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Biancoperla corn is a typical Venetian product and a Slow Food praesidium. The cobs are tapered with large glassy, pearl-white and shiny grains. The whole gastronomic history of Veneto is strongly linked to a fundamental dish such as polenta. In the homeland of Marano corn, when people talk about polenta, they mean the yellow one. And yet, until the second post-war period, in Polesine, Treviso and Venice areas, a white polenta was extremely popular – made with Biancoperla corn, obtained from free pollination.
This type of corn has a great value and ideally tells the area where the yellow type grows (hills and mountains), from its very own.

In recent years, there have been several initiatives aimed at enhancing and protecting this variety: they have led to the creation of the “Biancoperla Corn Conservation Association”, headquartered at IPSAA “Conte di Cavour” in Castelfranco (Treviso).

The seeds of Biancoperla corn are jealously guarded by a group of passionate and experienced farmers. In particular, stone grinding is absolutely vital (commonly practised in the past) to enhance the excellent organoleptic qualities of the product.

The white polenta is still served with several dishes and in the countryside, it has always been enjoyed with cold milk, mixed in a sort of semolina: the local “patugoi”, “pestarei” or “tacoi” recipes. It is also the ideal side dish for fish like shrimps, prawns and cod. Despite the fact that, at some point, white corn was threatened of extinction, today the local cultural identity heritage – especially in the hilly areas – is intertwined with “polenta and speo” (“polenta with grilled meat”), and “polenta e osei” (“polenta with quails”).

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)