Traditionally produced in the Onsernone Valley in Ticino, the sweet corn flour known as farina bòna is made mainly from a local corn variety grown on the Magadino plain. In order to make the flour, the corn kernels are toasted in pans over fire or in an oven until they pop, and are then finely ground in special mills in the cities of Loco and Vergeletto.
The sweet corn flour is gluten-free and is defined by a unique, deep, smoky flavor and aroma that derive from the toasted kernels. As of 2009, this Swiss flour is also prepared with another type of corn known as Mergoscia corn. Farina bòna used to be a staple in the everyday diet of people inhabiting the Onsernone Valley, and the traditional way of consuming it involved combining the flour with water, milk or wine, and blueberries or strawberries.
These days, however, the flour is a versatile ingredient used in the preparation of various local delicacies such as ice-creams, cakes, soups, beer, biscuits, a sweet spread known as bonella, as well as a new product called polenta onsernone.