What is "mămăligă"?

Mămăligă is a porridge made out of yellow maize flour, traditional in Romania, Moldova and West Ukraine. Preparing the traditional dish is also continued by Poles from Lviv whose families were resettled in the Recovered Territories after World War II. In Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Slovenia, Croatia and many other countries, this dish is known as polenta, while in Georgia, it is called ღომი (gomi).

Historically a peasant food, it was often used as a substitute for bread or even as a staple food in the poor rural areas. However, in the last decades it has emerged as an upscale dish available in the finest restaurants.

Before the introduction of maize in Europe in the 16th century, mămăligă had been made with millet flour, known to the Romans as "pulmentum". Moreover, the Romans ate so much of it that the Greeks called them "pultiphagonides" (porridge eaters).