While it is very common to see people referring to polenta and cornmeal as though they are the same, there are a lot of differences between the two. Cornmeal refers to a food item that is made from corn kernels. The corn kernels will be ground to give fine, medium, and coarse particles.
Cornmeal is used as a basic ingredient when preparing different kinds of dishes. Cornmeal can come in different colors due to the fact that the corn kernels used in making it are in different colors, such as yellow, white, or blue. On the other hand, polenta is one of the dishes that belong to Italians.
Unlike cornmeal, which is an ingredient, polenta is the name given to a particular meal. Cornmeal is one of the common ingredients used in making polenta. This means there are other ingredients that can be used as substitutes for cornmeal. However, cornmeal is commonly used in making polenta.