In Moldova, corn hominy is a special pride. It is eaten at any time and with absolutely everything; it is similar to ordinary bread both in structure and in taste. It is prepared from corn flour in a thick-walled bowl, and a special wooden stirrer is used for stirring. In general, this is a special process - to cook hominy in Moldavian style.

Classic recipe

Moldavian hominy resembles steamed bread in appearance and structure.

How to cook Moldavian mamaliga:

1. Put a thick-walled saucepan or cauldron on the stove, pour in water, then add oil and a little salt;
2. When the water boils, begin to gently and slowly add the cornmeal, while stirring it continuously with a wooden spatula;
3. So that lumps do not appear in the porridge, it is necessary to stir it constantly. To do this, place a special spatula in the center of the pan, which is used in Moldova. But, if there is no such "stirrer", an ordinary rolling pin is quite suitable;
4. Cook on the stove over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring constantly, pressing a rolling pin to the sides of the pan. Then reduce the heat, to almost the minimum mark, stirring, cook the dish until thick;
5. When the mamalyga becomes thick, separate it from the walls of the pan using a regular tablespoon, which you first dip into cold water, then the porridge will not stick to it;
6. Leave the hominy on the stove for another 15 minutes, so it will bake better and easily fall behind the sides of the pan;
7. Determine the readiness of the dish: dip a rolling pin into the hominy and quickly rotate it in your palms. If the porridge does not stick to the rolling pin, then the hominy is ready;
8. Shake the pot gently, then turn it over, toppling the contents onto a wooden surface or towel. By the way, do not use ordinary flat plates for this, on them the product will become wet, and therefore tasteless;
9. Correctly cooked hominy looks like this: it does not fall apart when you topple it to the surface, and retains the shape of the pan;
10. Cut the finished dish into pieces and serve. In the classic version, hominy is cut with a harsh thread or a wooden knife;
11. Pieces are taken only by hand, if desired, they are dipped in various additives, which are served separately. It can be garlic sauce, overcooked lard, pork stewed with onions, and even feta cheese made from sheep's milk;
12. Note to the hostess: pouring flour into boiling water does not always work out neatly, so to make it easier for yourself, add it through a sieve.

Moldavian hominy from corn flour with cracklings

Moldovans often add cracklings to hominy, which is also quite appropriate. The melted bacon has a pleasant taste, a little creamy; it especially suits corn porridge.

Amount of ingredients required:

• 400 g corn flour (finely ground);
• 300 g fresh lard;
• 400 g of sheep's milk cheese;
• salt + pepper - add at your discretion.

You need to cook: 50 min. Serving value (100 g) is: 320 kcal.

Moldavian mamalyga is not just corn porridge-bread, it is a dish cooked according to all the rules:

1. You will need a cauldron or any other thick-walled saucepan, plus a wooden stirrer, finely ground corn flour, clean water and salt;
2. You need a wooden board to serve;
3. For slicing, it is better to use a wooden knife or waxed coarse thread;
4. Add a little more salt to the dish than to a similar hominy prepared according to a different recipe;
5. First, salt is added, and then flour is poured.

Although the idea of ​​making bread from corn grits is Moldovan, just like the idea of ​​cooking it in a thick-walled cast iron, stirring with a wooden stick, it is also prepared in many other countries. It's just that in Moldova it is called mamalyga and is cooked from fine corn flour, sometimes adding cracklings.