Funche/Funchi/Polenta
On my first visit to
St. Thomas, Virigin Islands, many years ago I visited a small
restaurant half way up a winding road called
Ma Folie ( = My
Madness) - why it's not in
Danish or
English they never told me. In any event, the owner of the small restaurant advised me that the
specialty of the house was funchi which was made with
corn meal. It was
breakfast time, so he served it with
eggs and
bacon. It looked to me to be a
Caribbean version of the
Italian polenta. (By the way
polenta was a favorite dish of
Pope John XXIII.) Later I was introduced to almost the same thing in
Puerto Rico, only they called it
funchi, and still later in Aruba where it was called funchi.
In Puerto Rico:
Bring to a boil in a large pot:
Whisk in, stirring constantly:
Turn the heat down to low and cook, stirring constantly, for another 15 minutes, or until it is thick enough to hold its shape. Pour into a greased 9-inch square baking pan. Let it cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with almost anything, but fish is perfect.
In
Aruba the method of preparation is pretty much the same, but the
funchi is either scooped out into little
balls with a small
gourd or
molded in a
bowl. This could accompany a
spicy gumbo, made with
giambo ( = Eng.
okra; = Span. Quimbombó) and
ham hocks,
fish and other heady stuff.
In
Italy polenta reaches
epicurian heights with the addition of one or more of the following: