Mămăligă cu Brânză (Moldovan Cornmeal with Cheese)

About This Recipe

Mămăligă is Moldova's cornmeal counterpart to bread, a thick, golden polenta cooked in a special cauldron called a ceaun and traditionally stirred with a long wooden spoon in one consistent direction until it reaches a smooth, dense, almost sliceable consistency. While mămăligă alone can accompany nearly any Moldovan meal in place of bread, its most beloved everyday form is mămăligă cu brânză — the hot cornmeal folded together with crumbled brânză (a salty, tangy sheep or cow's milk cheese similar to feta), creating pockets of melting cheese throughout, then finished with a generous dollop of sour cream and, often, crisp fried bacon or pork cracklings scattered on top. The dish carries real cultural weight in Moldova, where it's sometimes only half-jokingly referred to as a kind of unofficial national symbol — sturdy, unpretentious, and endlessly comforting. Traditionally, mămăligă is turned out onto a wooden board and sliced with a piece of thread rather than a knife, which prevents it from sticking and gives clean slices. It remains a fixture on nearly every Moldovan family table, eaten as a side, a light meal on its own with cheese and sour cream, or alongside meat stews as a starchy, satisfying base.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 300 gcoarse yellow cornmeal
• 1 litrewater
• 1.5 tspfine salt
• 250 gbrânză or feta cheese, crumbled
• 200 gsour cream
• 150 gsmoked bacon, diced
• 2 tbspunsalted butter

Instructions

1. 1

   Boil the water

   Bring water and salt to a rolling boil in a heavy pot.

2. 2

   Add cornmeal gradually

   Reduce heat slightly. Pour in the cornmeal in a thin, steady stream while whisking constantly to prevent lumps.

3. 3

   Stir and thicken

   Switch to a wooden spoon once thick. Stir continuously in one direction for 20-25 minutes over low heat until the mămăligă is smooth, dense, and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the pot.

4. 4

   Fry the bacon

   While the cornmeal cooks, fry the diced bacon in a skillet until crisp. Set aside, reserving the fat.

5. 5

   Fold in butter and cheese

   Off the heat, stir the butter into the hot mămăligă until melted, then gently fold in two-thirds of the crumbled cheese, letting it soften and partially melt without fully dissolving.

6. 6

   Turn out and serve

   Turn the mămăligă out onto a wooden board or plate. Top with the remaining cheese, a generous dollop of sour cream, and the crispy bacon with its rendered fat drizzled over.

Variations

• •

  Mămăligă can be sliced, cooled, and pan-fried in butter the next day for a crisp-edged breakfast version.

• •

  Some households mix a beaten egg into the hot cornmeal along with the cheese for extra richness.

• •

  A version topped with a fried egg and extra bacon turns the dish into a full breakfast.

Storage

Refrigerate leftover mămăligă up to 4 days; it firms up considerably when cold and can be sliced and pan-fried until crisp, which many prefer to the original soft texture.

Frequently Asked Questions