The name sounds fairly exotic, but what is the difference between cornmeal and polenta. Polenta is quite simply a dish made of boiled cornmeal. The word polenta is derived from the Latin term pollen that roughly translates to mean ‘fine flour’. Cornmeal is commonly served as a hot porridge (like in this recipe). It may also be cooled and solidified into a loaf or individual pieces that can then be baked, fried, or grilled.