Polenta is a cornmeal mash popular in Italian and Romanian cuisine (in Romania it is known as mamaliga). Formerly a peasant food, polenta has recently become quite upscale, with many new recipes providing new life to what is basically a fairly bland food, such as Baked Cheese Polenta with Tomato Sauce . Polenta is similar to corn grits, varying slightly in the coarseness of the cornmeal used. Polenta is often cooked in a huge copper pot called a paiolo. There are many different types of polenta, such as basic or soft polenta.

In South Africa, cornmeal mash is a staple food called mealie pap.

The Corsican variety, called pulenta, is made with sweet chestnut flour rather than cornmeal.