Polenta in Le Marche: a discovery of traditions, flavours and territories

Slowly cooked in a traditional copper pot, stirred with a long wooden ladle and served steaming hot on a "spianatora", polenta has been the centrepiece of domestic life in Le Marche for centuries. It was once the daily food of the most humble families, so much so that in Rome the people of Le Marche were nicknamed "marchescià magna pulenda". Polenta still remains a staple in home kitchens, at festivals and large gatherings.
Made from stoneground maize flour, water and salt, it was enriched with whatever the pantry offered: a drizzle of oil, a sausage ragout, cheese, wild herbs, or sapa, a condiment derived from grapes. From a humble peasant dish, polenta has now become a recipe appreciated by modern chefs.
In keeping with the Marche spirit of "nothing is wasted", other traditional recipes are also created from leftover polenta. Rolled out and cut into diamond shapes, polenta becomes cresc'tajat, a homemade pasta that is ideal served with simple or more elaborate sauces. Kneaded and cooked on a griddle, it becomes 'cresce di polenta', small rustic flatbreads to be enjoyed with cured meats, cheese or vegetables – dishes that still today reflect the ingenuity and authenticity of traditional cuisine.

In the north of Le Marche, among the woods of Montefeltro and the hills dotted with medieval villages, polenta takes on the aromas of the forest floor and becomes the ideal companion for truffles.
In autumn, in Acqualagna and Sant'Angelo in Vado, you can enjoy it in many versions: fried, au gratin, served on crostini or in small terrines. During the truffle fairs (October and November), polenta is served firm, sliced, and enriched with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and shavings of prized white truffle or lightly sautéed porcini mushrooms. In Urbania and Mercatello sul Metauro, a common option is polenta alla carbonara di bosco, a rich recipe that combines sausage, cream and black truffle.
Finally, in many villages of Montefeltro, polenta is almost a street food: grilled or fried, it is served with cured meats and typical cheeses such as the long-aged Talamello Pecorino di fossa.

On the Conero coast, polenta is enriched with the flavours of the sea. In Portonovo and Numana it is often served with stewed cuttlefish or moscioli (the famous wild mussels of Conero) cooked in a tomato sauce flavoured with parsley. Here, the polenta is soft and velvety, perfect for enhancing the briny flavours of the Adriatic. The locals call it "polenta al sugo di pesce" (polenta with fish sauce), and each family has its own version. In Senigallia and Sirolo you'll find it creamier, almost fluffy, accompanied by cuttlefish or Ancona-style salt cod: a successful combination of rural tradition and maritime know-how. To enjoy polenta by the sea, perhaps after a walk among the rocks of Mount Conero, is to savour the blend of sea air and fresh tomato sauce - especially when paired with a glass of Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi.
Moving inland, among the villages perched on the hillsides around Ancona region, polenta takes on subtly different flavours. In Arcevia, the local version of polenta is considered by many the “best ever”, as it is made with stone-ground eight-row maize flour, a local heritage variety of corn. Soft and with a strong flavour, "ottofile" polenta goes perfectly with meat or mushroom sauces. A few kilometres away, in Corinaldo, polenta is linked to the history of the village and its famous well, known as the "Pozzo della Polenta". Legend has it that a farmer once dropped a sack of flour into the well, giving rise to a curious “improvised” polenta. The episode is commemorated every year at the Contesa del Pozzo della Polenta, which transforms the village into an evocative medieval scene of processions, banquets and steaming polenta dishes. In the Vallesina, another heritage dish is polenta “coi grasselli”, enriched with small crunchy pork cracklings; it has an intense, rustic flavour, perfect for cold winter evenings.

In the centre of Le Marche, the province of Macerata preserves some of the most intense and full-bodied interpretations of polenta. In the mountainous areas of Sarnano, Visso and Camerino, polenta is served thick and golden, accompanied by pork, wild boar or hare ragù flavoured with juniper, or sauces of mushroom foraged from the forests of the Sibillini mountains. In the countryside around San Ginesio and Caldarola, there is still the old farming custom of pouring polenta directly onto the large wooden cutting board, from which everyone draws with their own fork: an old ritual that evokes conviviality and memories of the past. In these parts of the Apennines, you will also find polenta alla norcina, in one of its most characteristic versions served with sausage, black truffle and mountain aromas that tell the story of the gastronomic crossover between Marche and Umbria.

Polenta from the Fermo area has a more sober but equally satisfying taste, easy to prepare and with a flavour that evokes rural life. In the local agritourists, polenta is often served with seasonal vegetables or local cheeses such as Caciotta dei Monti Sibillini, a pairing that evokes the feeling of home and authentic traditions.
Between Servigliano and Montegiorgio, on the other hand, polenta is typically served with sugo finto, a sauce that contains no meat but is rich in onion, celery, carrot and basil. A humble but authentic recipe, it's ideal for those who love delicate flavours and country cuisine in its simplest form.
As we approach the foothills of the Sibillini mountains, in the trattorias of Amandola and Montefortino, the polenta takes on a bolder character. Here, it is eaten with robust, rich mountain sauces of hare, duck or game, served on large wooden boards and often accompanied by a glass of Rosso Piceno Superiore, the perfect pairing for these intense flavours.

In the south of Le Marche, polenta is even richer and tastier. In Ascoli Piceno and the villages in the surrounding valleys, you will find "polenta alla picena", accompanied by rich sauces made from a mix of pork, veal and chicken, enriched with aromatic herbs and a touch of chilli.
In Offida, the land of Pecorino wine, polenta is a festive dish eaten with salt cod or sausage and fennel, the traditional pairings of this region. In the countryside around Castignano, the custom of cooking polenta in wood-burning fireplaces and serving it on large wooden boards shared with friends and family still survives.
Higher up in the mountains, between Comunanza and Montegallo, you can try "polenta incatenata", a firmer, more compact version, sliced and baked in the oven with melted cheese and minced meat: warm, comforting and perfect for cold winter days.