Polenta Concia alla Valdostana con Fontina

Aosta Valley

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Origin

Valle d'Aosta — widespread, particularly in mountain farmhouses during winter

Description

The Aosta Valley's most beloved comfort preparation: polenta stirred with Fontina DOP Valle d'Aosta and butter until the cheese melts into the polenta in long strands. Unlike standard polenta with cheese added on top, 'concia' means the polenta is literally 'fixed' or 'set' with cheese — the Fontina must be incorporated during the final cooking so it melts into the polenta's starch matrix rather than floating on top. The result is a golden, stretchy mass that pulls apart in long, elastic strings when served. The Fontina used must be the mountain variety (alpeggio) from summer Alpine pastures.

III

The Thread

—Both are Alpine mountain cheeses melted into or over polenta — raclette is the Swiss expression of the same Alpine dairy-fat-polenta tradition Swiss

—Polenta stirred with sheep's milk cheese and butter until combined — structurally identical to polenta concia from a different mountain tradition Romanian

—Corn porridge stirred with fat and melted cheese until cohesive — the Southern American tradition of cheese grits is the New World parallel to Alpine polenta concia American

Flavour Context

Golden polenta warmth meeting the sweet, milky elasticity of Fontina; the butter adds sheen; eating pulls long cheese strands that resist the fork — a dish that demands immediate consumption and rewards patience in the making

Pillars V — VII

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