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Polenta with bryndza: Slovak-style cornmeal porridge, also called kukuricianka

Name: Polenta with bryndza: Slovak-style cornmeal porridge, also called kukuricianka
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Slovak
Ingredients: 250 g Polenta (cornmeal grits); 1 l Water; 1 tsp Salt; 30 g Butter; 200 g Bryndza (soft sheep's milk cheese); 2 Onions; 3 tbsp Lard; 4 glasses Soured milk (clabbered milk) (to drink alongside)

Cornmeal polenta with butter, bryndza cheese, and onions fried in lard. Serve with soured milk for a dinner for 4, ready in 50 minutes.

Slovak cuisine · Grandma’s recipes · Translated from Slovak · November 1, 2026

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Recipe at a glance

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Servings: 4 servings
Difficulty: Easy
Cuisine: Slovak

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Cornmeal porridge with bryndza, a soft sheep's milk cheese, is a thick porridge known in Italy as polenta and in some parts of Slovakia as kukuričianka. Pour the cornmeal into boiling salted water in a thin stream and cook, stirring constantly, for about 25 minutes, until thick and pulling away from the pot. Top with bryndza and onions fried in lard, and serve with soured milk to drink. The sweet version is served with butter and sugar, with regular milk to drink.

Ingredients

4 servings

Units

Polenta (cornmeal grits) 250 g
Water 1 l
Salt 1 tsp
Butter 30 g
Bryndza (soft sheep's milk cheese) 200 g
Onions 2
Lard 3 tbsp
Soured milk (clabbered milk) (to drink alongside) 4 glasses

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Instructions

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

Fry the onions
15 min
Cut the onions into thin half-moons and fry in the lard over medium heat until golden brown. Set aside along with the lard.
Add the cornmeal
5 min
Bring the water and salt to a boil. Pour in the cornmeal in a thin stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps.
Cook the polenta
25 min
Reduce the heat and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. The polenta is ready when it is thick and pulls away from the pot. Stir in the butter. If using quick-cooking polenta, follow the cooking time on the package.
Serve
5 min
Dip a spoon in the lard and use it to spoon the polenta onto plates. Sprinkle with crumbled bryndza and spoon the onions and lard over the top. Serve with soured milk to drink.

Tip: The polenta firms up as it cools; slice any leftovers and pan-fry them in butter. You can replace the bryndza with quark (fresh curd cheese) or mix it with a little sour cream. Read more: Lard in the kitchen: baking and frying

Nutrition facts

Approximate values per serving, calculated from the ingredients

Energy: 657 kcal
Protein: 22 g
Carbohydrates: 67 g
of which sugars: 16 g
Fat: 33 g
of which saturates: 18 g
Fiber: 3.3 g
Salt: 3.0 g

Calculated from the raw ingredients, without frying oil. Where an amount is “to taste”, typical amounts are used. Food composition: USDA FoodData Central and product labels.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Kukuričná kaša s bryndzou: polenta po slovensky, ktorú niekde volajú kukuričianka