"R. Yang" wrote:
>
> Olivers > wrote in message >...
>
> > Fortunately for the Italians, they had landed in a land where growing
> > tomatoes was possible almost anywhere with water, although the principal
> > evidence of the points of origin of Italian immigrants was that polenta
> > sure did not arrive on US restaurant menus quickly (nor was it popular in
> > Italian immigrant homes). In past years, there was a modest Italian
> > community in the Central Brazos Valley of Texas, immigrating to become
> > "truck" farmers. Some names and even a produce house, "D'Onofrio's", still
> > survive. There on the edge of the Plains, corn growing all about them, you
> > couldn't have given away polenta except to the starving. Grits maybe...
>
> Which brings up ... since tomatos and corn first went to Europe during
> the conquistador era, how long have tomato and polenta dishes actually
> been "traditional" for Italians? 400 years? Less?

Tomato dishes are more common in the south rather than the north,
although tomato dishes are found up there too. This source gives some
info: http://www.siu.edu/~ebl/leaflets/tomato.htm

Polenta had been made in parts of Italy well before the introduction of
maize. It was made from other grains.