Wielkopolska Specialities

Wielkopolska Specialties and Where to Find Them

Though much of their cuisine is shared with Poland as a whole, Poznań and the wider Wielkopolska area do have some of the most distinctive regional dishes in the country.

Here’s a rundown of popular fare that you can get your hands on, even when all the local grannies are busy cooking for someone else. Do keep in mind that restaurant menus change, and these dishes might become unavailable during the shelf life of this guide - luckily most restaurants post their menus online, so you can quickly double-check before showing up for dinner.

POTATOES WITH GZIK

Nearly ubiquitous as a starter in Poznań’s Polish restaurants, gzik is made of quark cheese mixed with cream and chives or radish. Served together with jacket potatoes, this 19th century peasant dish is known as ‘pyra z gzikiem’ in local parlance. Where to try it: most Polish restaurants, including Wiejskie Jadło (p.61), Chłopskie Jadło (p.58), Oberża Pod Dzwonkiem (p.59), Bamberka (p.61), Rafineria Smaku (p.60), Hyćka (p.59)

ROAST DUCK

Whereas in most corners of Poland, until fairly recently, Peking duck was an eyebrow-raising oddity, and ‘edible’ poultry was limited to chicken and turkey, Wielkopolska has long liked its kaczka. Traditionally served roasted with cabbage, apples, and dumplings, duck has recently also founds its way into pierogi and even burgers. Where to try it: Ratuszova (p.60), Bazar 1838 (p.58), Pretekst (p.54), Charlie’s (p.58), Wiejskie Jadło (p.61), Oberża Pod Dzwonkiem (p.59), Hyćka (p.59); duck pierogi at Ratuszova, Pretekst, and Kuchnia Wandy (p.59)

ST. MARTIN’S DAY

One of Poznań’s younger traditions, started by the Zamek cultural centre in 1994, is the celebration of St. Martin’s name day on November 11th. The city is associated with this saint thanks to St. Martin’s church, which originally stood in a settlement outside the walls of Poznań beginning around the 12th century, but was brought inside the boundaries at the end of the 18th century. The festival includes a high mass in the aforementioned St. Martin’s Church, a colourful parade up ul. Św. Marcin to the square in front of the Imperial Castle, a reenaction of medieval jousting tournaments, special exhibitions, concerts, and performances. The day ends with fireworks lighting the skies above.

So just who was this Martin character, and why is he worthy of such sweets and fanfare? The eventual Bishop of Tours was born in what is now Hungary in the fourth century and raised in Italy where he became a member of the Imperial Horse Guard in the Roman army. Stationed in France he came across a shivering beggar and decided to cut his cloak in half to share with the man. That evening Martin, aged 18, dreamed of Jesus wearing the half-cloak and decided to be baptised.

St. Martin and the army were never a good match; having a distaste for bloodshed and violence, the young soldier refused to fight in a key battle, even volunteering to go unarmed in front of the troops when his superiors charged him with cowardice. Luckily for the suicidal conscientious objector, the battle never took place, and a kick in the pants sending him right out of the army was the most severe consequence.

Some years later, Martin - now a hermit - ran into more trouble when his townspeople positively insisted that he become their bishop. Too humble to accept, the fellow tried to hide in a barn full of geese, only to be given away by their startled noises - this legend was later used to justify excessive feating on plump goose meat in November, before the pre-Christmas fasting period would begin.

GREY DUMPLINGS / SZARE KLUCHY

Grey - the #1 least appetising colour. Unfortunately, that’s just the hue raw potatoes turn after you shred them, a necessary first step in the making of these popular but uninspired dumplings. After shredding, the potatoes are mixed with egg and flour and cooked to lumpy perfection. Traditionally accompanied by sauerkraut, szare kluchy aren’t exactly a fashionable dish anymore, though we’d love to see a more glammed-up version one day. Where to try them: Bamberka (p.61) and Hyćka (p.59)

CZERNINA

A bit grisly, this mixture of clear broth and duck’s blood with a handful of noodles is commonly said to taste better than it looks, though you be the judge - we’re keeping mum. Perfect for Halloween and beyond. Where to try it: Pretekst (p.54), Bamberka (p.61), Hyćka (p.59)

ST. MARTIN’S CROISSANTS

St. Martin’s Day, a Poznań obsession, calls for a very specific treat to honour the saint, and that’s rogale świętomarcińskie. Filled with a poppy seed and almond paste and topped with a healthy pile of sugary glaze, these croissant-like pastries apparently date back to the 19th century. If you believe local legend, their inventor was baker Józef Melzer, who prayed to St.Martin for pastry ideas to honour the saint’s holiday, and was inspired when seeing a horse slip a shoe in the St. Martin’s Day parade. Where to try them: pretty much any bakery

ST. MARTIN’S GOOSE

Hardly a staple of Wielkopolska cuisine, nor really a regional specialty, goose nevertheless makes a dramatic appearance each year around St. Martin’s Day (see the box on p.7 for the reason!). For ten years now Poznań has held an official ‘Goose for St. Martin’s Day’ food festival, and this year participating restaurants will be serving ‘Gęsina na Św. Marcina’ from Nov 9th to Dec 9th. Where to try it: participating restaurants include Avocado (p.51), Cucina 88 (p.52), and Hyćka (p.59); also available at Flavoria (p.53), The Time (p.55), and Kuchnia Wandy (p.59)

HYĆKA

A local rendition of elderflower cordial, and not a popular drink elsewhere in Poland. The recipe is simple: elderflower, sugar and water, resulting in a sweet, vitaminrich concoction. Where to try it: where else - Hyćka (p.59).