Help On A Mystery Italian Meal
 

Hello all and thanks for your time.

Not so long ago, my wife and I were watching an Italian TV mini-series
named "Lives Of The Saints". In it there was a rural family dinner scene
and the meal was something I had never seen before so I thought some one
may help.

It looked like the main, or only 'dish' was made up of two parts. One was
a corn meal/grits type of thing the other being tomato sauce/gravy.

The service was composed of the corn meal being literally spread out onto
the entire surface of the long dinner table with the tomato sauce spread
on top. The family then sat and ate this off of the table.

There was no big deal made of it. No dialog, at least none that was
translated, made reference to what this was. It looked regional and
traditional to say the least.

Does anyone know anything about this?

Thanks for your time.

Help On A Mystery Italian Meal
 

In article >,
ZerkonX > wrote:

> Hello all and thanks for your time.
>
> Not so long ago, my wife and I were watching an Italian TV mini-series
> named "Lives Of The Saints". In it there was a rural family dinner scene
> and the meal was something I had never seen before so I thought some one
> may help.
>
> It looked like the main, or only 'dish' was made up of two parts. One was
> a corn meal/grits type of thing the other being tomato sauce/gravy.
>
> The service was composed of the corn meal being literally spread out onto
> the entire surface of the long dinner table with the tomato sauce spread
> on top. The family then sat and ate this off of the table.
>
> There was no big deal made of it. No dialog, at least none that was
> translated, made reference to what this was. It looked regional and
> traditional to say the least.
>
> Does anyone know anything about this?
>
> Thanks for your time.
>
>
>

The corn meal stuff is called "Polenta" and the tomato sauce could be
any number of recipes, my favorite of which is Marinara.

I've never seen anyone serve it spread all over the TABLE tho'!
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down." -- Steve Rothstein

Help On A Mystery Italian Meal
 

Omelet wrote:

>> The service was composed of the corn meal being literally spread out
>> onto the entire surface of the long dinner table with the tomato
>> sauce spread on top. The family then sat and ate this off of the
>> table.

> The corn meal stuff is called "Polenta" and the tomato sauce could be
> any number of recipes, my favorite of which is Marinara.

Probably correct. SOmetimes it can also be of a whitish colour, but it's
usually yellow as the corn it's made from.

> I've never seen anyone serve it spread all over the TABLE tho'!

It's the old way to serve polenta. In the mountainous areas of the north it
is made in a copper pot and then the pot gets turned upside-down on the
table, and that polenta is so thick and firm that you can cut slices in it
as if it was a pie. When served on the table, or on an appropriate
woodboard, it usually gets cut with a string: just pull the two ends of the
string and cut through the polenta. Obviously, cutting is only done when
people use dishes: if polenta is dressed and served on the table, people
usually eats directly from the table.
Very afro: many african dishes are made to be consumed that way, everybody
eating from the same "big dish", be it the table or a bowl.
--
Vilco
Think pink, drink rose'

Help On A Mystery Italian Meal
 

Vilco wrote:
> directly from the table. Very afro: many african dishes are made to be
> consumed that way,
> everybody eating from the same "big dish", be it the table or a bowl.

Many years ago, Scots people would make oat porridge and pour it into a
'porridge drawer', from whence they cut a piece to eat:)

Help On A Mystery Italian Meal
 

Vilco wrote:

> if polenta is dressed and served on the table, people
> usually eats directly from the table.
> Very afro: many african dishes are made to be consumed that way, everybody
> eating from the same "big dish", be it the table or a bowl.

Cajuns do this, here in Louisiana. We have boiled dinners where
everything is cooked in the same pot, but all of the ingredients are not
added at the same time.

In seasoned water, we cook either crawfish or shrimp, andouille sausage,
potatoes, ears of corn, onions and garlic. The food is dumped on picnic
tables that are covered with newspapers.

Becca

Help On A Mystery Italian Meal
 

Becca wrote on Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:00:51 -0500:

??>> if polenta is dressed and served on the table, people
??>> usually eats directly from the table.
??>> Very afro: many african dishes are made to be consumed
that
??>> way, everybody eating from the same "big dish", be it the
??>> table or a bowl.

B> Cajuns do this, here in Louisiana. We have boiled dinners
B> where everything is cooked in the same pot, but all of the
B> ingredients are not added at the same time.

B> In seasoned water, we cook either crawfish or shrimp,
B> andouille sausage, potatoes, ears of corn, onions and
B> garlic. The food is dumped on picnic tables that are
B> covered with newspapers.

That's fine and I don't mind people serving themselves from a
central pot either but I find transferring food from a communal
pot to the mouth to be distasteful. I'm told that some places in
China have the custom of reversing chopsticks when transferring
food.


James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

Help On A Mystery Italian Meal
 

Vilco wrote:

> Very afro: many african dishes are made to be consumed that way, everybody
> eating from the same "big dish", be it the table or a bowl.

In July, some of us from here on RFC met up in D.C. for an Ethiopian
dinner and this is how we ate. The various dishes are all placed on the
spongy Ethiopian bread on the platter. Each diner also had a serving of
the bread to use to grab/pick up the food with off the communal plate.

Help On A Mystery Italian Meal
 

On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 22:45:39 -0400, Goomba38 >
wrote:

>Vilco wrote:
>
>> Very afro: many african dishes are made to be consumed that way, everybody
>> eating from the same "big dish", be it the table or a bowl.
>
>In July, some of us from here on RFC met up in D.C. for an Ethiopian
>dinner and this is how we ate. The various dishes are all placed on the
>spongy Ethiopian bread on the platter. Each diner also had a serving of
>the bread to use to grab/pick up the food with off the communal plate.

Oh, that was such good stuff!!!

I am on a health kick lately, and cooking a lot of ethnic foods, as
they seem to be somewhat "healthier" in nature.

Some of those things we had on that big platter would be good in that
respect. I should look into Ethiopian foods...

Christine

Help On A Mystery Italian Meal
 

Christine Dabney wrote:

>> In July, some of us from here on RFC met up in D.C. for an Ethiopian
>> dinner and this is how we ate. The various dishes are all placed on the
>> spongy Ethiopian bread on the platter. Each diner also had a serving of
>> the bread to use to grab/pick up the food with off the communal plate.
>
> Oh, that was such good stuff!!!
>
> I am on a health kick lately, and cooking a lot of ethnic foods, as
> they seem to be somewhat "healthier" in nature.
>
> Some of those things we had on that big platter would be good in that
> respect. I should look into Ethiopian foods...
>
> Christine

You need to get some of Cryambers recipes. She's tried a few dishes and
the bread. The vegetarian lentil dishes (the yellow ones) and a couple
of the other dishes or that chili pepper condiment still stand out in my
mind. And the use of the jalapenos in the salads. Good stuff.

Help On A Mystery Italian Meal
 

Goomba38 wrote:
> Vilco wrote:
>
>> Very afro: many african dishes are made to be consumed that way,
>> everybody eating from the same "big dish", be it the table or a bowl.
>
> In July, some of us from here on RFC met up in D.C. for an Ethiopian
> dinner and this is how we ate. The various dishes are all placed on
> the spongy Ethiopian bread on the platter. Each diner also had a
> serving of the bread to use to grab/pick up the food with off the
> communal plate.

The bread is called Injera. They sell that at the little store down the
street from me! Yes, it's used as a "utensil" and you use it to eat the
various dishes available from communal pots. It's very tasty, especially
with a spicy lamb stew. That reminds me, I need to pick some up (as well as
some lamb) and make some stew!

Jill

Help On A Mystery Italian Meal
 

"Omelet" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> ZerkonX > wrote:
>
>> Hello all and thanks for your time.
>>
>> Not so long ago, my wife and I were watching an Italian TV mini-series
>> named "Lives Of The Saints". In it there was a rural family dinner scene
>> and the meal was something I had never seen before so I thought some one
>> may help.
>>
>> It looked like the main, or only 'dish' was made up of two parts. One was
>> a corn meal/grits type of thing the other being tomato sauce/gravy.
>>
>> The service was composed of the corn meal being literally spread out onto
>> the entire surface of the long dinner table with the tomato sauce spread
>> on top. The family then sat and ate this off of the table.
>>
>> There was no big deal made of it. No dialog, at least none that was
>> translated, made reference to what this was. It looked regional and
>> traditional to say the least.
>>
>> Does anyone know anything about this?
>>
>> Thanks for your time.
>>
>>
>>
>
> The corn meal stuff is called "Polenta" and the tomato sauce could be
> any number of recipes, my favorite of which is Marinara.


In some regions of Italy, and well as here at my estate, it's sometimes made
with buckwheat.

Help On A Mystery Italian Meal
 

On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:43:28 +0000, Vilco wrote:

> It's the old way to serve polenta.

Thank you.

Help On A Mystery Italian Meal
 

Help On A Mystery Italian Meal

Group: rec.food.cooking Date: Mon, Sep 24, 2007, 10:41am From:
(ZerkonX)
>It looked like the main, or only 'dish' was made up of two parts. One
was a corn meal/grits type of thing the other being tomato sauce/gravy.
The service was composed of the corn meal being literally spread out
onto the entire surface of the long dinner table with the tomato sauce
spread on top. The family then sat and ate this off of the table.<

My great grandmother from Italy used to make it (polenta) that way,but
my grandmother revised it a bit.She would cook the polenta to a creamier
state,put it on a indiviual plates w/mozzerella and parm on top,then
another layer of polenta,topped with homemade tomato sauce and
sausage.The cheeses would melt and add a heavenly flavor to the whole
thing.I could never make it like they did...such childhood memories
Smit-

"Food, Art and Films,What else do you need?...Well.."

Help On A Mystery Italian Meal
 

Help On A Mystery Italian Meal

Group: rec.food.cooking Date: Mon, Sep 24, 2007, 10:41am From:
(ZerkonX)

> One was a corn meal/grits type of thing the other being tomato
sauce/gravy.>

In our old italian family "gravy" was the term then for pasta,spaghetti
sauce etc.It covered a wide range.If my mom said she,s maling 'gravy' we
knew it was some kind of pasta dish w/tomato sauce
Smit-

"Food, Art and Films,What else do you need?...Well.."

Help On A Mystery Italian Meal
 

On Sep 24, 11:43 am, "Vilco" > wrote:

> Very afro: many african dishes are made to be consumed that way, everybody
> eating from the same "big dish", be it the table or a bowl.


Moroccans definitely do this....couscous just wouldn't be the same
served otherwise. Really old fashioned Moroccans use their hands but
most these days use a spoon - at least in my experience. I have eaten
at a table with "mixed" users..spoons and hands. It's no big deal and
it's really fun. Other dishes use bread as the utensil for eating -
like a tagine, but it is not mandatory. ;-)

-Tracy