PASS THE POLENTA - La Fiera Italian Festival, MyrtleforD
by georgie james - victoria based media stringer
Do I like polenta? Oh my god yes I do! I adore it and I have a super efficient metabolism so any additional kilojoules consumed are saved instantly and directly on my bum…which is disappointing and honestly takes a lot of the fun out of eating…but I digress, this is not about why I love a super elastic waistband! If you are heading to an Italian festival I recommend you whip out your roomy pants - as well as fantastic community spirit, food, wine, music, singing and dancing - these people know how to cook for lots of people!
the question of how TO cook 300 portions of polenta is not A QUESTION that is posed every day. however, at the La Fiera Italian Festival in MyrtleforD, victoria, I got a taste of how this is done (pun totally intended!)
Polenta originates from the North of Italy and is one of the most simple and satisfying meals I know - you can add a simple bean stew, meat or mushroom ragout, some finely shredded cabbage and a glass of wine… “squisito!”
It is said that it is probably one of the oldest dishes in history….just think - the Romans could have been sprinkling spiced peacock tongues on the top of it back in the day! I love everything Italian - my best friends are Italian, I love the food, wine varieties, the music, the passion, the art, the architecture, the work ethic, the siesta’s, the love of family, fun and life! It’s a country that has incredible history, romance, and light. Fireflies is up on the list for me as well!
The Tastes of Trentino were at the La Fiera Italian Festival. They are a community group made up of migrants and their descendants to the area. At the festival the men cook the polenta (bulk) and the women cook the ragout (Spezzatino), accompanied by ‘Crauti’.
Myrtleford in Victoria is a town at the foot of Mount Buffalo and the rich farmland used to be the centre of the tobacco industry in Australia. Many Italian families chose to settle here once they arrived in the 1950’s at the Bonegilla Migrant Camp near Albury Wodonga- cue amazing culture shift in small Australian town!
La Fiera Italian Festival in Myrtleford is a celebration of culture. The local Italian clubs get together and cook and feed the crowds and it is delicious! The polenta is cut into thick generous bum expanding squares and cloaked in a thick rich ragout, accompanied by a serve of sauerkraut. Trentino is a province in the north of Italy tucked up near the Austrian border where there is inventible influence that creeps into the cooking.
Have you ever cooked polenta? It is sticky and tricky and even a portion for four people is a challenge for me but these lads cook 100 portions at a time in an old copper pot heated by a wood fire and they enjoy the occasional sip of vino to keep the cold at bay! A big pot of water is brought to the boil and a handful of salt is added….there was much excitement as I photographed the polenta professionals and the chefs were in reciprocally fascinated in my fascination.
A man with very twinkly eyes tells me the younger generations will have to do a 15 year apprenticeship in order to take over! A big bowl of polenta is added into the boiling water and a fishing net crossed with a tennis racket is produced to stir the polenta as it thickens. Then a giant wooden paddle is used to finish off the stirring as it cooks…hot bubbling yellow lava. The pot is then picked up by three men (there is a tonne of polenta in there!) and scraped out of the pot into giant wooden trays. It is then smoothed and covered with giant gingham table cloths, destined for the stand where the women are on hand to serve the hungry crowds. Any polenta that is left over is left to cool and is cut up to be fried in butter and oil the next day (the polenta crew all agree that it tastes even better the next day!)
Tradition, community, food brings us all together - what a delicious experience the festival was. Now I am off to cook some polenta! Prego!
