Some dishes are more than just their ingredients – they are experiences. This is the case with Tóc, a polenta you eat with your hands, a polenta you touch (Tóc comes from toccare in Italian, which means to touch). Hence the name. It’s still prepared by some, such as Angelo Becci, who meticulously learned the ancient techniques from the oldest residents of Bellagio, on Lake Como. The peasants who lived in the lake area nourished and fed their families around the pot in front of the fire for years. This is why Tóc is so charged with meaning. “I make Tóc especially for the younger ones, because I want them to understand what it means to share the warmth of family, to look at each other and to stay together around a meal, carrying these traditions on before they disappear.”
What is Tóc?
There are three main ingredients in Tóc: cornmeal, butter and cheese (lean, such as casera). In fact, Tóc is a polenta that is prepared for hours, made with the addition of butter and cheese that gradually fluff it as they are slowly incorporated with a rodec, the typical wooden spoon of the area. The proportions and times are fundamental: “More than anything else, the elders taught me about the need for precision and ability to mix it to the right point.” There are various hypotheses on the origin of the name: some believe that it’s for the noise, “tóc,” that it makes with the spoon while being prepared, whereas others think it’s the continuous addition of a touch (“tóc”) of butter and cheese. But in reality the name comes from the fact that Tóc is eaten with the hands, it’s touched. And when you touch it with three fingers, there are three rules that have to be satisfied. It shouldn’t be greasy, it shouldn’t t burn your fingers, and it shouldn’t stick to your hands. “The magic of Tóc is that it’s made with butter but your fingers don’t get greasy, it’s hot but it doesn’t burn you, and it’s compact but it doesn’t stick to your fingers.”
How to eat Tóc
Tóc differs from other polenta in that it’s softer, tastier and more flavorful, and far from being greasy. In the past it was eaten with missultìn, or salted and sun-dried shad, a typical lake fish. Or if there were no fish, then with salami. Over time and with the shift in availability, Tóc was also eaten with lardo and pancetta, while as of recently it is often also eaten with cotechino, pork and chicken. Tóc is usually always served with miascia: a dry poor man’s cake of the area prepared with dry bread, yellow flour, walnuts, figs, pine nuts, apples and pears. It’s best to avoid cheeses, which are already significantly added during cooking.
Where to eat Tóc
Tóc remains a dish deeply connected to home and family, especially in Angelo Becci’s case, as his personal history has linked him so viscerally to it. In fact, ten years have passed since Angelo lost his 30-year-old son Emanuele to leukemia. Before he died, he said: “Dad, never stop making Tóc for people and move forward with your public relations.” So even if Angelo had already been determined to carry on this ancient local tradition that risked extinction, for more than 20 years now he hasn’t had a shadow of a doubt and has continued to prepare Tóc on various occasions: at people’s homes, in restaurants, in schools, at parties, all while raising funds for the Paolo Belli Association fighting leukemia. And each time, he dedicates it to his Lele, in particular the moment of Regel.
It looks like sangria but it’s Regel
Once the Tóc has been eaten, something very special and touching happens, and with background music to boot. This is the special moment for Regel. It is made as it once was, with wine, liqueurs, fruit, sugar, bay leaves and cloves poured into the same pot where the polenta was made. The result is first an impressive fire, then an exquisite hot drink slightly reminiscent of sangria. It concludes this ancient rite that we can still enjoy today thanks to real lake-born natives like Angelo Becci.
Pictures by Stefano Triulzi