Romanian cornmeal I found was Boromir. I looked up the company’s site, and there is one line in English, stating that Boromir is family business, but I couldn’t read the rest of the site. I also couldn’t find any indication that this was a Romanian name—though I did discover that there is a Romanian Tolkien Society (with a pretty impressive YouTube channel). So who knows?

You don’t need Romanian cornmeal to make this dish. Any cornmeal will work. However, for this specific dish, a course, stone-ground cornmeal is most traditional. Whatever cornmeal/polenta you buy, follow the package directions for how long initial boiling should last, as it varies depending on the grind. The finer the grind, the faster it cooks. Timing ranges from 10 minutes for fine to 30 for course—but as with many thick substances, the closer it is to being done, the more it becomes like a field of mini-volcanoes. So don’t leave the kitchen, and when it gets thick, stir with some regularity.

The traditional cheese used in this is kashkaval. This cheese is common across pretty much the entire Balkan region, not just Romania, and it is generally available in international stores. It can be made from sheep, goat, or cow milk, or a blend, though my preference is sheep milk. That said, I’ve seen versions of this recipe that suggest cheddar as a substitute, or a blend of feta and mozzarella (to give you both sharpness and meltiness), if you can’t find kashkaval.

Mamaliga cu branza is traditionally served with eggs and fried pork belly. However, my Romanian neighbor says she just uses bacon. I skipped the bacon, as the butter, sour cream, and cheese seemed rich enough. If you’re serving this alone, it is 6 to 8 servings. If you go the eggs and pork belly route, it would probably serve 10. If you have leftovers, just put it in the fridge and then slice and fry it the next day. Still very yummy.