Polish cuisine
Encyclopedia
Polish cuisine is a style of cooking and food preparation originating from Poland
. It has evolved over the centuries due to historical circumstances. Polish national cuisine shares some similarities with other Central European and Eastern European traditions as well as French
and Italian
similarities. It is rich in meat, especially beef, chicken and pork, and winter vegetables (cabbage in the dish bigos
), and spices. It is also characteristic in its use of various kinds of noodle
s the most notable of which are kluski
as well as cereal
s such as kasha
(from the Polish word kasza). Generally speaking, Polish cuisine is hearty and uses a lot of cream and eggs. The traditional dishes are often demanding in preparation. Many Poles allow themselves a generous amount of time to serve and enjoy their festive meals, especially Christmas eve
dinner (Wigilia
) or Easter
breakfast which could take a number of days to prepare in their entirety.
Traditionally, the main meal is eaten about 2 p.m. or later, and is usually composed of three courses, starting with a soup, such as popular rosół and tomato soup
or more festive barszcz (beet borscht) or żurek
(sour rye meal mash), followed perhaps in a restaurant by an appetizer of herring (prepared in either cream, oil, or vinegar). Other popular appetizers are various cured meats, vegetables or fish in aspic
. The main course is usually meaty including a roast or kotlet schabowy
(breaded pork cutlet). Vegetables, currently replaced by leaf salad, were not very long ago most commonly served as "surówka" - shredded root vegetables with lemon and sugar (carrot, celeriac, beetroot) or sauerkraut (kapusta kiszona). The side dishes are usually boiled potatoes or more traditionally kasza (cereals). Meals often conclude with a dessert such as makowiec, a poppy seed
pastry, or drożdżówka, a type of yeast cake. Other Polish specialities include chłodnik (a chilled beet or fruit soup for hot days), golonka (pork knuckles cooked with vegetables), kołduny (meat dumplings), zrazy
(stuffed slices of beef), salceson
and flaki
(tripe
).
The Polish national dish could be considered to be bigos
, pierogi
, kielbasa
, kotlet schabowy
, gołąbki, zrazy
, (silesian rouladen
) roast and tomato soup
or barszcz.
in south and west Europe) was typical of Middle Ages Polish cuisine. Beer
and mead
were the most popular drinks.
During the Middle Ages
the cuisine of Poland
was very heavy and spicy. Two main ingredients were meat (both game
and beef) and cereal. The latter consisted initially of proso millet
, but later in the Middle Ages other types of cereal became widely used. Most commoners did not use bread and instead consumed cereals in the forms of kasza or various types of flatbread
, some of which (for instance kołacz) are considered traditional recipes even in the 21st century. Apart from cereals, a large portion of the daily diet of mediaeval Poles consisted of beans, mostly broad beans
and pea
s. As the territory of Poland was densely forested, usage of mushroom
s, forest berries, nuts and wild honey was also widespread.
Thanks to close trade relations with the East, the price of spice
s (such as juniper
, black pepper
and nutmeg
) was much lower than in the rest of Europe
, and spicy sauces became popular. The usage of two basic sauces (the jucha czerwona and jucha szara, or red and gray blood in Old Polish) remained widespread at least until 18th century.
The daily beverages included milk, whey
, buttermilk
and various herb infusion
s. The most popular alcoholic beverages were beer
and mead
, however in the 16th century upper classes began to import Hungarian
and Silesia
n wine
s. Mead was so widespread that in the 13th century Prince Leszek I the White
explained to the Pope
that Polish knights could not participate in a crusade as there was no mead in the Holy Land
. Also, vodka
became popular, possibly among the lower classes first. There is written evidence suggesting that vodka
originated in Poland
. The word "vodka" was recorded for the first time ever in 1405 in Akta Grodzkie, the court documents from the Palatinate of Sandomierz in Poland. At that time, the word wódka (vodka) referred to chemical compounds such as medicine
s and cosmetic
' cleansers, while the popular beverage was called gorzałka (from the Old Polish gorzeć).
(second wife of Sigismund I of Poland
) many Italian cooks came to Poland after 1518. Although native vegetable foods were an ancient and intrinsic part of the cuisine, this began a period in which vegetables like lettuce
, leeks, celeriac
and cabbage
were more widely used. Even today, some of those vegetables are referred to in Polish
as włoszczyzna, a word derived from Włochy, the Polish name of Italy
. During this period the use of spices, which arrived in Poland via west Asian trade routes, was common among those who could afford them, and dishes considered elegant could be very spicy. However, the idea that Queen Bona was the first to introduce vegetables to Poland is false. While her southern cooks may have helped elevate and expand the role of various vegetables in royal Polish cuisine, records show that the court of King Jagiello (who died in 1434, over 80 years before her reign) enjoyed a variety of vegetables including lettuce, beets, cabbage, turnip, carrots, peas and cauliflower.
Polish-style pickled cucumber
(ogórek kiszony) is a variety developed in the northern parts of Europe. It has been exported worldwide and is found in the cuisines of many countries. It is sour but tends to be seasoned differently. It is usually preserved in wooden barrels. A cucumber only pickled for a few days is different in taste (less sour) than one pickled for a longer time and is called ogórek małosolny, which means "lightly salted cucumber". Another kind of pickled cucumber
, popular in Poland
, is ogórek konserwowy (preserved cucumber) which is rather sweet and vinegary in taste, due to different composition of the preserving solution. It is kept in wooden barrels.
The only indisputable fact is that the court of Queen Bona was fed in an Italian fashion, because she exclusively employed Italian cooks, some of whom were originally hired to prepare parties for aristocratic families but who were soon serving typical Italian dishes as part of the court's daily menus. Court records show that Queen Bona imported large volumes of eastern and southern fruit such as oranges, lemons, pomegranates, olives, figs, chestnuts, raisins and almonds (including marzipan), along with grain (such as rice), cane sugar and Italian olive oil. The court also imported various herbs and spices including black pepper, fennel, saffron, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, .
perpetrated by the neighboring empires, Poland
was one of the largest countries in the world, encompassing many regions with their own, distinctive culinary traditions. Two consecutive Polish kings, Władysław IV
and John II Casimir (Polish
: Jan II Kazimierz Waza) married the same French Duchess, Marie Louise Gonzaga (Polish
: Ludwika Maria), daughter of Charles I, Duke of Mantua
; persecuted by King Louis XIII of France
for her affiance to his opponent Gaston, Duke of Orléans
. Marie Louise arrived in Warsaw in 1646, was widowed, and married again in 1649. Ludwika brought along with her a court full of Frenchmen including courtiers, secretaries, army officers, physicians, merchants, craftsmen, as well as many cooks. Records show that her visiting guests were entertained with the following fowl: waxwing
s, fieldfare
s, snow bunting
, hazel grouse
, partridge
s, black grouse
, capercaillie
s and the forest game: loach
, trout
s, grayling
, salmon
fresh and smoked, flounder
s, salted herring
, lamprey
s in vinegar, oyster
s, snail
s, and Genoese pâté, not to mention fresh fruit and chestnuts. French and Italian wines were served, as well as mead
and local beers. The dishes were made only according to French recipes whilst the traditional Polish meals were considered heavy. The royal court with all its innovations exerted a broad influence over the rest of aristocratic residences and noble palaces across Poland. French cuisine was in fashion and many families willingly employed French
cooks and Pâté
makers. In mid 18th century on Polish tables appeared the French champagne. Also, among the most influential in that period were Lithuanian
, Jewish
, German
and Hungarian cuisine, not to mention Armenian
, which arrived in Poland before the 17th century along with many settlers especially in the south-eastern part of the Republic. Signature dishes of the East reached Polish tables via Armenian trade and cultural exchange with Poland's eastern neighbors. Rare delicacies were brought to royal court as gifts from sultans and royal envoys. The strongest influences were noted in the cities of Lwów, Kraków
, Kamieniec Podolski and Zamość
due to many Armenians living there permanently. Also, because of the close contact with the Ottoman Empire
, coffee
(kawa) and Boza
became popular.
With the subsequent decline of Poland
, and the grain production crisis that followed The Deluge
, potatoes began to replace the traditional use of cereal.
The first Polish cook-book, Compendium Ferculorum albo zebranie potraw by Stanisław Czerniecki was published in 1682. Under the partitions, the cuisine of Poland
became heavily influenced by cuisines of the surrounding empires. This included Russian
and German
cuisines, but also the culinary traditions of most nations of the Austro-Hungarian
empire. The 19th century also saw the creation of the many Polish cook-book, by Jan Szyttler, Anna Ciundziewicka, Wincenta Zawadzka, Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa
and others.
, Poland
fell under Communist occupation. Restaurants were at first nationalized
and then mostly closed down by the authorities. Instead, the communists envisioned a net of lunch rooms for the workers at various companies, and milk bars
. The very few restaurants that survived the 1940s and 1950s were state-owned and were mostly unavailable to common people due to high prices. The lunch rooms promoted mostly inexpensive meals, including soups of all kinds and staples such as pierogi
. A typical second course consisted of some sort of a ground meat cutlet
served with potatoes. The kotlet schabowy is similar to the Austrian Wiener schnitzel
.
With time, the shortage economy
led to chronic scarcity of meat
, eggs, coffee
, tea
and other basic ingredients of daily use. Many products like chocolate
, sugar
and meat were rationed, with a specific limit depending on social class and health requirements. Physical workers and pregnant women were generally entitled to more food products. Imports were restricted, so much of the food supply was domestic. Thus no tropical fruits (citrus, banana
, pineapple
, etc.) were available and fruits and vegetables were mostly seasonal; to be had only in the summer. For most of the year the Poles had to get by with only domestic winter fruit and vegetables: apples, onions, potatoes, cabbage
, root vegetables.
This situation led in turn to gradual replacement of traditional Polish cuisine with food prepared from anything available at the moment. Among the popular dishes introduced by the public restaurants was an egg cutlet, a sort of a hamburger
made of minced or instant egg
and flour
. The traditional recipes were mostly preserved during the Wigilia
feast (Christmas Eve
), for which most families tried to prepare 12 traditional courses.
With the end of communism in Poland
in 1989, restaurants started to reopen and basic foodstuffs were once again easily obtainable. This led to a gradual return of traditional Polish cuisine, both in everyday life and in restaurants. In addition, restaurants and supermarkets promoted the use of ingredients typical to other cuisines of the world. Among the most notable foods that started to become common in Poland
were cucurbit
, zucchini
and all kinds of fish. During communist times, these were available mostly in the seaside regions.
Recent years have seen the advent of a slow food
movement, and a number of TV programmes devoted to traditional Polish cuisine have gained much popularity. In 2011 a nostalgic cookbook (written in English) combining a child's memories growing up in the Gierek
era with traditional Polish recipes was published in London
Fast food is growing more and more popular in Poland
, most commonly with the McDonald's
chain, KFC
and Pizza Hut
. Doner kebab
s are also gaining popularity. Nonetheless, in most of Poland
you can still get traditional Polish fast-food such as zapiekanka
. There are also many small-scale, quick-service restaurants which usually serve items such as zapiekanka (baguette with cheese, sometimes meat
and/or button mushroom
and ketchup
), kebab
, hamburgers, hot dogs and kielbasa. In Warsaw, Poland's capital city, a 3-course meal in one of Warsaw's top restaurant's costs on average twenty-six GBP.
usually consists of borscht
with uszka
(small dumplings) – a classic Polish Christmas Eve
starter, followed by fried carp
, carp
fillet with potato salad
, carp in aspic
etc. Carp provides a main component of the Christmas Eve meal across Poland. Other popular dishes include pickled matjas herring
, rollmops
, pierogi
with sauerkraut
and forest mushrooms, pierogi filled with white cheese and potatoes, gołąbki (cabbage rolls) with forest mushrooms, fish soup
, kiełbasa sausages, ham
s and bigos
(savory stew of cabbage and meat) and vegetable salads. Among popular desserts are various fruits like oranges
among others, poppy
seed cake makowiec (makówki in Silesia
), fruit compote
, kluski
with poppyseed, kutia
sweet grain pudding in the eastern regions, like (Białystok) and ginger bread. Regional dishes include żurek
, siemieniotka
(in Silesia
), and kołduny - mushrooms or meat stuffed dumplings in the eastern regions.
"Tłusty Czwartek" (Fat Thursday) is a Catholic feast celebrated on the last Thursday before the Lent. Traditionally it is a day when people eat big amounts of sweets and cakes that are afterwards forbidden until Easter. As the date is closely connected with Easter and beginning of the Lent, "Tłusty Czwartek" belongs to moveable feasts. The next Thursday falls already after Ash Wednesday that is the period of the Lent when the Catholics should restrain from overeating.
The most popular sweets during Fat Thursday are pączki
(Polish donuts) or faworki called also in some regions of Poland
"chrust". The donuts one can fill with marmalade or briar and cover with powdered sugar or sugar-icing.
However, Fat Thursday used to mark the beginning of Fat Week the period of great gluttony during which Polish ancestors would eat loads of lard, bacon and all the kinds of meat consumed with vodka
. Nowadays Fat Thursday is associated especially with donuts, therefore on that day confectioneries are besieged by Poles who wish to purchase pączki
(Polish donuts) to celebrate the feast. One of the old superstitions says that the one who does not eat any donuts on Fat Thursday will not succeed afterwards. But the Poles do not feel endangered with this superstition an average Pole eats on Fat Thursday 2,5 of donuts while the whole country eats almost 100 million of them altogether.
The first donuts did not remind those that we know nowadays. Those made of the same dough as bread, filled with pork fat and fried on lard were popular until 16th century. Only afterwards they were made in a sweet way. The most important secret is that the confectioneries do not make them in advance every respectful cake shop makes pączki
the night before the Poles reach the shops to buy them. Polish pączki
are still different than so called donuts or similar sweets made in other countries. Their dough is made of yeast, flour and eggs. Polish pączki
are fried in deep oil or lard only for several dozen of seconds so that the fat would not soak inside. They taste the best when still warm. Some people used to fill few of them with almond or nut instead of marmalade while encountering this exquisite filling was supposed to bring good luck.
Although many housewives make pączki
and faworki
at home, one can still see crowds of people standing in the line at confectioneries to buy this Fat Thursday’s specialities.
Breakfast often consists of cold-cuts served with horseradish sauce and beet salads, breads, bigos
, scrambled eggs
, smoked or fried salmon
or herring, marinated vegetable salads, coffee, tea and cakes, i.e. chocolate cake, mazurek
, etc.
, Podlaskie, Masovia (including Warsaw
), Masuria
, Pomerania
, Silesia
, Lesser Poland
, the Tatra mountains
and Greater Poland
see the List of Polish cuisine dishes
In Poland, welcoming with bread and salt ("chlebem i solą") is often associated with the traditional hospitality ("staropolska gościnność") of the Polish nobility (szlachta
), who prided themselves on their hospitality. A 17th-century Polish poet, Wespazjan Kochowski
, wrote in 1674: "O good bread, when it is given to guests with salt and good will!" Another poet who mentioned the custom was Wacław Potocki.http://www.republika.pl/o_chlebie/potocki.html The custom was, however, not limited to the nobility, as Polish people of all classes observed this tradition, reflected in old Polish proverb
s. http://www.culture.pl/pl/culture/artykuly/wy_wy_chlebem_sola_wieliczka Nowadays, the tradition is mainly observed on wedding days, when newlyweds are greeted with bread and salt by their parents on returning from the church wedding
.
We have told about a certain canon of Polish bread. It would be wrong however to conclude that there's only one type of it which is worth mentioning. Each good bakery makes its bread slightly differently. Breads are made of various cereals (not just wheat or rye), whole grain breads abound and sometimes some traditional extra ingredients are used (e.g. onion, sunflower seed or lard). And, taking a broader view, the variety of bakery products in Poland is truly magnificent.
(wódka). The world's first written mention of the drink was in 1405 in a document from Sandomierz
in southeast Poland. Well-known brands are: Spirytus Rektyfikowany
(It isn't a vodka, as vodka is a drink with about 40% of alcohol, "spirytus" on the other hand is about 90% and is mostly used as baking ingredient or sterilising liquid only in very rare cases as a drink), Sobieski
, Belvedere
, Chopin
, Wyborowa, Żubrówka
. Pure vodka is drunk as a rule. It is not customary to drink vodka out of tiny glass of brandy, but will be 50 - to 100 - milliliter glass preferred (Shot Glass).
Poland is also a land of beer
. Beer
(Piwo) is brewed to different types of beer. Almost every major city has its own brewery. There are also traditional breweries, some of which look back on a centuries-old history. Popular brand names include Tyskie
, Żywiec
, Warka
, Lech
, Okocim, Łomża
, Piast
, EB. Almost every brewery in Poland has a summer Beer Festival
from the city/town where the brewery is located. According to a 2009 Ernst & Young report, Poland is Europe's third largest beer producer: Germany with 103 million hectolitres, UK with 49.5 million hl, Poland with 36.9 million hl. Following consecutive growth in the home market, Związek Pracodawców Przemysłu Piwowarskiego (Union of the Brewing Industry Employers in Poland), which represents approximately 90% of the Polish beer market, announced during the annual brewing industry conference that consumption of beer in 2008 rose to 94 litres per capita, or 35,624 million hectolitres sold on domestic market. Statistically, a Polish consumer drinks some 92 litres of beer a year, which places it a third behind Germany.
Wine
(Wino), which is recently becoming popular, for many years was rarely consumed in Poland. However, since the Middle Ages it was part of national culture. Past, wine was purchased mainly from Hungary in the 16th century. In the 10th century mead
a honey wine was a popular drunk in Poland. In the 13th century Prince Leszek I the White
explained to the Pope
that Polish knights could not participate in a crusade as there was no mead
in the Holy Land
.
. Kompot is a non-alcoholic beverage made of boiled fruit, optionally also with sugar and spices (clove or cinnamon), served hot or cold. It can be made of one type of fruit or a mixture, including apples, peaches, pears, strawberries or sour cherries. Susz is type of kompot made with dried fruits, most commonly apples, apricots, figs. Traditionally served on Christmas, it has a distinct taste and smell and a brown colour.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It has evolved over the centuries due to historical circumstances. Polish national cuisine shares some similarities with other Central European and Eastern European traditions as well as French
French cuisine
French cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from France that has developed from centuries of social change. In the Middle Ages, Guillaume Tirel , a court chef, authored Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of Medieval France...
and Italian
Italian cuisine
Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BCE. Italian cuisine in itself takes heavy influences, including Etruscan, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Byzantine, Jewish and Arab cuisines...
similarities. It is rich in meat, especially beef, chicken and pork, and winter vegetables (cabbage in the dish bigos
Bigos
Bigos , known as a Hunter's Stew, is a traditional meat stew typical of Polish, Lithuanian, Belarusians and Ukrainian cuisine, considered to be the Polish and Ukrainian national dish....
), and spices. It is also characteristic in its use of various kinds of noodle
Noodle
The noodle is a type of food, made from any of a variety of doughs, formed into long thin ribbons, strips, curly-cues, waves, helices, pipes, tubes, strings, or other various shapes, sometimes folded. They are usually cooked in a mixture of boiling water and/or oil. Depending upon the type, noodles...
s the most notable of which are kluski
Kluski
Kluski is a generic Polish name for all kinds of dumplings without a filling, though at times the word also refers to all varieties of noodles as well. It is usually made of chunks of boiled dough. There are several varieties of kluski, depending mostly on the dough...
as well as cereal
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
s such as kasha
Kasha
Kasha is a cereal commonly eaten in Eastern Europe. In English, kasha generally refers to buckwheat groats, but in Slavic countries, kasha refers to porridge in general and can be made from any cereal, especially buckwheat, wheat, barley, oats, millet, and rye...
(from the Polish word kasza). Generally speaking, Polish cuisine is hearty and uses a lot of cream and eggs. The traditional dishes are often demanding in preparation. Many Poles allow themselves a generous amount of time to serve and enjoy their festive meals, especially Christmas eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
dinner (Wigilia
Wigilia
Wigilia is the traditional Christmas Eve vigil supper in Poland,held on December 24. The term is also often extended to the whole day of the Christmas Eve, extending further into the midnight Mass held at Roman Catholic churches all over Poland and large Polish communities worldwide at midnight...
) or Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
breakfast which could take a number of days to prepare in their entirety.
Traditionally, the main meal is eaten about 2 p.m. or later, and is usually composed of three courses, starting with a soup, such as popular rosół and tomato soup
Tomato soup
Tomato soup is a soup made from tomatoes. It may be served hot or cold, and can be made in many styles. It may be smooth in texture, but there are recipes which include chunks of tomato, cream and/or chicken stock. Popular toppings for tomato soup include sour cream, and croutons. Tomato soup is...
or more festive barszcz (beet borscht) or żurek
Zurek
Zurek may refer to:* Żurek, a kind of soup* Libor Žůrek, footballer* Teresita Román de Zurek, writer and chef* Wojciech H. Zurek, physicist...
(sour rye meal mash), followed perhaps in a restaurant by an appetizer of herring (prepared in either cream, oil, or vinegar). Other popular appetizers are various cured meats, vegetables or fish in aspic
Aspic
Aspic is a dish in which ingredients are set into a gelatin made from a meat stock or consommé. Non-savory dishes, often made with commercial gelatin mixes without stock or consommé, are usually called gelatin salads....
. The main course is usually meaty including a roast or kotlet schabowy
Kotlet schabowy
Kotlet schabowy is a Polish variety of pork cutlet coated with breadcrumbs similar to Viennese schnitzel, but made of pork tenderloin , or with pork chop....
(breaded pork cutlet). Vegetables, currently replaced by leaf salad, were not very long ago most commonly served as "surówka" - shredded root vegetables with lemon and sugar (carrot, celeriac, beetroot) or sauerkraut (kapusta kiszona). The side dishes are usually boiled potatoes or more traditionally kasza (cereals). Meals often conclude with a dessert such as makowiec, a poppy seed
Poppy seed
Poppy seed is an oilseed obtained from the opium poppy . The tiny kidney-shaped seeds have been harvested from dried seed pods by various civilizations for thousands of years...
pastry, or drożdżówka, a type of yeast cake. Other Polish specialities include chłodnik (a chilled beet or fruit soup for hot days), golonka (pork knuckles cooked with vegetables), kołduny (meat dumplings), zrazy
Zrazy
Zrazy is a meat dish popular in Eastern Europe, especially Poland , Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine.-Ingredients:Classic zrazy have a twisted shape and are made of thin slices of chopped beef, which is flavored with salt and pepper and stuffed with vegetables, mushrooms, eggs, and potato...
(stuffed slices of beef), salceson
Salceson
Salceson is a type of head cheese found in Polish cuisine. There are several varieties of salceson which depend on the ingredients:* Black 'Salceson' which contains blood* White 'Salceson' made with a mixture of seasoned meats, without blood...
and flaki
Flaki
Flaki or Flaczki is a traditional Polish meat stew. It can be an acquired taste, but is one of the many soups that are an important part of the Polish diet...
(tripe
Tripe
Tripe is a type of edible offal from the stomachs of various farm animals.-Beef tripe:...
).
The Polish national dish could be considered to be bigos
Bigos
Bigos , known as a Hunter's Stew, is a traditional meat stew typical of Polish, Lithuanian, Belarusians and Ukrainian cuisine, considered to be the Polish and Ukrainian national dish....
, pierogi
Pierogi
Pierogi are dumplings of unleavened dough - first boiled, then they are baked or fried usually in butter with onions - traditionally stuffed with potato filling, sauerkraut, ground meat, cheese, or fruit...
, kielbasa
Kielbasa
Kielbasa, kołbasa, kobasa, kovbasa, kobasa, kobasi, and kubasa are common North American anglicizations for a type of Eastern European sausage. Synonyms include Polish sausage, Ukrainian sausage, etc...
, kotlet schabowy
Kotlet schabowy
Kotlet schabowy is a Polish variety of pork cutlet coated with breadcrumbs similar to Viennese schnitzel, but made of pork tenderloin , or with pork chop....
, gołąbki, zrazy
Zrazy
Zrazy is a meat dish popular in Eastern Europe, especially Poland , Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine.-Ingredients:Classic zrazy have a twisted shape and are made of thin slices of chopped beef, which is flavored with salt and pepper and stuffed with vegetables, mushrooms, eggs, and potato...
, (silesian rouladen
Rouladen
Rouladen are a German meat roulade usually consisting of bacon, onions, mustard and pickles wrapped in thinly sliced beef which is then cooked...
) roast and tomato soup
Tomato soup
Tomato soup is a soup made from tomatoes. It may be served hot or cold, and can be made in many styles. It may be smooth in texture, but there are recipes which include chunks of tomato, cream and/or chicken stock. Popular toppings for tomato soup include sour cream, and croutons. Tomato soup is...
or barszcz.
Middle Ages
Polish cuisine in the Middle Ages was based on dishes made of agricultural produce (millet, rye, wheat), meats of wild and farm animals, fruits, herbs and local spices. It was known above all for abundant use of salt and permanent presence of groats (Kasha). A high calorific value of dishes and drinking beer as a basic drink (unlike wineWine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
in south and west Europe) was typical of Middle Ages Polish cuisine. Beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
and mead
Mead
Mead , also called honey wine, is an alcoholic beverage that is produced by fermenting a solution of honey and water. It may also be produced by fermenting a solution of water and honey with grain mash, which is strained immediately after fermentation...
were the most popular drinks.
During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the cuisine of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
was very heavy and spicy. Two main ingredients were meat (both game
Game (food)
Game is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals are also hunted for sport.The type and range of animals hunted for food varies in different parts of the world. This will be influenced by climate, animal diversity, local taste and locally accepted view about what can or...
and beef) and cereal. The latter consisted initially of proso millet
Proso millet
Proso millet is also known as common millet, hog millet or white millet. Both the wild ancestor and the location of domestication of proso millet are unknown, but it first appears as a crop in both Transcaucasia and China about 7,000 years ago, suggesting that it may have been domesticated...
, but later in the Middle Ages other types of cereal became widely used. Most commoners did not use bread and instead consumed cereals in the forms of kasza or various types of flatbread
Flatbread
A flatbread is a simple bread made with flour, water, and salt and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are unleavened: made without yeast or sourdough culture: although some flatbread is made with yeast, such as pita bread....
, some of which (for instance kołacz) are considered traditional recipes even in the 21st century. Apart from cereals, a large portion of the daily diet of mediaeval Poles consisted of beans, mostly broad beans
Vicia faba
This article refers to the Broad Bean plant. For Broadbean the company, see Broadbean, Inc.Vicia faba, the Broad Bean, Fava Bean, Field Bean, Bell Bean or Tic Bean, is a species of bean native to north Africa and southwest Asia, and extensively cultivated elsewhere. A variety is provisionally...
and pea
Pea
A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...
s. As the territory of Poland was densely forested, usage of mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
s, forest berries, nuts and wild honey was also widespread.
Thanks to close trade relations with the East, the price of spice
Spice
A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. It may be used to flavour a dish or to hide other flavours...
s (such as juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
, black pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
and nutmeg
Nutmeg
The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...
) was much lower than in the rest of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and spicy sauces became popular. The usage of two basic sauces (the jucha czerwona and jucha szara, or red and gray blood in Old Polish) remained widespread at least until 18th century.
The daily beverages included milk, whey
Whey
Whey or Milk Serum is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a by-product of the manufacture of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is manufactured during the making of rennet types of hard cheese like cheddar or Swiss cheese...
, buttermilk
Buttermilk
Buttermilk refers to a number of dairy drinks. Originally, buttermilk was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cream. It also refers to a range of fermented milk drinks, common in warm climates where unrefrigerated fresh milk otherwise sours quickly...
and various herb infusion
Infusion
An infusion is the outcome of steeping plants with desired chemical compounds or flavors in water or oil.-History:The first recorded use of essential oils was in the 10th or 11th century by the Persian polymath Avicenna, possibly in The Canon of Medicine.-Preparation techniques:An infusion is very...
s. The most popular alcoholic beverages were beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
and mead
Mead
Mead , also called honey wine, is an alcoholic beverage that is produced by fermenting a solution of honey and water. It may also be produced by fermenting a solution of water and honey with grain mash, which is strained immediately after fermentation...
, however in the 16th century upper classes began to import Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
n wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
s. Mead was so widespread that in the 13th century Prince Leszek I the White
Leszek I the White
Leszek I the White , also listed by some sources as Leszek II the White, was Prince of Sandomierz and High Duke of Poland from 1194 until his death, except for the short periods following when he was deposed as Polish ruler...
explained to the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
that Polish knights could not participate in a crusade as there was no mead in the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
. Also, vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
became popular, possibly among the lower classes first. There is written evidence suggesting that vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
originated in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. The word "vodka" was recorded for the first time ever in 1405 in Akta Grodzkie, the court documents from the Palatinate of Sandomierz in Poland. At that time, the word wódka (vodka) referred to chemical compounds such as medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
s and cosmetic
Cosmetics
Cosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, towelettes, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and...
' cleansers, while the popular beverage was called gorzałka (from the Old Polish gorzeć).
Renaissance
Along with the Italian queen Bona SforzaBona Sforza
Bona Sforza was a member of the powerful Milanese House of Sforza. In 1518, she became the second wife of Sigismund I the Old, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and became the Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania.She was the third child of Gian Galeazzo Sforza and his wife...
(second wife of Sigismund I of Poland
Sigismund I the Old
Sigismund I of Poland , of the Jagiellon dynasty, reigned as King of Poland and also as the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until 1548...
) many Italian cooks came to Poland after 1518. Although native vegetable foods were an ancient and intrinsic part of the cuisine, this began a period in which vegetables like lettuce
Lettuce
Lettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. It is eaten either raw, notably in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and many other dishes, or cooked, as in Chinese cuisine in which the stem becomes just as important...
, leeks, celeriac
Celeriac
Celeriac is also known as celery root, turnip-rooted celery or knob celery. It is a kind of celery, grown as a root vegetable primarily for its large and bulbous hypocotyl rather than for its stem and leaves. The swollen hypocotyl is typically used when it is about 10–12 cm in...
and cabbage
Cabbage
Cabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae and is a leafy green vegetable...
were more widely used. Even today, some of those vegetables are referred to in Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
as włoszczyzna, a word derived from Włochy, the Polish name of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. During this period the use of spices, which arrived in Poland via west Asian trade routes, was common among those who could afford them, and dishes considered elegant could be very spicy. However, the idea that Queen Bona was the first to introduce vegetables to Poland is false. While her southern cooks may have helped elevate and expand the role of various vegetables in royal Polish cuisine, records show that the court of King Jagiello (who died in 1434, over 80 years before her reign) enjoyed a variety of vegetables including lettuce, beets, cabbage, turnip, carrots, peas and cauliflower.
Polish-style pickled cucumber
Pickled cucumber
A pickled cucumber is a cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, vinegar, or other solution and left to ferment for a period of time, by either immersing the cucumbers in an acidic solution or through souring by lacto-fermentation.-Gherkin:A gherkin is not only...
(ogórek kiszony) is a variety developed in the northern parts of Europe. It has been exported worldwide and is found in the cuisines of many countries. It is sour but tends to be seasoned differently. It is usually preserved in wooden barrels. A cucumber only pickled for a few days is different in taste (less sour) than one pickled for a longer time and is called ogórek małosolny, which means "lightly salted cucumber". Another kind of pickled cucumber
Pickled cucumber
A pickled cucumber is a cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, vinegar, or other solution and left to ferment for a period of time, by either immersing the cucumbers in an acidic solution or through souring by lacto-fermentation.-Gherkin:A gherkin is not only...
, popular in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, is ogórek konserwowy (preserved cucumber) which is rather sweet and vinegary in taste, due to different composition of the preserving solution. It is kept in wooden barrels.
The only indisputable fact is that the court of Queen Bona was fed in an Italian fashion, because she exclusively employed Italian cooks, some of whom were originally hired to prepare parties for aristocratic families but who were soon serving typical Italian dishes as part of the court's daily menus. Court records show that Queen Bona imported large volumes of eastern and southern fruit such as oranges, lemons, pomegranates, olives, figs, chestnuts, raisins and almonds (including marzipan), along with grain (such as rice), cane sugar and Italian olive oil. The court also imported various herbs and spices including black pepper, fennel, saffron, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, .
The Republic
Until the PartitionsPartitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
perpetrated by the neighboring empires, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
was one of the largest countries in the world, encompassing many regions with their own, distinctive culinary traditions. Two consecutive Polish kings, Władysław IV
Władysław IV Vasa
Władysław IV Vasa was a Polish and Swedish prince from the House of Vasa. He reigned as King of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 8 November 1632 to his death in 1648....
and John II Casimir (Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
: Jan II Kazimierz Waza) married the same French Duchess, Marie Louise Gonzaga (Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
: Ludwika Maria), daughter of Charles I, Duke of Mantua
Charles I, Duke of Mantua
Charles Gonzaga was Duke of Mantua and Duke of Montferrat from 1627 until his death. He was also Duke of Rethel and Nevers, as well as Prince of Arches.-Biography:...
; persecuted by King Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
for her affiance to his opponent Gaston, Duke of Orléans
Gaston, Duke of Orléans
Gaston of France, , also known as Gaston d'Orléans, was the third son of King Henry IV of France and his wife Marie de Medici. As a son of the king, he was born a Fils de France. He later acquired the title Duke of Orléans, by which he was generally known during his adulthood...
. Marie Louise arrived in Warsaw in 1646, was widowed, and married again in 1649. Ludwika brought along with her a court full of Frenchmen including courtiers, secretaries, army officers, physicians, merchants, craftsmen, as well as many cooks. Records show that her visiting guests were entertained with the following fowl: waxwing
Waxwing
The waxwings form the genus Bombycilla of passerine birds. According to most authorities, this is the only genus placed in the family Bombycillidae.-Description:Waxwings are characterised by soft silky plumage...
s, fieldfare
Fieldfare
The Fieldfare is a member of the thrush family Turdidae. It breeds in woodland and scrub in northern Europe and Asia. It is strongly migratory, with many northern birds moving south during the winter. It is a very rare breeder in Great Britain and Ireland, but winters in large numbers in these...
s, snow bunting
Snow Bunting
The Snow Bunting , sometimes colloquially called a snowflake, is a passerine bird in the longspur family Calcariidae. It is an arctic specialist, with a circumpolar Arctic breeding range throughout the northern hemisphere...
, hazel grouse
Hazel Grouse
The Hazel Grouse or Hazel Hen is one of the smaller members of the grouse family of birds. It is a sedentary species, breeding across northern Eurasia and central and eastern Europe in dense, damp, mixed coniferous woodland, preferably with some spruce.The nest is on the ground, and 3–6 eggs is...
, partridge
Partridge
Partridges are birds in the pheasant family, Phasianidae. They are a non-migratory Old World group.These are medium-sized birds, intermediate between the larger pheasants and the smaller quails. Partridges are native to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East...
s, black grouse
Black Grouse
The Black Grouse or Blackgame is a large bird in the grouse family. It is a sedentary species, breeding across northern Eurasia in moorland and bog areas near to woodland, mostly boreal...
, capercaillie
Capercaillie
The Western Capercaillie , also known as the Wood Grouse, Heather Cock or Capercaillie , is the largest member of the grouse family, reaching over 100 cm in length and 6.7 kg in weight. The largest one ever recorded in captivity had a weight of 7.2 kg....
s and the forest game: loach
Loach
Loach may refer to:* Loaches, fish families in the Cypriniformes:** Cobitidae, the "true" loaches – formerly all loaches were united in this family** Balitoridae, the hillstream loaches – the largest family, closely related to Cobitidae...
, trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
s, grayling
Grayling (species)
The grayling is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is the type species of its genus. Native to the Palearctic ecozone, the grayling is widespread throughout northern Europe, from the United Kingdom and France to the Ural Mountains in Russia...
, salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
fresh and smoked, flounder
Flounder
The flounder is an ocean-dwelling flatfish species that is found in coastal lagoons and estuaries of the Northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.-Taxonomy:There are a number of geographical and taxonomical species to which flounder belong.*Western Atlantic...
s, salted herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
, lamprey
Lamprey
Lampreys are a family of jawless fish, whose adults are characterized by a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth. Translated from an admixture of Latin and Greek, lamprey means stone lickers...
s in vinegar, oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
s, snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
s, and Genoese pâté, not to mention fresh fruit and chestnuts. French and Italian wines were served, as well as mead
Mead
Mead , also called honey wine, is an alcoholic beverage that is produced by fermenting a solution of honey and water. It may also be produced by fermenting a solution of water and honey with grain mash, which is strained immediately after fermentation...
and local beers. The dishes were made only according to French recipes whilst the traditional Polish meals were considered heavy. The royal court with all its innovations exerted a broad influence over the rest of aristocratic residences and noble palaces across Poland. French cuisine was in fashion and many families willingly employed French
cooks and Pâté
Pâté
Pâté is a mixture of ground meat and fat minced into a spreadable paste. Common additions include vegetables, herbs, spices, and either wine or cognac, armagnac or brandy...
makers. In mid 18th century on Polish tables appeared the French champagne. Also, among the most influential in that period were Lithuanian
Lithuanian cuisine
Lithuanian cuisine features the products suited to the cool and moist northern climate of Lithuania: barley, potatoes, rye, beets, greens, berries, and mushrooms are locally grown, and dairy products are one of its specialities...
, Jewish
Jewish cuisine
Jewish Cuisine is a collection of the different cooking traditions of the Jewish people worldwide. It is a diverse cuisine that has evolved over many centuries, shaped by Jewish dietary laws and Jewish Festival and Sabbath traditions...
, German
German cuisine
German cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of Germany. It has evolved as a national cuisine through centuries of social and political change with variations from region to region. The southern regions of Germany, including Bavaria and neighbouring Swabia, share many dishes....
and Hungarian cuisine, not to mention Armenian
Armenian cuisine
Armenian cuisine includes the foods and cooking techniques of the Armenian people, the Armenian diaspora and traditional Armenian foods and dishes. The cuisine reflects the history and geography where Armenians have lived as well as incorporating outside influences...
, which arrived in Poland before the 17th century along with many settlers especially in the south-eastern part of the Republic. Signature dishes of the East reached Polish tables via Armenian trade and cultural exchange with Poland's eastern neighbors. Rare delicacies were brought to royal court as gifts from sultans and royal envoys. The strongest influences were noted in the cities of Lwów, Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Kamieniec Podolski and Zamość
Zamosc
Zamość ukr. Замостя is a town in southeastern Poland with 66,633 inhabitants , situated in the south-western part of Lublin Voivodeship , about from Lublin, from Warsaw and from the border with Ukraine...
due to many Armenians living there permanently. Also, because of the close contact with the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
(kawa) and Boza
Boza
Boza, also bosa , is a popular fermented beverage in Kazakhstan, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, parts of Romania, Serbia, Ukraine and also Poland and Lithuania...
became popular.
With the subsequent decline of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and the grain production crisis that followed The Deluge
The Deluge (Polish history)
The term Deluge denotes a series of mid-17th century campaigns in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In a wider sense it applies to the period between the Khmelnytsky Uprising of 1648 and the Truce of Andrusovo in 1667, thus comprising the Polish–Lithuanian theaters of the Russo-Polish and...
, potatoes began to replace the traditional use of cereal.
The first Polish cook-book, Compendium Ferculorum albo zebranie potraw by Stanisław Czerniecki was published in 1682. Under the partitions, the cuisine of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
became heavily influenced by cuisines of the surrounding empires. This included Russian
Russian cuisine
Russian cuisine is diverse, as Russia is the largest country in the world. Russian cuisine derives its varied character from the vast and multi-cultural expanse of Russia. Its foundations were laid by the peasant food of the rural population in an often harsh climate, with a combination of...
and German
German cuisine
German cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of Germany. It has evolved as a national cuisine through centuries of social and political change with variations from region to region. The southern regions of Germany, including Bavaria and neighbouring Swabia, share many dishes....
cuisines, but also the culinary traditions of most nations of the Austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
empire. The 19th century also saw the creation of the many Polish cook-book, by Jan Szyttler, Anna Ciundziewicka, Wincenta Zawadzka, Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa
Lucyna Cwierczakiewiczowa
Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa was a Polish writer, journalist and author of Polish cookery books.Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa was born in Warsaw, in the notable family of von Bachman...
and others.
After World War II
After the end of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
fell under Communist occupation. Restaurants were at first nationalized
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
and then mostly closed down by the authorities. Instead, the communists envisioned a net of lunch rooms for the workers at various companies, and milk bars
Bar mleczny
A bar mleczny - literally "milk bar" in Polish is a Polish form of cafeteria. They were invented by the communist authorities of Poland in the mid-1960s as a means of offering cheap meals to people working in companies that had no official canteen...
. The very few restaurants that survived the 1940s and 1950s were state-owned and were mostly unavailable to common people due to high prices. The lunch rooms promoted mostly inexpensive meals, including soups of all kinds and staples such as pierogi
Pierogi
Pierogi are dumplings of unleavened dough - first boiled, then they are baked or fried usually in butter with onions - traditionally stuffed with potato filling, sauerkraut, ground meat, cheese, or fruit...
. A typical second course consisted of some sort of a ground meat cutlet
Cutlet
Cutlet refers to:# a thin slice of meat from the leg or ribs of veal, pork, or mutton # a fried cutlet# a croquette made of minced meat...
served with potatoes. The kotlet schabowy is similar to the Austrian Wiener schnitzel
Wiener schnitzel
Schnitzel is a traditional Austrian dish made with boneless meat thinned with a mallet , coated in bread crumbs and fried. It is a popular part of Viennese, Austrian cuisine and German Cuisine...
.
With time, the shortage economy
Shortage economy
Shortage economy is a term coined by the Hungarian economist, János Kornai. He used this term to criticize the old centrally-planned economies of the communist states of the Eastern Bloc...
led to chronic scarcity of meat
Meat
Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
, eggs, coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
and other basic ingredients of daily use. Many products like chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
, sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
and meat were rationed, with a specific limit depending on social class and health requirements. Physical workers and pregnant women were generally entitled to more food products. Imports were restricted, so much of the food supply was domestic. Thus no tropical fruits (citrus, banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
, pineapple
Pineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
, etc.) were available and fruits and vegetables were mostly seasonal; to be had only in the summer. For most of the year the Poles had to get by with only domestic winter fruit and vegetables: apples, onions, potatoes, cabbage
Cabbage
Cabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae and is a leafy green vegetable...
, root vegetables.
This situation led in turn to gradual replacement of traditional Polish cuisine with food prepared from anything available at the moment. Among the popular dishes introduced by the public restaurants was an egg cutlet, a sort of a hamburger
Hamburger
A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
made of minced or instant egg
Egg (food)
Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...
and flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
. The traditional recipes were mostly preserved during the Wigilia
Wigilia
Wigilia is the traditional Christmas Eve vigil supper in Poland,held on December 24. The term is also often extended to the whole day of the Christmas Eve, extending further into the midnight Mass held at Roman Catholic churches all over Poland and large Polish communities worldwide at midnight...
feast (Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
), for which most families tried to prepare 12 traditional courses.
Modern era
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1989, restaurants started to reopen and basic foodstuffs were once again easily obtainable. This led to a gradual return of traditional Polish cuisine, both in everyday life and in restaurants. In addition, restaurants and supermarkets promoted the use of ingredients typical to other cuisines of the world. Among the most notable foods that started to become common in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
were cucurbit
Cucurbitaceae
The plant family Cucurbitaceae consists of various squashes, melons, and gourds, including crops such as cucumber, pumpkins, luffas, and watermelons...
, zucchini
Zucchini
The zucchini is a summer squash which often grows to nearly a meter in length, but which is usually harvested at half that size or less. It is a hybrid of the cucumber. Along with certain other squashes, it belongs to the species Cucurbita pepo. Zucchini can be dark or light green...
and all kinds of fish. During communist times, these were available mostly in the seaside regions.
Recent years have seen the advent of a slow food
Slow Food
Slow Food is an international movement founded by Carlo Petrini in 1986. Promoted as an alternative to fast food, it strives to preserve traditional and regional cuisine and encourages farming of plants, seeds and livestock characteristic of the local ecosystem. It was the first established part of...
movement, and a number of TV programmes devoted to traditional Polish cuisine have gained much popularity. In 2011 a nostalgic cookbook (written in English) combining a child's memories growing up in the Gierek
Gierek
Gierek may refer to:* Edward Gierek , a Polish communist politician** Gierek decade * Stanisława Gierek, née Jędrusik , wife of Edward...
era with traditional Polish recipes was published in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Fast food is growing more and more popular in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, most commonly with the McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
chain, KFC
KFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
and Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
. Doner kebab
Doner kebab
Doner kebab is a dish made of roasted meat cooked on a vertical spit. It is also known regionally as gyro , shawarma, and al pastor . It consists of shaved lamb, goat, chicken, turkey, beef, or mixed meats roasted on a spit. Less common alternatives include fish and sausage...
s are also gaining popularity. Nonetheless, in most of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
you can still get traditional Polish fast-food such as zapiekanka
Zapiekanka
Zapiekanka is a Polish halved baguette or bread topped mainly with mushrooms and cheese, also ham or other types of meat, and vegetables. Beside some basic version there are several recipes like Zapiekanka "Hawaiian" with pineapple, "Greek" with olives and feta cheese etc. They are usually placed...
. There are also many small-scale, quick-service restaurants which usually serve items such as zapiekanka (baguette with cheese, sometimes meat
Meat
Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
and/or button mushroom
Button mushroom
Agaricus bisporus—known variously as the common mushroom, button mushroom, white mushroom, table mushroom, champignon mushroom, crimini mushroom, Swiss brown mushroom, Roman brown mushroom, Italian brown, Italian mushroom, cultivated mushroom, or when mature, the Portobello mushroom—is an edible...
and ketchup
Ketchup
Ketchup is a sweet-and-tangy condiment typically made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup and an assortment of...
), kebab
Kebab
Kebab is a wide variety of meat dishes originating in Middle East and later on adopted by the Middle East, and Asia Minor, and now found worldwide. In English, kebab with no qualification generally refers more specifically to shish kebab served on the skewer...
, hamburgers, hot dogs and kielbasa. In Warsaw, Poland's capital city, a 3-course meal in one of Warsaw's top restaurant's costs on average twenty-six GBP.
Christmas dishes in Poland
Traditional Christmas Eve supper called WigiliaWigilia
Wigilia is the traditional Christmas Eve vigil supper in Poland,held on December 24. The term is also often extended to the whole day of the Christmas Eve, extending further into the midnight Mass held at Roman Catholic churches all over Poland and large Polish communities worldwide at midnight...
usually consists of borscht
Borscht
Borscht is a soup of Ukrainian origin that is popular in many Eastern and Central European countries. In most of these countries, it is made with beetroot as the main ingredient, giving it a deep reddish-purple color...
with uszka
Uszka
Uszka, , are small dumplings usually filled with flavoursome wild forest mushrooms and/or minced meat. They are usually served with barszcz, though they can be eaten simply with melted butter and herbs sprinkled over...
(small dumplings) – a classic Polish Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
starter, followed by fried carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
, carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
fillet with potato salad
Potato salad
Potato salad is a dish made from boiled potatoes, the versions of which vary throughout different regions and countries of the world. Although called a salad, it is generally considered a side dish, as it generally accompanies the main course....
, carp in aspic
Aspic
Aspic is a dish in which ingredients are set into a gelatin made from a meat stock or consommé. Non-savory dishes, often made with commercial gelatin mixes without stock or consommé, are usually called gelatin salads....
etc. Carp provides a main component of the Christmas Eve meal across Poland. Other popular dishes include pickled matjas herring
Atlantic herring
Atlantic herring is a fish in the family Clupeidae. It is one of the most abundant fish species on earth. Herring can be found on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, congregating in large schools. They can grow up to in length and weigh more than...
, rollmops
Rollmops
Rollmops are pickled herring fillets, rolled into a cylindrical shape around slices of onion, pickled gherkin, or green olive with pimento. Rollmops can be served held together with one or two small wooden skewers....
, pierogi
Pierogi
Pierogi are dumplings of unleavened dough - first boiled, then they are baked or fried usually in butter with onions - traditionally stuffed with potato filling, sauerkraut, ground meat, cheese, or fruit...
with sauerkraut
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut , directly translated from German: "sour cabbage", is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid...
and forest mushrooms, pierogi filled with white cheese and potatoes, gołąbki (cabbage rolls) with forest mushrooms, fish soup
Fish soup
Fisherman's Soup or halászlé ; , ribena chorba; , ribina čorba) is a hot, spicy paprika-based river fish soup, originating as a dish of Hungarian cuisine, a bright red hot soup prepared with generous amounts of hot paprika and carp or mixed river fish, characteristic for the cuisines of the...
, kiełbasa sausages, ham
Ham
Ham is a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especiallypigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured.-Etymology:...
s and bigos
Bigos
Bigos , known as a Hunter's Stew, is a traditional meat stew typical of Polish, Lithuanian, Belarusians and Ukrainian cuisine, considered to be the Polish and Ukrainian national dish....
(savory stew of cabbage and meat) and vegetable salads. Among popular desserts are various fruits like oranges
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
among others, poppy
Poppy
A poppy is one of a group of a flowering plants in the poppy family, many of which are grown in gardens for their colorful flowers. Poppies are sometimes used for symbolic reasons, such as in remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime....
seed cake makowiec (makówki in Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
), fruit compote
Compote
Compote is a dessert originating from 17th century France made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup. Whole fruits are immersed in water and with sugar and spices added to the dish, over gentle heat. The syrup may be seasoned with vanilla, lemon or orange peel, cinnamon sticks or powder,...
, kluski
Kluski
Kluski is a generic Polish name for all kinds of dumplings without a filling, though at times the word also refers to all varieties of noodles as well. It is usually made of chunks of boiled dough. There are several varieties of kluski, depending mostly on the dough...
with poppyseed, kutia
Kutia
Kutia is a sweet grain pudding, traditionally served in Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Belarusian and Polish cultures. Kutia is often the first dish in the traditional twelve-dish Christmas Eve supper...
sweet grain pudding in the eastern regions, like (Białystok) and ginger bread. Regional dishes include żurek
Zurek
Zurek may refer to:* Żurek, a kind of soup* Libor Žůrek, footballer* Teresita Román de Zurek, writer and chef* Wojciech H. Zurek, physicist...
, siemieniotka
Siemieniotka
Siemieniotka is a Silesian soup made of hemp seed, often eaten at the traditional Christmas Eve meal, Wigilia.The name of the dish comes from its main component: seeds ....
(in Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
), and kołduny - mushrooms or meat stuffed dumplings in the eastern regions.
Fat Thursday
The most popular sweets during Fat Thursday are pączki
Paczki
Pączki are pastries traditional to Polish cuisine . Pączki is the plural form of the Polish word pączek , though many English speakers use paczki as singular and paczkis as plural. In English, the common pronunciation imitates the Polish pronunciation, but some speakers pronounce the word or...
(Polish donuts) or faworki called also in some regions of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
"chrust". The donuts one can fill with marmalade or briar and cover with powdered sugar or sugar-icing.
However, Fat Thursday used to mark the beginning of Fat Week the period of great gluttony during which Polish ancestors would eat loads of lard, bacon and all the kinds of meat consumed with vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
. Nowadays Fat Thursday is associated especially with donuts, therefore on that day confectioneries are besieged by Poles who wish to purchase pączki
Paczki
Pączki are pastries traditional to Polish cuisine . Pączki is the plural form of the Polish word pączek , though many English speakers use paczki as singular and paczkis as plural. In English, the common pronunciation imitates the Polish pronunciation, but some speakers pronounce the word or...
(Polish donuts) to celebrate the feast. One of the old superstitions says that the one who does not eat any donuts on Fat Thursday will not succeed afterwards. But the Poles do not feel endangered with this superstition an average Pole eats on Fat Thursday 2,5 of donuts while the whole country eats almost 100 million of them altogether.
The first donuts did not remind those that we know nowadays. Those made of the same dough as bread, filled with pork fat and fried on lard were popular until 16th century. Only afterwards they were made in a sweet way. The most important secret is that the confectioneries do not make them in advance every respectful cake shop makes pączki
Paczki
Pączki are pastries traditional to Polish cuisine . Pączki is the plural form of the Polish word pączek , though many English speakers use paczki as singular and paczkis as plural. In English, the common pronunciation imitates the Polish pronunciation, but some speakers pronounce the word or...
the night before the Poles reach the shops to buy them. Polish pączki
Paczki
Pączki are pastries traditional to Polish cuisine . Pączki is the plural form of the Polish word pączek , though many English speakers use paczki as singular and paczkis as plural. In English, the common pronunciation imitates the Polish pronunciation, but some speakers pronounce the word or...
are still different than so called donuts or similar sweets made in other countries. Their dough is made of yeast, flour and eggs. Polish pączki
Paczki
Pączki are pastries traditional to Polish cuisine . Pączki is the plural form of the Polish word pączek , though many English speakers use paczki as singular and paczkis as plural. In English, the common pronunciation imitates the Polish pronunciation, but some speakers pronounce the word or...
are fried in deep oil or lard only for several dozen of seconds so that the fat would not soak inside. They taste the best when still warm. Some people used to fill few of them with almond or nut instead of marmalade while encountering this exquisite filling was supposed to bring good luck.
Although many housewives make pączki
Paczki
Pączki are pastries traditional to Polish cuisine . Pączki is the plural form of the Polish word pączek , though many English speakers use paczki as singular and paczkis as plural. In English, the common pronunciation imitates the Polish pronunciation, but some speakers pronounce the word or...
and faworki
Faworki
Angel wings are a traditional sweet crisp pastry made out of dough that has been shaped into thin twisted ribbons, deep-fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Traditionally present in several European cuisines, angel wings are known by many other names and have been incorporated into other...
at home, one can still see crowds of people standing in the line at confectioneries to buy this Fat Thursday’s specialities.
Easter Breakfast
A typical EasterEaster
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
Breakfast often consists of cold-cuts served with horseradish sauce and beet salads, breads, bigos
Bigos
Bigos , known as a Hunter's Stew, is a traditional meat stew typical of Polish, Lithuanian, Belarusians and Ukrainian cuisine, considered to be the Polish and Ukrainian national dish....
, scrambled eggs
Scrambled eggs
Scrambled eggs is a dish made from beaten whites and yolks of eggs . Beaten eggs are put into a hot pot or pan and stirred frequently, forming curds as they coagulate.-Sample preparation:...
, smoked or fried salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
or herring, marinated vegetable salads, coffee, tea and cakes, i.e. chocolate cake, mazurek
Mazurek (cake)
Mazurek is a type of pastry baked in Poland, particularly at Easter, but also at other winter holidays. It is generally decorated with icing and fruit and nuts.-Mazurek with chocolate icing:Ingredients...
, etc.
Regional cuisine
Poland has a number of unique regional cuisines with regional differences in preparations and ingredients. For an extensive list of the dishes typical to Galicia, KresyKresy
The Polish term Kresy refers to a land considered by Poles as historical eastern provinces of their country. Today, it makes western Ukraine, western Belarus, as well as eastern Lithuania, with such major cities, as Lviv, Vilnius, and Hrodna. This territory belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian...
, Podlaskie, Masovia (including Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
), Masuria
Masuria
Masuria is an area in northeastern Poland famous for its 2,000 lakes. Geographically, Masuria is part of two adjacent lakeland districts, the Masurian Lake District and the Iława Lake District...
, Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
, Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
, Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland is one of the historical regions of Poland, with its capital in the city of Kraków. It forms the southeastern corner of the country, and should not be confused with the modern Lesser Poland Voivodeship, which covers only a small, southern part of Lesser Poland...
, the Tatra mountains
Tatra Mountains
The Tatra Mountains, Tatras or Tatra , are a mountain range which forms a natural border between Slovakia and Poland, and are the highest mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains...
and Greater Poland
Greater Poland
Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...
see the List of Polish cuisine dishes
Soups
- Zupa pomidorowa - Tomato soupTomato soupTomato soup is a soup made from tomatoes. It may be served hot or cold, and can be made in many styles. It may be smooth in texture, but there are recipes which include chunks of tomato, cream and/or chicken stock. Popular toppings for tomato soup include sour cream, and croutons. Tomato soup is...
usually served with noddle, potato or rice. - Kartoflanka - Potato soup.
- Barszcz - Its strictly vegetarian version is the first course during the Christmas Eve feast, served with ravioli-type dumplings called "uszka" (little dumping ears) with mushroom filling (sauerkraut can be used as well, again depending on the family tradition).
- Chłodnik - Cold beet soup made of soured milk, young beet leaves, beets, cucumbers and chopped fresh dill.
- CzerninaCzerninaCzernina is a Polish soup made of duck blood and clear poultry broth. In English it can be called "duck blood soup"....
- DuckDuckDuck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
blood soup. - FlakiFlakiFlaki or Flaczki is a traditional Polish meat stew. It can be an acquired taste, but is one of the many soups that are an important part of the Polish diet...
or Flaczki - Beef or pork tripeTripeTripe is a type of edible offal from the stomachs of various farm animals.-Beef tripe:...
stew with marjoramMarjoramMarjoram is a somewhat cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours...
. Common ingredients include beef tripe, beef, bay leafBay LaurelThe bay laurel , also known as sweet bay, bay tree, true laurel, Grecian laurel, laurel tree, or simply laurel, is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glossy leaves, native to the Mediterranean region. It is the source of the bay leaf used in cooking...
, parsleyParsleyParsley is a species of Petroselinum in the family Apiaceae, native to the central Mediterranean region , naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as an herb, a spice and a vegetable.- Description :Garden parsley is a bright green hairless biennial herbaceous plant in temperate...
, carrotCarrotThe carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh...
, beef broth, and spices to taste, including saltSaltIn chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
, black pepperBlack pepperBlack pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
, nutmegNutmegThe nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...
, sweet paprikaPaprikaPaprika is a spice made from the grinding of dried fruits of Capsicum annuum . In many European languages, the word paprika refers to bell peppers themselves. The seasoning is used in many cuisines to add color and flavor to dishes. Paprika can range from mild to hot...
, and marjoramMarjoramMarjoram is a somewhat cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours...
. - Rosół - Clear chicken soup served with noodles.
- Zupa grzybowa - MushroomMushroomA mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
soup made of various species of mushroom. - Zupa ogórkowa - Dill pickle Soup of sour, salted cucumbers, often with pork.
- Zupa szczawiowa - Sorrel soup.
- ŻurZurZur occurs five times in the King James Bible.The first mention is Cozbi, the daughter of Zur. She was slain in Numbers 25:15. This is the pericope where Numbers 25:1 tells us that Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab:* And the name of the...
or ŻurekZurekZurek may refer to:* Żurek, a kind of soup* Libor Žůrek, footballer* Teresita Román de Zurek, writer and chef* Wojciech H. Zurek, physicist...
- Żur with potatoes, Polish sausage (kielbasaKielbasaKielbasa, kołbasa, kobasa, kovbasa, kobasa, kobasi, and kubasa are common North American anglicizations for a type of Eastern European sausage. Synonyms include Polish sausage, Ukrainian sausage, etc...
), and eggEgg (food)Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...
(jajko). Depending on the part of Poland it came from it may contain mushrooms as well. This dish is also called żurek starowiejski (old village). - Grochówka - Pea, lentil, potato soup.
- Kapuśniak - Sauerkraut soup with chicken.
- Zupa jarzynowa - Chicken with vegetables boullion base vegetable soup.
Bread
Bread (Chleb) and bread rolls (Bułka) makes the Polish cuisine and tradition complete. It has been an essential part of them both for centuries. Today bread remains one of the most important foods in the Polish cuisine. The main ingredient for Polish bread is wheat or rye. Traditional bread has a crunchy crust, is soft but not too soft inside, and has unforgettable aroma. Such bread is made on sourdough which lends it a distinctive taste. It can be stored for a week or so without getting too hard and is not crumbly when cut. Unfortunately these days more and more breads are made in a more "modern" way, which yields cheaper and less tasty, industrial-like product.In Poland, welcoming with bread and salt ("chlebem i solą") is often associated with the traditional hospitality ("staropolska gościnność") of the Polish nobility (szlachta
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
), who prided themselves on their hospitality. A 17th-century Polish poet, Wespazjan Kochowski
Wespazjan Kochowski
Wespazjan Kochowski was one of the most noted historians and poets of Polish Baroque, the most typical representative of the philosophy and literature of Sarmatism.- Life :Kochowski was associated with Małopolska during all his life...
, wrote in 1674: "O good bread, when it is given to guests with salt and good will!" Another poet who mentioned the custom was Wacław Potocki.http://www.republika.pl/o_chlebie/potocki.html The custom was, however, not limited to the nobility, as Polish people of all classes observed this tradition, reflected in old Polish proverb
Proverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
s. http://www.culture.pl/pl/culture/artykuly/wy_wy_chlebem_sola_wieliczka Nowadays, the tradition is mainly observed on wedding days, when newlyweds are greeted with bread and salt by their parents on returning from the church wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
.
We have told about a certain canon of Polish bread. It would be wrong however to conclude that there's only one type of it which is worth mentioning. Each good bakery makes its bread slightly differently. Breads are made of various cereals (not just wheat or rye), whole grain breads abound and sometimes some traditional extra ingredients are used (e.g. onion, sunflower seed or lard). And, taking a broader view, the variety of bakery products in Poland is truly magnificent.
Desserts
- Makowiec - Poppy seed-swirl cake, sometimes with raisins and/or nuts.
- PączekPaczkiPączki are pastries traditional to Polish cuisine . Pączki is the plural form of the Polish word pączek , though many English speakers use paczki as singular and paczkis as plural. In English, the common pronunciation imitates the Polish pronunciation, but some speakers pronounce the word or...
- Closed donut filled with rose marmalade or other fruit conserves. - Pierniki - Soft gingerbread shapes iced or filled with marmalade of different fruit flavours and covered with chocolate.
- SernikCheesecakeCheesecake is a dessert consisting of a topping made of soft, fresh cheese, usually on a crust or base made from biscuit , pastry or sponge cake. They may be baked or unbaked...
- Sernik (cheesecake) is one of the most popular desserts in Poland. It is a cake made primarily of twaróg, a type of fresh cheese. - ChałkaChallahChallah also khale ,, berches , barkis , bergis , chałka , vánočka , zopf and kitke , is a special braided bread eaten on...
- Sweet white wheat bread of Jewish origin. - KrówkiKrówkiKrówki , literally "little cows," are Polish fudge, semi-soft milk toffee candies.It is one of the most common Polish confectioneries, sold worldwide, and might be considered "dulce de Leche candy". Commercially, many brands are available; most of them have each individual candy wrapped in...
- Polish fudgeFudgeFudge is a type of Western confectionery which is usually very sweet, and extremely rich. It is made by mixing sugar, butter, and milk and heating it to the soft-ball stage at , and then beating the mixture while it cools so that it acquires a smooth, creamy consistency...
, soft milk toffeeToffeeToffee is a confection made by caramelizing sugar or molasses along with butter, and occasionally flour. The mixture is heated until its temperature reaches the hard crack stage of 300 to 310 °F...
candies. - KisielKisselKissel or kisel is a fruit soup, popular as a dessert in Eastern and Northern Europe. It consists of sweetened juice, thickened with arrowroot, cornstarch or potato starch, and sometimes red wine or fresh or dried fruits are added...
- Clear, jelly-like fruit liquid. - Budyń - Pudding, usually comes in many different flavors, such as sweet cream, chocolate, and even cherry.
- Twaróg, A type of fresh cheese.
- FaworkiFaworkiAngel wings are a traditional sweet crisp pastry made out of dough that has been shaped into thin twisted ribbons, deep-fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Traditionally present in several European cuisines, angel wings are known by many other names and have been incorporated into other...
- Light fried pastry covered with powdered sugar. - Pańska Skórka, Miodek - Kind of hard TaffyTaffy (candy)Taffy is a type of chewy candy, similar to toffee. Taffy is often sold alongside bubblegum and candy. Taffy is made by stretching or pulling a sticky mass of boiled sugar, butter or vegetable oil, flavorings, and coloring until fluffy. When this process is complete, the taffy is rolled, cut into...
sold at cemeteries during ZaduszkiZaduszkiZaduszki is a Polish tradition of lighting candles and visiting the graves of the relatives on All Souls Day. Its origins can be traced to the times of Slavic mythology....
and at Stare Miasto (Old city) in WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. - KutiaKutiaKutia is a sweet grain pudding, traditionally served in Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Belarusian and Polish cultures. Kutia is often the first dish in the traditional twelve-dish Christmas Eve supper...
- A small square pasta with wheat, poppy seeds, nuts, raisins and honey. Typically served during Christmas in the eastern regions (Białystok).
Drinks
In Poland, vodka (wódka), lays claim to having distilled vodka since the 8th century. In the 11th century when they were called gorzalka, originally used as medicines. Poland is known for its production of vodkaVodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
(wódka). The world's first written mention of the drink was in 1405 in a document from Sandomierz
Sandomierz
Sandomierz is a city in south-eastern Poland with 25,714 inhabitants . Situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship , previously in Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship . It is the capital of Sandomierz County . Sandomierz is known for its Old Town, a major tourist attraction...
in southeast Poland. Well-known brands are: Spirytus Rektyfikowany
Rectified spirit
A rectified spirit, rectified alcohol, or neutral spirit is highly concentrated ethanol which has been purified by means of repeated distillation, a process that is called rectification. It typically contains 95% alcohol by volume...
(It isn't a vodka, as vodka is a drink with about 40% of alcohol, "spirytus" on the other hand is about 90% and is mostly used as baking ingredient or sterilising liquid only in very rare cases as a drink), Sobieski
Sobieski Vodka
Sobieski Vodka is produced in Poland from rye . It is named after Jan III Sobieski, a 17th century Polish king and military leader. Sobieski has been distilled since 1864. It comes in variety of flavours such as: Original , Peach, Mandarin, Vanilla, Melon, etc...
, Belvedere
Belvedere (vodka)
Belvedere is a luxury brand of Polish vodka produced and distributed by LVMH. It is named after Belweder, the Polish presidential palace, whose illustration appears on the company's bottles. It is produced exclusively in Poland in the town of Żyrardów and has worldwide distribution....
, Chopin
Chopin vodka
Chopin vodka is a single-ingredient vodka, 4 times distilled from potatoes grown in the Polish region of Podlasie. It is produced by Siedlce-based Podlaska Wytwórnia Wódek Polmos. Chopin was first introduced to North America in 1997. The production is done in small batches...
, Wyborowa, Żubrówka
Zubrówka
Żubrówka , also known in English as Buffalo Grass Vodka or Bison Grass Vodka, is a brand of dry, herb-flavored vodka that is distilled from rye and bottled at 40% alcohol by volume...
. Pure vodka is drunk as a rule. It is not customary to drink vodka out of tiny glass of brandy, but will be 50 - to 100 - milliliter glass preferred (Shot Glass).
Vodka Brands
- BelvedereBelvedere (vodka)Belvedere is a luxury brand of Polish vodka produced and distributed by LVMH. It is named after Belweder, the Polish presidential palace, whose illustration appears on the company's bottles. It is produced exclusively in Poland in the town of Żyrardów and has worldwide distribution....
- SobieskiSobieski VodkaSobieski Vodka is produced in Poland from rye . It is named after Jan III Sobieski, a 17th century Polish king and military leader. Sobieski has been distilled since 1864. It comes in variety of flavours such as: Original , Peach, Mandarin, Vanilla, Melon, etc...
- ChopinChopin vodkaChopin vodka is a single-ingredient vodka, 4 times distilled from potatoes grown in the Polish region of Podlasie. It is produced by Siedlce-based Podlaska Wytwórnia Wódek Polmos. Chopin was first introduced to North America in 1997. The production is done in small batches...
- LuksusowaLuksusowa vodkaLuksusowa is a Polish brand of vodka distilled from potatoes.The fact that it is distilled from potatoes makes it unusual in the contemporary vodka market, which is dominated by grain spirits. Wódka Luksusowa is also available in 50% ethanol version "Luksusowa black". Also in flavoured variety...
- ŻubrówkaZubrówkaŻubrówka , also known in English as Buffalo Grass Vodka or Bison Grass Vodka, is a brand of dry, herb-flavored vodka that is distilled from rye and bottled at 40% alcohol by volume...
- Wyborowa
- Biała Dama
- Żołądkowa Gorzka
- StarkaStarkaStarka is a traditional dry vodka distilled from rye grain, produced mostly in Poland and Lithuania. Traditional Starka is made from natural rye spirit and aged in oak barrels with small addition of lime-tree and apple-tree leaves. The process of production is similar to that used in whisky...
- KrupnikKrupnikKrupnik, or Krupnikas as it is known in Lithuanian, is a traditional sweet alcohol similar to a liqueur, based on grain spirit and honey, popular in Poland and Lithuania. Mass produced versions consist of 40%-50% alcohol, but traditional versions will use 80% - 100% grain alcohol as the base...
- SiwuchaSiwucha vodkaSiwucha is an incompletely rectified vodka from Poland. The name derives from the siwy color of the liquid due to Tyndall effect of the colloid emulsion of residual fusel oil.-History:...
- UltimatUltimat VodkaUltimat is a luxury brand of vodka produced in Poland and sold through the Patrón Spirits Company.Made from a blend of three different vodkas - potato, wheat and rye...
- Pan Tadeusz
- Pravda
Poland is also a land of beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
. Beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
(Piwo) is brewed to different types of beer. Almost every major city has its own brewery. There are also traditional breweries, some of which look back on a centuries-old history. Popular brand names include Tyskie
Tyskie
Tyskie is one of the best selling brands of beer in Europe, with around 18% of the European market. Tyskie also has a world distribution, one the biggest export partners is Canada and the United States...
, Żywiec
Zywiec Brewery
Żywiec Brewery is a brewery founded in 1852, in Żywiec, Poland, then part of Austria-Hungary. It was nationalised after the Second World War. Grupa Zywiec S.A. consists of five main breweries: Żywiec Brewery, Elbrewery, Leżajsk, Warka Brewery and Cieszyn Brewery...
, Warka
Warka Brewery
The Warka Brewery is one of Poland's oldest breweries and belongs to the Żywiec Group. Żywiec Group has five main breweries: Żywiec Brewery, Elbrewery, Leżajsk Brewery, Cieszyn Brewery and Warka Brewery, and is majority owned by the Dutch Heineken Group...
, Lech
Lech Brewery Wielkopolski
Lech Brewery Wielkopolski - big industrial brewery in Poznan, the production capacity of 7.5 million hl. The plant is owned by Kompania Piwowarska SA.-History:Modern brewing plant in Poznan was built between 1975-1980. In 1984 malt was added to the beer...
, Okocim, Łomża
Browar Łomża
The Browar Łomża is Poland's fourth largest brewery. Browar Lomza Sp. z o.o. launched the plant in 1968. In 2007 it was purchased by Royal Unibrew. The Browar Łomża brewery is located in Łomża, Poland. In 2011 it was sold to company Van Pur.-Brand:...
, Piast
Piast Brewery
Piast Brewery is a defunct brewery, located in Wrocław, Poland. It was founded in 1872, when the city of Wrocław, known as Breslau, belonged to the German Empire....
, EB. Almost every brewery in Poland has a summer Beer Festival
Beer festival
A Beer Festival is an organised event during which a variety of beers are available for tasting and purchase. Beer festivals are held in a number of countries...
from the city/town where the brewery is located. According to a 2009 Ernst & Young report, Poland is Europe's third largest beer producer: Germany with 103 million hectolitres, UK with 49.5 million hl, Poland with 36.9 million hl. Following consecutive growth in the home market, Związek Pracodawców Przemysłu Piwowarskiego (Union of the Brewing Industry Employers in Poland), which represents approximately 90% of the Polish beer market, announced during the annual brewing industry conference that consumption of beer in 2008 rose to 94 litres per capita, or 35,624 million hectolitres sold on domestic market. Statistically, a Polish consumer drinks some 92 litres of beer a year, which places it a third behind Germany.
Beer Brands
- TyskieTyskieTyskie is one of the best selling brands of beer in Europe, with around 18% of the European market. Tyskie also has a world distribution, one the biggest export partners is Canada and the United States...
- WarkaWarka BreweryThe Warka Brewery is one of Poland's oldest breweries and belongs to the Żywiec Group. Żywiec Group has five main breweries: Żywiec Brewery, Elbrewery, Leżajsk Brewery, Cieszyn Brewery and Warka Brewery, and is majority owned by the Dutch Heineken Group...
- ŻywiecZywiec BreweryŻywiec Brewery is a brewery founded in 1852, in Żywiec, Poland, then part of Austria-Hungary. It was nationalised after the Second World War. Grupa Zywiec S.A. consists of five main breweries: Żywiec Brewery, Elbrewery, Leżajsk, Warka Brewery and Cieszyn Brewery...
- Okocim
- LechLech Brewery WielkopolskiLech Brewery Wielkopolski - big industrial brewery in Poznan, the production capacity of 7.5 million hl. The plant is owned by Kompania Piwowarska SA.-History:Modern brewing plant in Poznan was built between 1975-1980. In 1984 malt was added to the beer...
- ŁomżaBrowar ŁomżaThe Browar Łomża is Poland's fourth largest brewery. Browar Lomza Sp. z o.o. launched the plant in 1968. In 2007 it was purchased by Royal Unibrew. The Browar Łomża brewery is located in Łomża, Poland. In 2011 it was sold to company Van Pur.-Brand:...
- LeżajskLeżajsk BreweryThe Leżajsk Brewery is one of Poland's oldest breweries and belongs to the Żywiec Group. Żywiec Group has five main breweries: Żywiec Brewery, Elbrewery, Leżajsk Brewery, Cieszyn Brewery and Warka Brewery, and is majority owned by the Dutch Heineken Group...
- ŻubrŻubr (beer)Żubr beer is a Polish lager brewed on from of barley malt by the company Kompania Piwowarska SA. It contains 12.1% of the extract and 6.0% alcohol. The brand has been promoted throughout the country by Kompania Piwowarska based on the product acquired in 2003 along with the Dojlidy Brewery in...
- PiastPiast BreweryPiast Brewery is a defunct brewery, located in Wrocław, Poland. It was founded in 1872, when the city of Wrocław, known as Breslau, belonged to the German Empire....
- Dębowe Mocne
- Bracki Koźlak
- Królewskie
- Tatra
- EB
- Wojak
- Redd's
- Perła
- Specjal
- Harnaś
- Brok
Wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
(Wino), which is recently becoming popular, for many years was rarely consumed in Poland. However, since the Middle Ages it was part of national culture. Past, wine was purchased mainly from Hungary in the 16th century. In the 10th century mead
Mead
Mead , also called honey wine, is an alcoholic beverage that is produced by fermenting a solution of honey and water. It may also be produced by fermenting a solution of water and honey with grain mash, which is strained immediately after fermentation...
a honey wine was a popular drunk in Poland. In the 13th century Prince Leszek I the White
Leszek I the White
Leszek I the White , also listed by some sources as Leszek II the White, was Prince of Sandomierz and High Duke of Poland from 1194 until his death, except for the short periods following when he was deposed as Polish ruler...
explained to the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
that Polish knights could not participate in a crusade as there was no mead
Mead
Mead , also called honey wine, is an alcoholic beverage that is produced by fermenting a solution of honey and water. It may also be produced by fermenting a solution of water and honey with grain mash, which is strained immediately after fermentation...
in the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
.
- Czwórniak - A Polish meadMeadMead , also called honey wine, is an alcoholic beverage that is produced by fermenting a solution of honey and water. It may also be produced by fermenting a solution of water and honey with grain mash, which is strained immediately after fermentation...
, made using three units of water for each unit of honey. - Dwójniak - A Polish meadMeadMead , also called honey wine, is an alcoholic beverage that is produced by fermenting a solution of honey and water. It may also be produced by fermenting a solution of water and honey with grain mash, which is strained immediately after fermentation...
, made using equal amounts of water and honey. - Półtorak - A Polish great meadMeadMead , also called honey wine, is an alcoholic beverage that is produced by fermenting a solution of honey and water. It may also be produced by fermenting a solution of water and honey with grain mash, which is strained immediately after fermentation...
, made using two units of honey for each unit of water. - Trójniak - A Polish meadMeadMead , also called honey wine, is an alcoholic beverage that is produced by fermenting a solution of honey and water. It may also be produced by fermenting a solution of water and honey with grain mash, which is strained immediately after fermentation...
, made using two units of water for each unit of honey.
Non-Alcoholic Drinks
In Poland, soft drinks are called "napoje gazowane" (carbonated drinks). The term "soft drinks" can also refer to any non-alcoholic drinks ("napoje bezalkoholowe") like water, tea, juice, coffee or kompotKompot
thumb|Dried plum kompotthumb|Apple and quince kompotKompot is a traditional drink in Central and Eastern European countries. It is a light, refreshing drink most often made of dried or fresh fruit boiled in water with sugar and left to cool and infuse...
. Kompot is a non-alcoholic beverage made of boiled fruit, optionally also with sugar and spices (clove or cinnamon), served hot or cold. It can be made of one type of fruit or a mixture, including apples, peaches, pears, strawberries or sour cherries. Susz is type of kompot made with dried fruits, most commonly apples, apricots, figs. Traditionally served on Christmas, it has a distinct taste and smell and a brown colour.
Folk medicine
- Syrop z Cebuli - A cough remedy made of chopped onion and sugar; although it is very tasty, it is still considered a medicine.
- Herbata góralska - Tea with alcohol.
Lists of common Polish dishes found on a national level
- List of common Polish soups
- Common main courses
- Common desserts
- Common beverages
- Common folk medicine
Selected ingredients
- kapusta kiszona - sauerkrautSauerkrautSauerkraut , directly translated from German: "sour cabbage", is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid...
- ogórek kiszony - salted sour cucumberCucumberThe cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon. The plant is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. There are three main varieties of cucumber: "slicing", "pickling", and...
, a picklePicklingPickling, also known as brining or corning is the process of preserving food by anaerobic fermentation in brine to produce lactic acid, or marinating and storing it in an acid solution, usually vinegar . The resulting food is called a pickle. This procedure gives the food a salty or sour taste...
prepared in a similar way to sauerkraut - kiełbasaKielbasaKielbasa, kołbasa, kobasa, kovbasa, kobasa, kobasi, and kubasa are common North American anglicizations for a type of Eastern European sausage. Synonyms include Polish sausage, Ukrainian sausage, etc...
- Polish sausage, comes in a wide variety of versions - śmietana - a type of sour cream
- CzerninaCzerninaCzernina is a Polish soup made of duck blood and clear poultry broth. In English it can be called "duck blood soup"....
- duck blood soup