Toc' in Braide — Polenta with Milk and Butter (Friuli)

Friuli plains — the Friulian agricultural lowlands east of Udine. Toc' in braide is the peasant preparation that used the milk surplus of the Friulian dairy farms during the winter months when butter production exceeded demand.

Toc' in braide (in Friulian dialect: 'toc' in the plain') is the definitive Friulian comfort preparation: polenta cooked in milk rather than water, with butter worked in at the end to create a polenta that is simultaneously looser than standard polenta and richer — almost like a polenta porridge. It is the traditional breakfast or supper of the Friulian plains and the accompaniment to lightly smoked or cured meats. The name comes from the Friulian 'braide' (agricultural plain). When properly made with good Friulian butter and full-fat whole milk, it has a sweetness and richness that water-polenta cannot achieve.

Toc' in braide has a sweetness that water-polenta cannot achieve — the whole milk's sugar and fat transform the cooked polenta into something closer to a warm grain porridge. The butter at the end rounds and enriches. With speck or a fried egg, the dairy sweetness and the savoury topping create a complete, satisfying breakfast or supper.