Puliszka - Polenta with Feta Cheese

Puliszka is the Hungarian and Transylvanian answer to Italian polenta, but with its own distinct soul. Same humble base of cooked cornmeal, but topped with feta and sour cream rather than Parmesan, and finished with dark crispy fried onions rather than a delicate olive oil drizzle. It’s the rustic farmhouse version of polenta.

The technique that makes this dish special is what you don’t do at the end. The directions are deliberate: feta and sour cream go on top after the polenta finishes cooking, and they should be vaguely mixed in rather than fully blended. The result is creamy pockets of melted feta and tangy sour cream interspersed throughout, rather than a homogenous cheese sauce. The textural contrast is the whole point.

The optional fried onion topping isn’t really optional if you want the authentic experience. Sliced thin and fried in dry hot oil until they go nearly burnt, they add a sweet-bitter crunch that cuts through the richness of the dairy. Salt them while still warm so the salt sticks.

Pro Tips

• Use a 2:1 water-to-polenta ratio as the recipe calls for. This gives a thicker, more spoonable consistency than the typical Italian 4:1 ratio.
• Stir constantly during cooking to prevent lumps. Polenta wants to stick and clump if left alone.
• Use real Greek or Bulgarian feta (sheep or sheep-goat blend), not cow’s milk feta. The flavor difference is significant.
• Fry onions in a single layer over medium-high heat. Crowding the pan steams them instead of frying them dark.

Variations

• Add 2 cooked, crumbled bacon strips along with the fried onions for a smoky version.
• Substitute crumbled bryndza (Slovak sheep cheese) or goat cheese for feta for a different regional twist.
• Top with a fried egg over each portion to turn this side dish into a complete vegetarian meal.