M¿m¿lig¿, maize porridge or polenta, is a universally consumed dish in Romania and a prominent national symbol. But its unusual history has rarely been told. Alex Drace-Francis surveys the arrival and spread of maize cultivation in Romanian lands from Ottoman times to the eve of the First World War, and also the image of m¿m¿lig¿ in art and popular culture. Drawing on a rich array of sources and with many new findings, Drace-Francis shows how the making of m¿m¿lig¿ has been shaped by global economic forces and overlapping imperial systems of war and trade.
The story of maize and m¿m¿lig¿ provides an accessible way to revisit many key questions of Romanian and broader regional history. More generally, the book links the history of production, consumption, and representation. Analyses of recipes, literary and popular depictions, and key vocabulary complete the work.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
List of Maps, Graphs, Tables, Introduction: The Land is Waiting Chapter 1. From the Caribbean to the Carpathians: The Coming of Cucuruz, c.1492-1700 Chapter 2. Conquerors, Cultivators, and Collaborators: Maize at Empire's Edge, 1700-1774 Chapter 3. Conflict, Contagion and Commerce: The Triumph of Maize, 1774-1812 Chapter 4. Maize, Raki or Death: The Revolt of 1821 Reconsidered Chapter 5. m¿m¿lig¿ 2.0: Maize on the World Market, 1821-1856 Chapter 6. Independence, Capitalism, Disease and Revolt; Or, Why the m¿m¿lig¿ Exploded, 1856-1907 Chapter 7. Manna valachorum: Recipes at the Interface Chapter 8. 'The sparrow dreams of cornmeal, and the idle man of a day of rest': m¿m¿lig¿ as Metaphor Conclusion: The Land is Waiting Appendix: Words and Things Glossary, Illustration, Credits, Acknowledgements, Index.
