In Enlightenment Lombardy, the meal of the respectable bourgeoisie of Como revolves around the copper cauldron (paiolo) where polenta and risotto simmer, the nourishing base of daily life. To this are added alpine cheeses, roast meats for feast days, sweet-and-sour preserves (mostarda) for winter, and the learned conversation concludes over a cup of coffee imported through Venice. The structure does not oppose starter/main/dessert: it layers the cereal foundation (polenta or rice), the accompaniment (cheese, meat, seasonal vegetable), then the social table around preserves and drink.

Golden yellow — from polenta corn to risotto saffron — is the emblematic color of the 18th-century Lombard table. Saffron, once cultivated at the gates of Milan, and maize, which became king of the fields after 1492, dominate the cuisine of Volta's region.