Once there was a poor little girl who was so filled with faith, and she lived alone with her mother. Sadly, their cupboard was bare and many times they had little to nothing to eat. One day, the little girl went into the forest in search of berries, nuts, and good herbs. An old woman appeared from nowhere and gave the little girls such a start. She knew of the girl’s sadness, and gave her a little pot, which when she said, “kleyneh top, kleyneh top kochn,” and the little pot would cook good, savoury mamalige, and when she said, ” kleyneh top, kleyneh top g’endik,” it stopped cooking.

The little girl took the pot home to her mother, and they no longer suffered from poverty and hunger, and ate savoury mamalige as often as they chose. One day when the little girl had left the house, her mother said, ” kleyneh top, kleyneh top kochn.” And it did cook, and she ate until she was full, and then she wanted the pot to stop cooking, but did not know the word. So, it went on cooking and the savoury mamalige rose over the edge of the little pot, and still it cooked on until the kitchen and whole house were full, and then the next house, and then the whole street, just as if it wanted to satisfy the hunger of the whole world. It was terrible, and no one knew how to stop it. At last, when only one single house remained, the child came home and just said, ” kleyneh top, kleyneh top g’endik,” and it stopped cooking, and anyone who wished to return to the town had to eat their way back.

Mamaliga is so popular a dish that it was mentioned in the Yiddish song Roumania, Roumania:

“Dort tsu voynen iz a fargenign
vos dos harts glust dir vost kentsu krign
a mameligale, a pastramele, a karnatseleun a gleyzele vayn, aha!”

“To live there is a pleasure
What your heart desires you can get
A little mamaliga, a little pastrami, a karnatzl (sausage kosher of course), and a glass of wine, aha!”

Savoury Mamaliga

Ingredients

Directions

Whisk cornmeal together with 1 cup of cold water in a medium bowl and set aside. Bring remaining water to a boil in a medium pot. Turn heat down to low, add Italian spices, onion. Let boil 5 – 10 minutes then add cornmeal liquid.

Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and begins to pull away slight from the sides of the pot, 7 – 10 minutes. Turn off heat; stir in margarine and salt and pepper to taste. Place in an oiled bowl and allow to cool.

Turn bowl upside down on to serving platter. Slice or spoon to serve

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)

Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us

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