ENGWycieczkakulinarna

The project is co-funded by the Regional Operational Programme of Lesser Poland for the years 2014 – 2020. The support of small and medium-sized enterprises which operate in tourism and increasing the recognisability of Lesser Poland as a tourist economic brand.

The project ‘The support of small and medium-sized enterprises which operate in tourism and increasing the recognisability of Lesser Poland as a tourist economic brand’ (no RPMP.03.03.01-12-0593/18) cofunded by the European Union as a part of the Regional Operational Programme of Lesser Poland for the years 2014 – 2020.

The Foundation for the Development of Regions www.f-rr.org

The Association of Polish Spa Communities www.sgurp.pl

Art Manager: Konrad Rogoziński

Text: Maria Kościelniak

Translation: Ewelina Natanek-Rogozińska

Proofreading: Agata Kościelniak

Realization: Digital Places Multimedia Publishing

www.digitalplaces.pl

Kraszewskiego 1/406

33-380 Krynica-Zdrój

Design: Klaudia Stochmal, Nina Kieblesz

Typesetting: Klaudia Stochmal, Nina Kieblesz

Photographies: © Konrad Rogoziński / DigitalPlaces.pl

Apart from:

P 15, photo no 2 © Joanna Dragon

P 19, photo no 2 © Wojciech Ornat

P 39, photo no 1 © Łukasz Świętach

P 39, photo no 2 © Arch. Dziubyniłka

P 41, photos no 1 i 2 © Arch. Stary Dom Zdrojowy w Wysowej

P 10, photo no 1; p 38, photo no 1, p 41, photo no 3 © Adobe Stock

Introduction

Culinary tourism is one of the most pleasant ways of sightseeing! Tastes, aromas, the colours of dishes served on plates give us a chance to get to know a given region with all our senses. One dish can show us more than a museum. Literally speaking, we can taste it!

The history of every commune and its inhabitants is hidden in a regional cuisine. Dishes are prepared with the use of products eaten by people who have lived in a certain place for ages. This is the essence of any regional cuisine – regional dishes are created from available ingredients in a particular place. While visiting mountain areas and tasting local dishes, we will guess straight away which vegetables are the most popular there and what kind of work local people used to do. Seeing international influences in a certain cuisine, we will be able to say what were trade connections in a given place. Looking at menus in restaurants in cities, we may guess which groups of people lived there – Jews, Hungarians or maybe people from villages who came to a city in search of a better life?

The Culinary Trail of Spa Communes will run through mountain areas but we will pop into Cracow as well. We will visit the beautiful Podhale where numerous kinds of cheese and mutton reign, nearby Szczawnica and Rabka where the cuisine of the Gorce Mountains is visible. In Piwniczna Commune we will find out if the cuisine of Black Highlanders differs from the one of Podhale and in Muszyna, Krynica and Uście Gorlickie Commune we will taste dishes eaten by Lemkos. Cracow is a real melting pot as far as food is concerned – in the city we are able to eat dishes from the whole world, obwarzanki (a kind of Polish bagels) and delicacies from Jewish cuisine which has always been connected with Cracow.

We start from Podhale, from Czarny Dunajec, to taste highlander delicacies – fresh cheese, lamb, mutton and mountain herbs. There, we will find climatic regional restaurants and shepherd’s huts where bacas (senior shepherds) make cheese according to old recipes.

The route of the trip

Kwaśnica (barberry), moskole (potato flatbreads), hałuski (noodles), bombolki (baked, yeast noodles) and the king of Podhale – oscypek. Despite the fact that the cuisine of Podhale, unlike other European sophisticated ones, uses basic ingredients, it is full of flavour which reminds us of mountains. We associate it with sheep cheese and grilled mutton greased and served with cabbage. And with highlander tea!

Harsh weather conditions, a long winter and poor soil made it difficult for women from Podhale to prepare dishes for their families. They had to be filling, provide

energy and warm up. Dairy, including popular sheep cheese with the most recognisable oscypek, vegetables which did not mind barren soil, for instance potatoes or cabbage, constituted the basic ingredients. Flour and grease were a must – either in the form of home-made butter or lard with pork scratchings.

However, the limited number of ingredients did not discourage the hostesses from Podhale. Out of few products they could make delicious and substantial dishes which we can enjoy until now.Let us start the culinary journey with starters i.e. local cheeses.

Traditional sheep milk delicacies are handmade on fire in a smoky shepherd’s hut

Jan Hyrczyk’s Shepherd’s Hut

On the road which leads from Czarny Dunajec to Jabłonka (DW957, close to the boglands) there is Baligówka –Jan Hyrczyk’s Shepherd’s Hut where, in summertime, we can buy cheese, find out about sheep grazing, the work of baca (a senior shepherd) and juhas (a shepherd) or the art of making cheese. The grazing season starts with the spring redyk (the spring trailing of sheep) which is on 23rd of April, traditionally on the day of Saint Adalbert. Then, flocks of sheep head for pastures together with farmers who give them under the protection of shepherds. They come back from pastures on the day of Saint Michael, on 29th September – the event is called the autumn redyk (the autumn trailing of sheep). Either the spring or the autumn redyk are great celebrations worth seeing. It is also a good idea to taste cheese produced in Baligówka Shepherd’s Hut. The cheese is a traditional, local delicacy. The hut is a stop on the Oscypek Trail which abounds in numerous places of this type.

visitmalopolska.pl

Karczma „Na Rogu”

highlander feast with dishes straight from Podhale.

Homemade dinner with the touch of Podhale

A classical, homemade dinner with the touch of Podhale, barberry or pizza with oscypek? Because what other ingredient would be more perfect for highlander pizza than oscypek? In Czarny Dunajec, by the crossroads of two roads Jabłonka – Nowy Targ and Rabka – Zakopane, at the corner there is ‘Na Rogu’ (At the Corner) Regional Restaurant. This is a beautiful, wooden building – a real regional restaurant with the atmosphere of Podhale. It looks similarly interesting inside. There are three rooms which would be perfect for 160 people. It is a great space not only for dinner but also for a bigger event – a real,

The place serves regional and Polish cuisine with some European accents. We can order traditional broth with homemade noodles, beetroot soup with cream and more regional żurek (soup made of fermented rye flour). As far as main courses are concerned, we can choose from a wide selection of meats – regional ones with cranberry or mushrooms on the side. You will also be delighted with more modern propositions. The menu offers dishes for vegetarians and, obviously, pizza.

You should definitely try kwaśnica – it is soup based on sauerkraut. It is usually served with potatoes. Very often it is cooked on mutton and served with bread. Oscypek served with cranberries – this is a real classic.

Address: ul. I. Mościckiego 7a, 34-470 Czarny Dunajec

E-mail: karczmanarogu@gmail.com

Phone: + 48 18 30 00 330

karczma.na.rogu

Podczerwone Station

On the Cycling Route around the Tatras

On the Cycling Route around the Tatras

In order to burn some calories, you may ride along the fragment of the Cycling Route around the Tatras which runs in this region where the old rail track used to run. By the route, there is another interesting culinary spot –Podczerwone Station. The bistro is open in summer, in the building of a former train station. You can have something to eat, drink aromatic coffee or something cold at the place. Their breakfast menu offers, apart from sausages and scrambled eggs, shakshuka. Crispy baguettes, salads

and pancakes are available all day long. For dinner you may gulp down a hamburger – the bistro is famous for them! Here you will be able to order dumplings, grilled baguettes or other grilled dishes. On a cool day the Station will welcome you with soup which will warm you up. You can have all this food inside (there are a few tables available) but if you decide to eat outside, you will be pleased. There are tables and deck chairs in the garden – this is an ideal place for dining and relaxing!

Address: Podczerwone, 34-470 Czarny Dunajec

E-mail: stacjapodczerwone@gmail.com

Phone: + 48 515 352 340

StacjaPodczerwone

‘U Śliwy’ Restaurant

in Chochołów

In a wooden cottage

Going through Chochołów along its main road full of beautiful, historic, wooden houses, you need to stop at ‘U Śliwy’ Restaurant which is located in one of those cottages. The place serves traditional, highlander cuisine – we will be able to eat there all the dishes about which we can read in a guidebook. We can taste the real cuisine from Podhale at the place! It is beautiful from outside and the interiors are climatic and cosy. Regional music makes our meals more enjoyable. The place is ideal for those who want to feel the atmosphere of Podhale and eat something regional. Dishes are prepared fresh by highlander cooks with the use of traditional methods. The restaurant has climatic, highlander interiors and you can hear highlander music playing in the background. This is the perfect spot for those who want to feel the atmosphere of Podhale and eat something regional.

We will be able to order well-known dishes – either meat or meatless ones, aromatic soups, breakfast or desserts. The menu also offers something for children. The regional part of the menu is the most interesting one. There is kwaśnica (barberry), Brigand’s potato pancake or moskole (potato shortbreads) with garlic butter. There is local mutton accompanied by potatoes and cabbage. Sheep cheese is served in a variety of ways and you should definitely try Chochołów pot. In winter drop by for highlander tea!

Address: Chochołów 103, 34-513 Chochołów

E-mail: sliwa@chocholow.pl

Phone: + 48 18 275 71 60

On the border between Spiš, the Pieniny and the Beskid Sądecki

Between Czarny Dunajec and Szczawnica there are only 50 km. We stay in the south of Lesser Poland, in a mountainous area even though we leave the Tatras behind. We go through Spiš, also interesting in the case of food, and we head for the Pieniny and a part of the Beskid Sądecki.

The cuisine of the Pieniny Mountains is similar to the one from Podhale. Oscypek still is the king. Instead of hałuski (noodles), we have gałuski which are also noodles but made of raw potatoes with the addition of pork fat. We will have kwaśnica (barberry) or delicious mutton and mineral water from Szczawnica on the side.

Local hostesses had to manage with a short vegetation period and poor soil that is why a lot of dishes are made with ingredients which could be stored for a long time, for instance flour, groats, beetroots, potatoes or sauerkraut. Dairy – cream, butter and sheep cheese (oscypek and bryndza) – and mutton constituted an important element of cooking. In summer, people made use of the treasure of forests, namely, cowberries and mushrooms. Kulasa serves as a great example of a simple dish made of basic ingredients – it is soup made of wholemeal flour cooked in milk. In a richer version bacon is added.

‘U Wojtka’ Shepherd’s Hut in Jaworki

‘U Wojtka’ Shepherd’s Hut in Jaworki

Let us start our culinary journey around Szczawnica Commune with something every tourist is interested in, namely, sheep cheese. Oscypek is a symbol of the Polish mountains. It has been produced by shepherds according to the traditional recipe passed down from generation to generation for ages. It is hard, pressed rennet spindle-shaped cheese and smoked at the final stage. Bundz is formed similarly at the initial stage. However, it is more delicate, softer, and has a mild taste which resembles cottage cheese. Bryndza, however, is mature, sour bundz which has been minced and salted. Korbowce are cheese laces made of cow’s milk and smoked like oscypki. They have a more delicate taste. We should remember that sheep cheese is a seasonal product which is made from April to October as its main ingredient is fresh milk from sheep which graze on pastures. Sheep cheese can be bought in various places in Szczawnica and by the Homole Canyon. It is a good idea to go to the mountains, to pastures in order to taste sheep cheese directly from a shepherd’s hut. In the Little Pieniny, close to Jaworki-Homole Skiing Arena and ‘Bukowninka’ Hut, there is ‘U Wojtka’ shepherd’s hut. We will see sheep grazing and the production of cheese, we will be able to taste oscypek, bundz and drink some żentyca (a drink made of sheep milk whey).

By the Grajcarek

visitmalopolska.pl

‘Bacówka’ Restaurant in Jaworki

Let us go down a little bit for dinner, to the valley of the Grajcarek, to ‘Bacówka’ Restaurant in Jaworki. There, we will be served oscypek with cranberry on the side, herring in a highlander style, regional soups such as kwaśnica (barberry) and żurek (soup made from fermented rye flour). Those who seek some proper food will be delighted with pasterskie jadło (shepherd victuals – a dish on the basis of beef), shepherd’s potato pancakes or lamb in Jaworki style. The amateurs of meatless dishes can have dumplings, potato pancakes and pancakes.

bacowkajaworki.nrs.pl

Karczma Chatka

By Parkowa Alley, in Dolny Park (the Down Park) which stretches along the main road, there is Chatka Regional Restaurant which boasts of delicious, regional cuisine. It is one of the most frequently visited spots on the culinary map of Szczawnica! The wooden building is perfectly integrated in the surroundings of the Down Park. The decor is inspired by highlander culture – there is a lot of wood, soft, sheepskin and folk, flowery patterns.

Address: Al. Parkowa 1, 34-460 Szczawnica

E-mail: wwiercioch73@gmail.com

Phone: + 48 18 262 18 25, 889 700 060

The place is famous, first and foremost, for its traditional, highlander dishes. We will be served flagship dishes such as kwaśnica (barberry) with a rib, oscypek with cranberry on the side or stewed lamb with vegetables. Garlic soup with croutons and cheese, beetroot soup with a pancake roll, fried trout and potato pancakes with beef or lamb goulash will make our mouths water. We will find burgers with lamb or a fried egg – an ideal one for vegetarians. Chatka is famous for the best mutton in the vicinity!

karczmachatka

The best mutton in Szczawnica

In the centre of the spa

Jazz Bar Restaurant

Let us move to the centre of Szczawnica, to its spa part in order to change the atmosphere a little bit. Dworek Gościnny (the Hospitable Manor), which hosts a lot of interesting events, is the seat of Jazz Bar Restaurant. In the golden era of the spa, it was a place where the cream of society used to spend their time. Balls, exhibitions, concerts and poetry evenings were organised at the place. Jazz Bar is also a beautiful place due to its location – in summer we can have something to eat at its terrace which is surrounded by Park Górny (the Upper Park) and in winter we can enjoy our meal in cosy interiors watching a snow-capped park through big windows. The restaurant serves classical dishes of European cuisine with regional touches. Burgers are an interesting choice – one of them is served with oscypek.

jazzbar.pl

Apple pie with a view of the mountains

We started our exploration of the tastes of Szczawnica from cheese in the Little Pieniny and we will finish it also in the mountains but the ones on the other side – in the Beskid Sądecki. In order to burn some calories, we can take a walk – 3 km long one – to Bacówka under Bereśnik (a tourist shelter, the yellow trail). There we will taste the cuisine of mountain shelters. We will be able to eat a delicious apple pie sitting at the terrace and admiring the view of the mountains!

Bacówka under Bereśnik

Right at the foot of the Gorce

From Szczawnica we head north, to Rabka which is located in the valley between Podhale, the Island Beskids, the Żywiec Beskids and the Gorce. From neighbouring Krościenko we can reach Rabka even on foot following the Main Beskid Trail – it is only 55 km. On the route we will come across the Shelter at Turbacz (1,283 m) which is famous for delicious soups.

Culinary traditions of various regions which surround Rabka meet in the commune. The place offers the flavours from Podhale, the Gorce and the Island Beskids. Sheep cheese made in shepherd’s huts on the pastures of the Gorce, various vegetables, especially beans and potatoes,

and fruit such as plums or apples have always been popular there. Mutton and flour dishes were frequently eaten in the region. Fruit, such as cowberries or raspberries, is an exceptional ingredient which in summer can be found in the forest whereas in autumn there are plenty of aromatic mushrooms. Kwaśnica (barberry), żurek (soup made from fermented rye flour) or bryndzówka (soup made of sheep cheese) reign on the tables of Rabka. Grule i.e. potatoes with various kinds of grease or flatbreads with bundz (sheep cheese) are a real treat. The cuisine is as simple as the life of people from the mountains. It is also nourishing as the dishes were supposed to fill up people who worked hard in a mountain climate.

‘U Józka’ shepherd’s hut in Rdzawka

‘Przy Tężni’ Cafe

We will start our culinary trip around Rabka from the Spa Park as it constitutes the heart of the town. Between the trees, by the brine graduation tower, there is ‘Przy Tężni’ (By the Graduation Tower) Cafe. It is a wooden, cosy building which houses the Mineral Water Pump Room. Mineral water will serve as a great appetizer before delicacies which are to be eaten. After all, drinking mineral water is a permanent element of a stay in a spa. The cafe offers hot beverages or delicious cakes made in Rabka. In summer, we can sit at the tables in the park and when it gets cool, we can admire the surrounding nature through the glazed walls.

uzdrowisko-rabka.pl/kulinaria/

A mountain climate

Dym Regional Restaurant

On the other side of the Poniczanka River, you may try regional cuisine. Siwy Dym Regional Restaurant means beautiful, highlander interiors and traditional dishes which are prepared fresh from local products according to their own recipes. We can choose from moskole (potato shortbreads), oscypek with cranberry on the side or mascone grule (greased potatoes) with curdled milk! The menu offers kwaśnica (barberry) with a rib, brigand’s potato pancakes and dumplings – the ones with broad beans are really worth sinning for. rabka.siwydym.pl

Siwy

‘Na Maciejowej’ Shelter

At the end, we will take a trip along a beautiful, panoramic route which finishes in one of the shelters of the Gorce – ‘Na Maciejowej’. The distance from the centre of Rabka to the Shelter on Maciejowa is 5 km. If you want to try its delicacies, take this trip. The Shelter on Maciejowa offers apple pie which can be found in almost every shelter but this one is truly exceptional. On the menu you will also find dumplings, bigos (a stewed dish made of sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, meat and mushrooms), kapuśniak (soup made of sauerkraut) or potato pancakes. However, the most delicious dishes are seasonal ones. Dumplings or drop scones with cowberries – thanks to them the pastures of the Gorce Mountains turn purple in summer. They really rock in the season, especially in the surroundings of such nature in such a climatic shelter.

namaciejowej.pl

The treasures of the pastures of the Gorce

The tastes of Cracow

Various cuisines combine in Cracow – the world cuisine, the European one and the local one from Lesser Poland. The long history of the city made various cultures combine – Polish, Jewish, German, Hungarian, Austrian and Czech. Cracow, the city which used to be located at the crossroads of numerous trade routes, hosted visitors who eagerly sold their sometimes exotic goods. People from the surrounding areas flocked to Cracow in search of a better life. Artists, students, craftsmen. The citizens of Cracow drew on their traditions and created their own ones.

Until today, the city is a sheer, culinary melting pot. The Old Town offers restaurants with almost all the cuisines of the world – the traditional and more modern ones. Moreover, there are a lot of climatic cafes and chain ones from the whole Europe, stalls with grilled baguettes or famous maczanka Krakowska (pulled pork served in a bread roll) or food trucks. Let us not forget about carts with obwarzanek (a kind of Polish bagel)! Vegan places, luxurious restaurants and nostalgic bar mleczny (diners) – everyone will find a place which would suit them!

Obwarzanek at the Battle of Grunwald

The Living Museum of Obwarzanek

Obwarzanek seems to be the most popular delicacy in Cracow. It is neither a bagel nor a pretzel – it is krakowski obwarzanek. These three baked products may seem to be very similar especially as a pretzel is the symbol of bakers from Cracow and a bagel, which comes from Jewish cuisine, has also a long history. However, obwarzanek is a traditional product which has been baked for over 600 years. The first written record which mentioned it, dates back to the time of Władysław Jagiełło. It is said that the king ordered obwarzanek which was supposed to be eaten by the knights at the Battle of Grunwald.

Obwarzanek can be bought almost everywhere. It is a showpiece of Cracow. Special carts which sell it are located in the Main Square, in Grodzka Street, by the Wawel Castle, in Kazimierz, at the universities and various squares. There are over 200 of them. However, not everybody is aware that you can learn how to make them in Cracow. Such a possibility is offered by the Living Museum of Obwarzanek. It is a place where baking workshops are organised. If you take part in them, you will also find out about its history and learn how to distinguish the real obwarzanek.

muzeumobwarzanka.com

The feast at Wierzynek

Wierzynek Restaurant

The famous ‘Wierzynek’ is a restaurant located in the Main Square with the oldest traditions in Cracow. The most popular feast in Cracow took place in it – it was organised on the occasion of the wedding ceremony of Casimir III the Great’s granddaughter and Charles IV. It is said that all the guests were served food on golden and silver plates and the tables were groaning with a variety of dishes. The event was mentioned in many chronicles. We can feel the royal atmosphere in the restaurant today since ‘Wierzynek’ still functions as a restaurant. It has beautiful, historic interiors and a sophisticated menu. wierzynek.pl

Michalik’s Den

Another place with a long history is Michalik’s Den. Kings were not seen in the place but it was a common whereabouts for the bohemia of Cracow and a famous cabaret used to perform there. In the past, in spite of being popular, it was rather infamous – at least among respectable citizens. It is said that god-fearing mothers ordered their daughters to go to the other side of Floriańska Street not to go past the Den.

Bar mleczny – a cult place

‘Pod Temidą’ Bar

Bar mleczny (a specific form of a Polish diner) is a restaurant which has a special place in the heart of older people as they associate it with their youth. The bars started appearing in the Interwar Period. They were to be a Polish version of fast food restaurants with traditional, healthy dishes and good prices. One of such places can be found in the centre of Cracow, by the Royal Tract in Grodzka Street. ‘Pod Temidą’ serves typical Polish dishes – broth, żurek (soup made of fermented rye flour), a pork chop, dumplings, pancake rolls, potato pancakes or chitterlings in a tasty and not expensive form.

jamamichalika.pl

Food trucks in Kazimierz

Judah Food Market

In search of the best flavours in Cracow, apart from the Old Town, you need to visit Kazimierz – one of the trendiest parts of the city. An interesting spot in the district is Judah Square located in the centre of Kazimierz. There you will find food trucks with typical street food, kiosks with famous grilled baguettes and regional cuisine. Andrus Food Truck serves krakowska maczanka called the grandma of a burger by some. It is a bread roll with stewed loin or neck of pork with a cucumber and an onion.

Jewish cuisine

JudahFoodMarket

Klezmer Hois Restaurant

Being in Kazimierz, we need to visit one of the restaurants which serve Jewish dishes as Jewish culture is an inherent element of the culture of Cracow. Worshippers of Judaism used to live in the place for hundreds of years and had a significant influence on the city. Kazimierz was their town and there they left the most behind. Klezmer Hois Restaurant serves dishes of Jewish cuisine – its interiors resemble a beautiful, prewar apartment. The chefs of the restaurant abide by the rules of kosher food preparation. We can choose from popular dishes such as kugel, hummus, gefilte or less known ones such as Jewish caviar, Sephardi salad, knish or Sabbath soup. For dessert, makagigi (cookies made with poppy and honey), hamantash (pastry with poppy seeds or prunes) or Purim cake would be a great idea.

klezmer.pl

In the kitchen of Black Highlanders

After the culinary melting pot of Cracow, we come back to the mountains! Not only will there be oscypek, mutton and kwaśnica (barberry), but also dishes from Lemko cuisine. Let us start from the valley of the Poprad River and Piwniczna Commune. The region has been inhabited by Black Highlanders for ages – in the place they created their own cuisine – cuisine by the Poprad River.

They had to face soil which was not very fertile and a harsh climate. Hence, their dishes are based on easy to grow vegetables – potatoes or swedes, and also products which can be stored for a longer time such as pickles. Black Highlanders are shepherds who grazed their sheep on

the pastures of the Beskid Sądecki. Thanks to them, the cuisine of the Poprad Valley is rich in sheep cheese, mutton and lamb. In summer and autumn local dishes offer forest flavours – cowberries, raspberries, wildberries and mushrooms – penny buns or red pine mushrooms.

The trade route which led from Hungary to Cracow used to run through the Poprad River Valley. Wine for royal tables and other unknown goods, which enriched the local cuisine, were transported this way. Taking into consideration the fact that in every village, hamlet and even household dishes are prepared in a slightly different way, we will get a diverse, tasty and nourishing cuisine.

Łomnicańskie dumplings

Łomnicańskie dumplings are one of the most famous dishes in the commune which were listed as a traditional product. They are the essence of the cuisine of Black Highlanders. They are made with raw potatoes and flour, filled with curd cheese, usually bryndza (sheep cheese), and greased with pork scratchings. They resemble noodles but if you call them that, this would be a horrible faux-pas. The dish has been present in the region for a long time and there are many legends about it. They say that in the past the dumplings were extremely big. They were so big that gazda (a landowner in the mountains) was eating such a dumpling on his way to a pasture and when he got to it, he managed to reach the filling of the dumpling (and the way took him one hour!). Another legend says that once a hostess dropped such a dumpling from a table and it killed a hen and its five chicks. When Łomnica was flooded and water took the bridge, people who lived there used dumplings…as their boats!

Chata pod Pustą

Below Pusta Wielka (1,061 m), one of the mountains of the Beskid Sądecki, in Wierchomla Mała, right by the black trail, there is the climatic Chata pod Pustą where delicious dishes inspired by the cuisine of Black Highlanders and Lemkos are prepared. Chata is a wooden, underpinned building with a dining room, a room with a fireplace and a terrace. The interiors remind us of mountain shelters as the mountain trails are quite close to the place. Chata offers accommodation and concerts are often organised there. When we are hungry, we can choose from zalewajka (potato soup with rye flour, cream and garlic), fuczki (pancakes made with sauerkraut), lamb served in a few ways, dumplings with different fillings, Lemko hałuszki (potato noodles) or a traditional pork chop with cabbage. Seasonal dishes are also delicious –dumplings with broad beans, mushrooms and wild garlic or red pine mushrooms. The place’s speciality is potato casserole and roasted trout.

chatapodpusta.pl

Kitchen below Pusta

Florencja Ice-cream Parlour

Italy in Piwniczna

Florencja is a family ice-cream parlour which follows Italian traditions. It was established with the assistance of an Italian family, well-known in the confectionery industry, who shared their secrets in the field of producing the best ice-cream. They use fresh, local, healthy products, hence, unique products are created. The production site is located over the parlour, on the first floor of the building. Ice-cream is made fresh according to a traditional method. There are no preservatives, no colourants, no transportation – only Italian and Beskid flavours! We can choose various flavours: chocolate, yoghurt, dried fruit and nuts, strawberry, tiramisu, raspberry, coffee and cherry. Guests can sit in a spacious, modern cafe and savour delicacies. We can also have Italian coffee, different teas or cocktails and eat cakes made at the place as well.

Address: Rynek 16, 33-350 Piwniczna-Zdrój

E-mail: biuro@florencja.eu

Phone: + 48 669 906 999

florencja.eu

LodziarniaKawiarniaFlorencja

Majerzanka

Hotel and Restaurant

To Majerzanka, not only for dumplings!

On the border between Piwniczna and Łomnica we can try Łomnicańskie dumplings and many other regional dishes in Majerzanka. The restaurant is a very cosy place with some regional accents in its decor. They serve dishes from European and Polish cuisine with particular emphasis on the local one. Apart from the aforementioned dumplings, we will have shepherd’s potato pancakes, kwaśnica (barberry), dumplings with groats and mutton, lamb or oscypek with cranberry on the side at the place. The restaurant serves breakfasts, classical dinners, various soups, desserts, salads, pizza and calzone. Both

Address: Zagrody 28, 33-350 Piwniczna-Zdrój

E-mail: recepcja@majerzanka.pl

Phone: + 48 18 446 40 21

the amateurs of meat and vegetarians will have plenty to choose from.

Majerzanka is, first and foremost, a beautifully located hotel. The south part of Piwniczna is a great starting point for trips around the Poprad River Valley. It is close to the centre of Piwniczna, to Muszyna, Krynica or Rytro. There are numerous hiking and cycling trails in the area. The hotel offers eleven 2-, 3- and 4-person rooms. All of them are classical and light with some highlanders accents.

majerzanka.pl

Majerzanka

Magdalenka

Ice-cream Parlour and Patisserie

Magdalenka Ice-cream Parlour, which is also located by the Main Square, spoils inhabitants of Piwniczna and visitors with their ice-cream, cakes and a variety of other desserts. There are different flavours and ice-cream is made only with fresh products. You can taste them and drink aromatic coffee which is seasoned in various ways. Magdalenka offers freshly squeezed juices too.

Address: Rynek 24, Piwniczna-Zdrój

E-mail: info@magdalenkalody.pl

Phone: + 48 534 097 009, 534 096 299

magdalenkalody.pl

LodziarniaMagdalenkaCukiernia

What is the taste of Muszyna?

Piwniczna neighbours with Muszyna. Both communes are located in the beautiful Poprad River Valley but historically they were inhabited by two different ethnographic groups. Even though the influence of Black Highlanders can be seen in the way of cooking in Muszyna, Lemko cuisine takes the lead irrespective of the fact that Lemko people do not live there anymore. Wierchomla Mała is the first place where we will be able to taste some Lemko dishes – after all Lemko Land reached up to this village. Going east to Muszyna Commune, then Krynica and finally Uście Gorlickie, we will immerse ourselves in the forgotten world of Lemkos and their simple but delicious dishes.

Lemkos, as Black Highlanders, were shepherds and lived in the mountains close to each other. Their cuisines, or at least the products they used, were very similar – easy to grow and store vegetables, pickles, local, seasonal fruit, a lot of flour, dairy, mushrooms. Meat such as mutton or lamb was eaten only on special days. Herbs present in the region played a crucial part in the process of cooking. Dishes made out of these ingredients were simple but nourishing and tasty that is why they are popular even nowadays.

Strakija Restaurant

In Klimek Hotel

Lemko flavours

One of the most popular restaurants which serves Lemko dishes is Strakija in Złockie. It is located in a beautiful part of the commune, in the Beskid Sądecki. It has cosy interiors and a rich menu. The chefs in Strakija prove that even from simple ingredients, you can create diverse, delicious and aromatic dishes. You just need to look at the menu and your mouth will water straight away – red pine mushrooms fried on butter, aromatic wild boar goulash, dumplings with spicy black pudding. The dishes have mysterious Lemko names – there is ‘poliwka’

– żurek cooked on red pine mushroom broth, ‘warianka’ – Lemko soup on sauerkraut with potatoes or ‘szpykaczka with hałuszki’ – pork goulash with noodles made of grated and cooked potatoes. ‘Holubcy’ are cabbage rolls with buckwheat and grated potatoes and ‘dyruny’ are potato pancakes with pork goulash. Simply delicious! The menu includes vegetarian and vegan dishes. The restaurant has prepared a special offer for children too. Regional beers are an interesting addition (all of 11 kinds of beer!).

Adres: Złockie 106, 33-370 Złockie

E-mail: restauracja@strakija.pl

Telefon: + 48 18 471 92 05

strakija.pl

restauracjastrakija

Karczma Poprad

A wooden regional restaurant

In every respectable village, next to a church there is an inn! Żegiestów could not be an exception. Right by the Poprad, by the main road which leads from Nowy Sącz to Muszyna there is a historic, wooden building which used to be known as Karczma Poprad (Poprad Inn). It is an incredibly climatic place. Wood prevails inside creating a warm, almost home atmosphere. The menu of the restaurant refers to the history of Żegiestów – there are slightly modernised regional flavours and dishes. The chefs draw inspiration from the cuisine of Lemkos as they inhabited the land for many years. We will get snacks, bar dishes, dumplings or classical dinner dishes here. For dessert we can have home-made cakes out of which apple pie is the most popular.

Address: Żegiestów 32, 33-360 Żegiestów

Phone: + 48 502 866 301

karczmanadpopradem

Coffee, honey and wine

Town Hall

While visiting Muszyna, pop into the Town Hall first of all, to visit its cellars – there are exhibitions of legends from Muszyna, instruments of torture, the trade route and wine which was transported along the route. On the ground floor, there is the Mineral Water Pump Room and the cafe where we can take a rest. At the place we will taste the delicacies of Muszyna, drink delicious coffee and healthy mineral waters. The cafe often holds concerts such as Music Afternoons with Coffee.

The House of Honey and Wine

The third place with a unique character, which is situated in the centre of Muszyna, is Dom Miodu i Wina (the House of Honey and Wine). The place has been created out of passion and love for nature where one may have a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate with additions out of which honey is the most popular. The House of Honey and Wine is a restaurant as well which serves modern dishes with a regional twist. The ingredients used in the process of preparation come from local farms and breedings. We can order delicious trout from Łabowa, Lemko homiłki, rustic vegetable cream, venison tenderloin or buckwheat with chanterelles. A glass of tasty wine will be an excellent addition to the meal. A pear cooked in local honey and wine for dessert will be a great idea.

dom-miodu-i-wina.business.site

Another interesting cafe is situated in the Manor of Starosts which is near the Square. In its interiors we will feel the unique atmosphere of the former Muszyna and eat, for instance, the Muszyna hostess’ cake and have a cup of Italian coffee. The cafe offers a selection of wines as well. Various concerts are held there too.

The Manor of Starosts Cafe

KawiarniaDworStarostow

muszyna.pl

The tastes of the spa

The last but one commune on the Culinary Trail of Spa Communes is Krynica. It is an extremely interesting place as far as food is concerned. It is a culinary resort which has been eagerly visited by tourists from all over Poland. It is a trendy spa which in the 19th and the 20th century attracted artists and aristocrats. For them a lot of luxurious restaurants and cafes were established which operate until today. For them refined dishes from European and world cuisines, very often exotic, were prepared.

On the other hand, Krynica-Zdrój and villages which surround it lie in the Beskid Sądecki, in the area which used to be inhabited by Lemkos. Highlander and Lemko cuisines are still visible here. Next to exquisite dishes, we will find simple, but equally tasty, filling dishes of the people of the mountains which are prepared from basic, local ingredients. We will be able to order kwaśnica (barberry), oscypek, bryndza, mutton or various noodles and dumplings.

Kłynec Lemko Regional Restaurant

We start our culinary walk around Krynica from places serving proper food, namely, the regional restaurants of Krynica. They offer filling and interesting dishes, either typically Lemko or highlander ones, known from various mountain regions in Poland. Kłynec Lemko Regional Restaurant located by the Nikifor Hotel will be our first stop. First and foremost, the place can boast of really climatic interiors. The wooden building was constructed out of logs from former Lemko cottages. Inside we will find elements which refer to Lemko chyże (cottages) and a gallery of sculptures and icons. However, food is the most significant here – Lemko food of course. Mushroom soup with noodles, pickled tomatoes, warionka with dumplings (Lemko soup made with sauerkraut juice with homemade dumplings with meat), kiszenice (cabbage rolls with rice, groats and meat wrapped with sauerkraut leaves) or horse meat tartare. Ingredients used in the process of cooking come from local suppliers and all the dishes are made fresh. All the preserves are also homemade and dumplings are made according to the traditional recipe.

Address: Prof. H. Świdzińskiego 20, 33-380 Krynica-Zdrój

E-mail: karczma@nikifor.pl

Phone: + 48 794 022 622

karczmalemkowska.pl

karczmalemkowska

Cichy Kącik Regional Restaurant

The second regional restaurant is Cichy Kącik. This is a place which was established in 1936, survived the difficult times of war to delight its guests with delicious cuisine and rich traditions. Among the starters, we will find crispy livers, red pine mushrooms stewed in butter or smoked oscypek. As far as soups are concerned, there is żurek or wild garlic soup. The main courses indicate a real feast – golden potato pancakes with various toppings, black pudding, roasted duck, ox tongue, roasted veal with chanterelle mushrooms or fillet steak. Vegetarians will also be able to dine at the place. The menu is incredibly rich and appetising and we have all the dishes in a climatic building located on the outskirts of Krynica, in a quiet and peaceful place surrounded by the forests of the Beskid Sądecki.

Address: Sądecka 2, 33-380 Krynica-Zdrój

E-mail: karczma@cichykacik.com.pl

Phone: + 48 18 471 23 19

cichykacik.com.pl

Karczma Cichy Kącik

U Walusia Regional Restaurant

U Walusia Regional Restaurant is located in the very centre of Krynica-Zdrój. It is situated in a beautiful, wooden building which makes you think about old times and the best feasts. The decor is regional, full of folk elements and flowers. The menu draws from the past too but we will also taste modern flavours and European accents. Delicious dishes let you go back in time to Krynica from the old times! All of them are prepared fresh from healthy ingredients from local suppliers.

Address: Józefa Piłsudskiego 10/1, 33-380 Krynica-Zdrój

E-mail: karczmauwalusia@gmail.com

Phone: + 48 18 477 72 22

uwalusia.pl

karczmauwalusia

The delicacies of Tylicz

‘U Babci Mili’ Villa / Śwarny Szałas

Meals are definitely the best part of staying at ‘U Babci Mili’ Villa (‘At Grandma Mila’s’ Villa). The hostess is a talented cook who uses products grown in her own garden. Hence, the dishes are local, healthy, full of flavour and aromatic. The speciality of the place are regional dishes such as maszkatule, lamb, freckled dumplings, kwaśnica served with ribs or lard with caraway seeds. For dessert you will always get homemade cakes with seasonal fruit. Breakfasts, dinners and suppers are served in a bright dining room which is decorated with highlander accents and sculptures. There is a mini brine graduation tower thanks to which we can breathe in healthy, saturated with beneficial elements, air. The delicious cuisine can be the perfect reason to stay at the place. You may also try regional dishes at events organised by the owners in Śwarny Szałas (Śwarny Hut). This wooden hut erected on a clearing among the hills and forests of the Beskid Sądecki is the place where all the best feast in the region take place. You can organise numerous celebrations there – birthdays, New Year’s Eve, wedding after-parties or business events. Each of them will have a wonderful setting.

Address: Kazimierza Wielkiego 34D, 33-383 Tylicz

E-mail: tyliczkwatery@poczta.onet.pl

Phone: + 48 513 567 610, + 48 503 325 770

ubabcimili.pl

Galeria Smaków

Restaurant under the cinema

Galeria Smaków (the Gallery of Flavours) is a restaurant located in the centre of Krynica-Zdrój, in Marszałek Józef Piłsudski Street, right under the Jaworzyna Cinema in a beautiful building of the Centre of Culture. It is only a stone’s throw from Deptak. We should visit it while staying in the town after trekking in the mountains or winter craze at the slope to taste local cuisine served in beautiful interiors. As befits a gallery, Galeria Smak offers diverse dishes which are always delicious and beautifully served, made of local ingredients by great cooks. The cuisine which prevails on the menu is regional, full of amazing flavours – Lemko, highlander and even Hungarian ones. The dishes are filling, aromatic and can be associated with forests and mountains which surround Krynica. They are full of aromatic cheeses, mushrooms, vegetables or meat. Red pine mushrooms fried on butter, oscypek served with cranberry, dumplings with bryndza or mushrooms make our mouths water. Among the recommended main courses at the Gallery, we will find a highlander’s steak, bryndza soup, a potato pancake in Krynica style or local trout in cream.

Another good reason to visit the place is to dance to the rhythm of live music! Dances have become a tradition of this town. Music encourages dancing and fun, the bar

offers a wide selection of drinks and snacks from the menu – herring, oscypek or lard taste the best. Such an event is a great opportunity to have fun together, celebrate or get to know each other in beautiful interiors.

Address: Józefa Piłsudskiego 19, 33-380 Krynica-Zdrój

Phone: +48 18 477 70 04

Galeria Smaków pod kinem

Artistic dessert on Deptak

For dessert we would like to take you to Deptak, to Dietl’s Boulevards. Beautiful, wooden villas stand there in a row by the Kryniczanka Stream. All of them remember the golden era of the resort, the time when great artists

such as Helena Modrzejewska, Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński or Ludwik Solski used to visit the place. In some of them we will find restaurants and cafes whose interiors make you think about the spa from the old times.

Smaki Wisły Restaurant

Green Wisła Villa houses ‘Smaki Wisły’ Restaurant (the Tastes of Wisła). At the place you will taste cream puffs about which former visitors wrote in their diaries. All the served desserts – cream puffs, cheesecakes, meringues –are prepared on-site. Among the dishes, steak served on a volcanic rock takes the lead.

wislakrynica.pl kawawino.pl

Małopolanka

In order to see the beautiful interiors of one of historic villas, you should enter Małopolanka where Dom Kawy i Wina (the House of Coffee and Wine) and ‘Dwóch Świętych’ Restaurant (‘Two Saints’ Restaurant) are located. There you will feel the atmosphere of the pre-war resort. The House of Coffee and Wine is a place for the amateurs of… coffee and wine. It offers exquisite wines from Spain, Italy, France or Hungary and coffee brewed by great baristas. Let us add a tasty cream puff, homemade cakes or toasted sandwiches to it – it will be a delicious experience. The ‘Two Saints’ Restaurant, which is located in the same building, also has attractive interiors in the climate of the 20’s. Traditional Polish cuisine is served at the place.

Chocolate in historic interiors

The Old Spa House

The amateurs of sweet flavours should visit the Old Spa House which is located by Deptak. This is the most distinguishing construction of the resort which resembles a magnificent palace. In the past, it was the place where grand balls and concerts took place – even Józef Piłsudski participated in them. Today the building houses Czekolada i Zdrój Cafe (Chocolate and Spring Cafe). At the place, you can have Belgian chocolate served in a variety of ways and homemade cakes.

czekoladaizdroj

Treats from Italy and Sądecki Land

CristalPatio Restaurant

By Janówka Clearing, which is a natural extension of Deptak, opposite the down station of the Funicular to Park Mountain, there is CristalPatio Restaurant. It is located in a more peaceful corner of the town where we will eat exquisite dishes either in cosy interiors or in the garden. The restaurant serves regional and Polish dishes but European ones are also present. Italian pizza is the pearl on the menu. It is prepared in a wood burning stove which was imported from Verona.

cristalpatio.pl

The Mineral Water Pump Room ‘Jan’

Right by the restaurant, there is the Mineral Water Pump Room ‘Jan’ – it is a beautifully renovated historic building in which we can drink a mug of local mineral water which will end our culinary trip around Krynica Commune.

In the heart of Lemko Land

We enter the Low Beskids – the land of Lemkos! Hałuszki, homiłki, kiszeniaki… we will eat all of them in a quiet and peaceful place full of forests and wooden Orthodox churches. Wysowa-Zdrój is smaller than Krynica-Zdrój and it is surrounded by even smaller villages. You will not find exquisite restaurants and luxurious cuisine in the place. However, for some people fresh, full of flavours and aromas products may be luxurious.

The Low Beskids equal peace and slow life. And so is the local cuisine. Small, local companies. Agritourism farms surrounded by orchards smelling of bread and homemade dinner. Local products from one’s own garden, field or a stable. Extremely healthy and delicious. You should look for these products directly at farms. Very often they sell bread, cheese, dairy, vegetables, fruit, cold meats

and sausages. The place is also worth visiting during local events such as the Feast of Red Pine Mushroom in Wysowa-Zdój where you will try ready dishes prepared by hostesses.

Flour constitutes the base of the cuisine – very often rye or oat one. Moreover, groats, leguminous vegetables, potatoes and cabbage (usually sauerkraut) are also common ingredients. We should mention seasonal fruit for instance apples, plums, cowberries and mushrooms, especially red pine mushrooms very popular in the area and hołubinki (cabbage rolls). In the past meat was eaten on special days that is why it is not very common in traditional dishes. However, if any meat is added, it is usually poultry, beef and mutton. The flavours of the Low Beskids and Lemko Land are simple and unique.

Gościnna Chata

Gościnna Chata is one of the places in which you can feel the atmosphere of the region best and local traditions are well visible. This regional restaurant is located in a beautiful vicinity, among fruit trees, close to the Spa Park in Wysowa-Zdrój. It was established in a renovated, wooden building from 1918. Its interiors are modelled on a former Lemko cottage – inside there is a wood-fired oven in which bread is made and meat is smoked. The dishes served at the place are created according to the traditional recipes passed down from generation to generation. Half-products such as sauerkraut, pickles, jams and even bread are made at the place. Others such as cheese or cream come from local farms. The restaurant serves dishes of Lemko and highlander cuisine such as fuczki bojkowskie (pancakes made of sauerkraut), kiszeniaki (cabbage rolls) with mushroom sauce, hałuszki with maczanka (sauerkraut pancakes with beef stew), zlepieńce with omasta (greased dumplings with spicy black pudding) or homiłki (cheese balls).

Like at Grandma’s in the countryside

goscinnachatawysowa.pl dziubynilka.pl

Dziubyniłka

The Old Spa House in Wysowa

The Old Spa House is a 100-year old building where we will find a climatic hotel. It is located in the Spa Park in a beautiful place surrounded by greenness. On the ground floor there is a restaurant where we can have breakfast, dinner and supper or drink coffee and eat something sweet. The restaurant is open to guests from outside. It offers regional cuisine – the owners got a certificate ‘Culinary Heritage of Lesser Poland’. They also boast of having the right to use the following signs: Culinary Heritage of Lesser Poland and Karpating Local Brand. Red pine mushrooms which are marinated in the restaurant have a certificate of Traditional Product of Lesser Poland and are listed as Traditional Product. The menu offers Jewish dishes which can be associated with Shtetl in Galicia. All the dishes are prepared with

the use of fresh, local products. Mushrooms, especially red pine mushrooms, take a lead here and are served in a variety of ways. Various vegetables and aromatic herbs add to the flavour of the food. The restaurant is filled with the aroma of homemade bread served with local cheeses, eggs, jams or thick cream. Homemade pasta or dumplings, żurek (soup made from fermented rye flour) made on marinated red pine mushrooms, maczanka in Cracow style (stewed pork neck with sauce served in a roll), stuffed goose stomachs or various kinds of meat are served for dinner. The seasonal menu is definitely the most interesting – it is created from the seasonal products. Among desserts you will find homemade cakes such as pascha, Fedor cake, apple pie or meringue.

Address: Park Zdrojowy 12, 38-316 Wysowa-Zdrój

E-mail: starydomzdrojowy@gmail.com

Phone: +48 509 249 716, +48 509 249 719

wysowa.com.pl

StaryDomZdrojowyWysowa

The Feast of Red Pine Mushroom

At the end of September or the beginning of October, when mountains get autumn colours and you can smell mushrooms in forests, you can taste local delicacies at the annual Feast of Red Pine Mushroom. Enthusiasts of mushroom picking and connoisseurs of mushrooms come to Wysowa in order to look for the most beautiful specimen, to take part in in ‘Mushroom Hunting’ and other events. We may listen to lectures on mycology and have fun at a party to the rhythm of a famous Polish song about the very mushroom. Local hostesses come to the event and offer homemade delicacies at the fairs.