People of Brescia eat polenta — a symbol of the honest, unpretentious character of the city. Polenta is the food of the workers, the soldiers, the valley people.
Brescia sits between Milan and Verona, armed with steel mills, a Roman forum, and a pride in its own distinct identity. For centuries the city was the great armoury of the Venetian Republic and later of the Risorgimento — it earned the nickname La Leonessa d'Italia for its heroic resistance during the 1849 uprising. The bresciani are considered among the hardest workers in Lombardy, and polenta — coarse cornmeal porridge, the food of the poor, the staple of the mountains and valleys — is their symbol. Unlike Milan's risotto, polenta requires patience: it must be stirred continuously for forty minutes over a high flame, developing calluses on the hand and character in the cook. The people of Brescia embrace this identity without apology.
Brescian identity proverb. Polenta was the staple food of working-class Lombardy for centuries. Brescia's industrial and military identity is inseparable from this simple, nourishing food.
A Brescian at a fancy Milanese restaurant
— Come la cucina milanese, vero? — Onestamente? Noi bressani magna polenta. Questo qui fa troppo il sofisticato.
— Te gusta la cocina milanesa, ¿verdad? — ¿Sinceramente? Nosotros los bresciani comemos polenta. Este sitio es demasiado pretencioso.
A Brescia steel worker after a long shift
Dopo dodici ore in officina vuoi solo arrivare a casa. Bressani, magna polenta — la moglie me la tiene calda sul fuoco.
Después de doce horas en el taller solo quieres llegar a casa. Los bresciani comen polenta — mi mujer la mantiene caliente en el fuego.
A food journalist writing about Brescia
La polenta non è cucina povera — è cucina onesta. Bressani, magna polenta: ed è per questo che sono la città più produttiva della Lombardia.
La polenta no es comida pobre — es comida honesta. Los bresciani comen polenta: y por eso son la ciudad más productiva de Lombardía.
A Brescia resident to a visiting Milanese friend
— Non mangi con noi? — Cosa avete? — Polenta e uccelli. — Bressani magna polenta. — Sì, e siamo felici così.
— ¿No comes con nosotros? — ¿Qué tenéis? — Polenta y pájaros. — Los bresciani comen polenta. — Sí, y estamos felices con ello.