When it comes to visiting Poland, trying traditional Polish cuisine, which was suppressed along with other aspects of Polish culture during communist times, but has returned with a new generation of chefs reinventing old favorites, has become a favorite for foreign travelers.
Modern Polish cuisine is tasty, hearty, complex and lighter than traditional dishes, mainly to accommodate modern palates, but like many Eastern European countries, traditional Polish foods have their roots in Slavic food. However, Polish food also has influences from Italian and French cuisine, dating back to the medieval Polish court.
Potatoes are a staple of the Polish diet, acting as a building block for a variety of foods. Cream and eggs are also widely used, although modern interpretations of some dishes may use lighter alternatives. Traditional Polish cuisine also features many types of soup made with mushrooms, broth, and beets.
Fish dishes are also popular, especially in regional Polish food. Carp, pike, perch, eel, and sturgeon are popular and served in various ways, and herring is a staple of the Polish Christmas menu. Pork is the most common meat in traditional Polish cuisine, but chicken, beef, venison, duck, and other meats feature on Polish restaurant menus today.
Pierogies: fried or steamed dumplings
The traditional dumpling on every Polish grandmother’s menu is called pierogi, and while other Eastern European and Slavic cultures have versions of pierogi, which have their roots in Russia in the Middle Ages, the Poles have made this dish their own.
Pierogis are made from dough stuffed with cheese, potatoes, onions, cabbage, mushrooms, meat (or just about any other ingredient, salty or sweet, that you can think of). They are traditionally served while still hot, boiled or fried, and are accompanied by sour cream.
Bigos: hunter’s stew
Considered a meal in itself, bigos is a good hunter’s stew with a combination of cabbage, mushrooms, and various meats. Traditionally, pork, bacon, or Polish sausages were used in this dish, but today bigos can also contain venison or duck.
The cooking process takes two to four days when prepared according to Polish traditions, allowing the flavors of each of the ingredients to blend together. However, many modern restaurants often prepare their bigos overnight due to the high demand for this local and tourist favorite.
Zrazy: Grilled Meat Rolls
Zrazy is the traditional Polish food that sticks to your ribs. A filling of bacon, breadcrumbs, mushrooms, and cucumber is rolled inside a seasoned slice of sirloin and then fried or broiled to let the flavors blend.
Originating from the Polish nobility, this dish is also known as a hunter’s meal, as it was traditionally made from slices of beef or game (pork or venison). Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine also have versions of this dish, but you will also find it on most traditional menus in Poland.
Potato Pancakes: panqueques de papa
A popular dish or snack in Poland, potato pancakes are known locally as placki ziemniaczane. Made from grated potatoes pounded with egg, onion, and spices fried in animal fat, these tasty treats are often served with a pinch of sugar in Poland. You can also get something called placek po zbojnicku, which includes these potato pancakes served with meat, sauce, and salad.
Mizeria: Cucumber Salad
This cold salad consists of thinly sliced cucumbers, dill sprigs, and diced onion in a sour cream and lemon juice dressing. You’ll find it served with most meat-based dishes like Zrazy or even Bigos, but it’s a great snack on its own.
Sernik: Polish cheesecake
Made in Poland from quark (twaróg in Polish), a cheese made from sour milk that is heated and curdled, which is also mixed with mashed potatoes to make the filling for pierogis, sernik is the country’s version of a traditional dessert. of cheesecake. Back in pre-communist Poland, quark, which is also known as farmer’s cheese, was cheaper and easier for Poles to use, but still provided the sour / sweet taste of modern cheesecakes.
Szarlotka: Apple Tarts
Like American apple pie, Polish szarlotka is a traditional tradition in its home country. However, the crusts of Polish apple pies are sweeter and made with butter and egg yolks, unlike most apple pie crusts. Besides sernik, szarlotka is one of the most popular dessert options in Poland today.
Eklerka: Éclairs
Although of French origin, these steamed dough desserts have become a staple of bakeries throughout Poland. Filled with whipped cream, beige cream or Russel cream and coated in pomade or chocolate, these éclairs are served year round in most confectioneries.
Makowiec: Poppy Seed Swirl Cakes
Traditionally served in Poland for the Easter holidays, these sweet rolled cakes are filled with dark fruits and nuts. Typically, the ingredients in the filling include poppy seeds, walnuts, raisins, honey, and lightly beaten egg whites. The dough for the cake is more of a yeast type, which makes it a sweet and savory for the holiday season.
Paczki: fried dough filled with pastry cream
Perhaps the best-known desserts in Poland are paczki , which start out as round pieces of fried dough but are then filled with custard or sweet preserves. Traditionally served on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday at the beginning of Lent, paczkis are usually topped with powdered sugar or icing; think donuts but slightly flattened. Pronounced as “key key,” these sweet treats can be found in American cities with large Polish populations, such as Detroit, where customers line up on Paczki’s day at Polish bakeries to sample their heritage.
