Polish Cuisine

Polish cuisine has evolved over the centuries to become very eclectic due to Poland's history. It shares many similarities with other Central European cuisines, especially German, Austrian and Hungarian cuisines, as wel as Jewish, Belarussian, Ukrainian, Russian, French and Italian culinary traditions. It is rich in meat, especially pork, chicken and beef and winter vegetables. It is also characteristic in its use of various kinds of noodles the most notable of which are kluski as well as cereals 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.

The Polish national dishes

The Polish national dishes are bigos, pierogi, kielbasa, kotlet schabowy (type of breaded cutlet), gołąbki (type of cabbage roll), zrazy (type of roulade), roast, sour cucumber soup, mushroom soup, tomato soup, rosół (variety of meat broth), żurek (sour rye soup), flaki (variety of tripe soup) and barszcz among others.

Holiday meals

Traditional Christmas Eve supper called Wigilia is meatless, usually consists of barszcz (borscht) with uszka (small dumplings) – a classic Polish Christmas Eve starter, followed by carp fillet or cod with apple & leeks fresh salad provides a main component of the Christmas Eve meal across Poland. Other popular dishes, for the next day, include pickled matjas herring, rollmops, pierogi with sauerkraut and forest mushrooms. Among popular desserts are gingerbread, cheesecake, 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.

Christmas dishes in Poland

Fat Thursday

Tłusty Czwartek (Fat Thursday) is a Catholic feast celebrated on the last Thursday before the Lent, which is also the last day of carnival. Traditionally it is an occasion to enjoy fair amounts of sweets and cakes which afterwards are not allowed by the Church until Easter.

The most popular sweets during Fat Thursday are pączki (Polish donuts) or faworki called also in some regions of Poland "chrust". The traditional donuts are filled with rose petal jam (plum jam or apple) and covered with thin layer of icing or powdered sugar, sprinkled with orange peel.

Easter breakfast

A typical Easter breakfast often consists of cold-cuts served with horseradish sauce and beet salads, breads, bigos, żurek, kiełbasa, smoked salmon or herring, marinated vegetable salads, Easter salad (chopped boiled eggs, green peas, cwikła, carrot, apple, potato, parsley and mayonnaise) coffee, tea and cakes, i.e. chocolate cake, makowiec, mazurek, sernik, etc.

BIGOS – Hunter's stew

Ingredients:

• white cabbage• sauerkraut• various cuts of meat and sausages• tomatoes• honey• mushrooms

PreparationSimmer the cabbage until soft (1/2 to 1 hour), then drain

Cook the bacon

In the bacon fat, sauté the onions and garlic, and brown the remaining meat except the sausage

Combine all ingredients in a pot and cook (on the stove cook briefly on medium and then simmer 2 to 3 hours)

PIEROGI – dumplings

Pierogi are the Polish form of a handmade dumpling, made of unleavened dough, usually shaped into a semi-circle.Pierogi may be stuffed (singularly or in various combinations) with mashed potatoes, fried onions, farmer's cheese, cabbage, sauerkraut, meat, mushrooms, spinach, or other ingredients depending on the cook's personal preferences.Mashed potatoes mixed with farmer's cheese and fried onions is a popular filling in Poland.

Preparation and ingredients

Dissolve 1 tbs of salt in 1.5 cup of warm water

Pour about 3 cups of all purpose flour to a big deep bowl and pour all salted water

Mix flour and water with spatula or fork in circular motions until mixture become homogeneous

Then start adding more flour and keep stirring; continue adding flour until mixture should get less liquid

Pour a bit of flour on big wooden board; pour dough over the flour

Season dough with more flour and start kneading; keep seasoning dough with more flour if it gets sticky

Knead until dough become elastic; then cover it with plastic and leave to settle for 15-20 mins

Then flour dough again and knead it several times – after that dough is ready; pick filling of your choice

6 cups of all purpose flour

1.5 cups of warm water

1 tbs of salt

GOŁĄBKI – cabbage roll

A cabbage roll (also known as stuffed cabbage or pigs in a blanket) is a dish consisting of cooked cabbage leaves wrapped around a variety of fillings.

Preparation and ingredients

12 leaves cabbage

1 cup cooked rice

1 egg, beaten

Ľ cup milk

Ľ cup minced onion

1 kg beef

Salt

Black pepper

1 can tomato sauce

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil cabbage leaves 2 minutes; drain.

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup cooked rice, egg, milk, onion, ground beef, salt, and pepper. Place about 1/4 cup of meat mixture in center of each cabbage leaf, and roll up, tucking in ends. Place rolls in slow cooker.

In a small bowl, mix together tomato sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over cabbage rolls.

Cover, and cook on Low 8 to 9 hours.

Żurek – sour rye soup

The sour rye soup is a soup made of soured rye flour and meat (usually boiled pork sausage or pieces of smoked sausage, bacon or ham). It is specific to Poland, where it is known as żur or żurek, and a variant is known as barszcz biały ("white barszcz") which is made with wheat flour instead of rye. The soup is also found in the cuisines of other western Slavic nations such as Slovakia.

Preparation and ingredients

Zakwas

•First you need to ferment the flour (make "zakwas"). The ingredients are for 1,5 liter jug of zakwas.

•Take a stone pot and add flour and half of water, stir it thoroughly to avoid clots•Add rest of water

•Peel the garlic, you may cut in in half, but do not chop.

•Add a slice of bread, make certain that bread is totally under water

•Cover with dishcloth and leave it in the cool place for a few (3-5) days

•1,5 l boiled and then cooled water

•1/3 cup white rye flour

•1/4 cup whole meat rye flour

•5 garlic cloves

•1 slice of whole wheat bread

•Raw white sausage (for a 2 liter soup use two to three pieces)

•1 smoked sausage

•Potatoes (peeled and in 2-3 cm pieces)

•1 garcil head

•1 handful of majoram

Soup•Cover the white sausages with water and boil

•Cut smoked sausage in four the long way and then in thin slices

•Add to already boiled white sausages

•After 5 minutes of boiling, add potatoes, pressed garlic and marjoram

•Boiling, boiling and when potatoes are soft, add zakwas

•You can add some butter, salt or more garlic to taste

Zrazy – a meat roulade

Zrazy is a meat roulade dish popular in Eastern Europe, especially Poland. Classic zrazy have a rolled shape and are made of thin slices of beef, which is flavored with salt and pepper and stuffed with vegetables, mushrooms, eggs, and potato. However, there are numerous stuffing combinations as new ones are encouraged, such as pickles and bacon.

Preparation and ingredients

•3 slices top round (see above)

•3 slices lean bacon

•2-3 garlic dill pickles, sliced

•1/2 onion, sliced

•about 2 tbsp. Butter

•mustard (optional), salt, pepper

•Slices of beef season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Thinly spread mustard on top of each slice (optional)

•Divide pickle, bacon and onion slices on one end of each slice

•Roll up slices, tucking the ends in and securing with skewers, wooden cocktail picks, or thread

•Heat butter in skillet. Brown rouladen well on all sides. Do not crowd rouladen in skillet, or they will not brown nicely. Do in small batches if necessary. You can add extra butter if needed

•Once all roulade are well browned, add about 1 cup of hot water, gently stirring up browned bits, return all rouladen to skillet, bring to simmer and cover

•Simmer for about 1 hour.