Moldova's national dish: a stiff cornmeal porridge cut with string and served with sheep's-milk brânză cheese and a spoonful of sour smântână on top.

Cornmeal porridge replaced millet-flour porridge as Bessarabia's staple after corn arrived from Venice in the 17th century, untaxed by the Ottoman Empire and able to combat the famines of the era. The dish became the table's everyday base alongside brânză cheese and smântână sour cream, and is traditionally cut on a wooden board with a length of string rather than a knife. It is the dish that defines the Moldovan table from the village to the city restaurant.

Where to eat Mămăligă cu brânză și smântână in Chișinău

2 editor picks for Mămăligă cu brânză și smântână in Chișinău, ranked by editorial score. All Chișinău signature dishes · Mămăligă cu brânză și smântână across every city.

  • La Taifas

    Order Tocăniță cooked in the cauldron with mămăligă and a shot of house țuică.

    La Taifas in Chișinău is the old village house with porch on Strada București, serving rustic Moldovan cooking and live folk music in a clay-pottery room.

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  • Sălcioara

    Order Sarmale wrapped in vine leaves with sour cream and mămăligă on the side.

    Sălcioara in downtown Chișinău is the traditional Moldovan dining room with carved-wood interiors, evening live music and a kitchen built on village recipes.

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Make it at home

Serves 435 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 300g coarse yellow cornmeal (mălai)
  • 1.2 L water
  • 1.5 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 200g sheep's-milk brânză, crumbled (substitute Greek feta if needed)
  • 200g full-fat smântână (substitute crème fraîche)

Method

  1. Bring the water and salt to a brisk boil in a heavy-bottomed pot or cast-iron Dutch oven over high heat.
  2. Reduce to medium. Pour the cornmeal in a slow steady stream while whisking constantly to prevent lumps.
  3. Switch to a wooden spoon. Stir for 8 to 10 minutes as the porridge tightens; it is ready when the spoon stands upright and the porridge pulls away from the sides of the pot.
  4. Off heat, beat in the butter for sheen. Slide the porridge onto a wooden board and cut it into thick wedges with a length of clean cotton string drawn beneath.
  5. Plate each wedge with a heap of crumbled brânză on top and a generous spoonful of smântână. Serve immediately while the porridge is still steaming.

Editor tip. If sheep's brânză is unavailable, use feta plus a tablespoon of yogurt to soften it; never substitute polenta flour, the grain is too fine.

Common allergens: Dairy.