Polenta taragna is an elaborate polenta spin-off made with a mix of yellow cornmeal and buckwheat flour, enriched with butter and cheese that are mixed in right before serving. The name comes from the word tarai or tarel, referring to the wooden tool traditionally used to stir the polenta that's cooked in a copper pot hung inside the fireplace.

The main characteristics of polenta taragna are its dark grayish color, due to the use of buckwheat flour, and rich creaminess coming from the cheese. The cheeses used in the dish may vary, but they’re commonly local, semi-fat, medium-ripened cow-milk cheeses such as Valtellina Casera, Bitto, Branzi, or Fontina. 

Polenta taragna della Valchiavenna is a variation on the traditional polenta, originating from the Valchiavenna area in northern Italy. The porridge is made with a combination of wheat flour, cornmeal, local dark buckwheat flour, butter, salt, and cheeses such as Bitto, Magnuca, and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

All types of flour are added to boiling salted water and cooked in a copper pot for an hour while stirring. Near the end of cooking, when the porridge has thickened, the cheeses are added to the mix and melted completely. This type of polenta taragna is then served hot, typically on a basla, a traditional wooden serving dish.

Polenta cröpa o crupa is a traditional porridge originating from the Valtellina area of Lombardy, where it was once prepared by shepherds in the mountain pastures. Nowadays, this version of polenta in fiur is made with a combination of local dark buckwheat flour, cornmeal, potatoes, cream, cheese, and salt.

The potatoes are boiled, puréed, then added to boiling cream in a pot, along with cornmeal and dark buckwheat flour. The mixture is continuously stirred until it becomes thick. For the final touch, cubes of semi-fat cheese are added to the polenta until they melt, and the dish is then ready to be served, typically on a basla, a traditional wooden serving dish.

Polenta nera or black polenta is a variation on the traditional polenta, originating from the Valtellina area of Lombardy. The porridge is made entirely with local dark buckwheat flour with no added cornmeal. Other ingredients include potatoes, butter, cheese, and salt.

Unlike polenta in fiur, this version is not cooked in cream, but in water, just as regular polenta. In order to prepare the dish, the potatoes are boiled in salted water, mashed, then mixed with the dark buckwheat flour and butter. The porridge is cooked for an hour while continuously stirring.