Polish traditional food - to eat or not to eat ?

by Anna Żukowska

I’ve never considered myself a picky person when it comes to food. And I never thought that I would miss Polish cuisine. Especially that I have been a vegetarian for 4 years, and yet - traditional Polish cuisine contains a lot of meat dishes. My arrival in Greece made me realize how diverse Polish cuisine is (especially in spring), how much I miss cooking and, of course, that all foreigners love PIEROGI.

What formed nowadays Polish cuisine? The former Republic of Poland was a cultural mix characterized by various traditions. Hence, in Polish cuisine you can find German, Jewish, Lithuanian, Ukrainian and Tatar-Turkish influences. The availability of different products as well as the wealth of Poles living in a given region had an additional impact on the development of Polish regional cuisine. The flavors of Polish dishes can be divided into many varieties depending on the region they come from. We can, among others, distinguish traditional Polish cuisine: Silesian, Masovian, Galician and Kashubian. Despite the unique taste of simple Polish dishes, our cuisine is considered to be one of the most caloric in the world.

The main ingredients in the diet of Poles are cereal products, and the most frequently consumed product is white bread. We cannot imagine meals without meat and legumes such as broad beans or beans. In Polish cuisine, dairy products, eggs and cottage cheese are of great importance. The basic ingredients used in Polish cuisine are: sauerkraut, beets, cucumbers (pickled and gherkins), cream, kohlrabi, mushrooms, various types of sausages. The dishes owe their unique flavor to carefully selected spices, such as: marjoram, dill, cumin, parsley, and pepper. Among the sweets, cakes and cookies dominate. A glass of vodka is recommended for a typical Polish feast, which will facilitate digestion. Trying to define its tastes in general, it should be said that salty, sour, spicy and sweet and sour dishes reign supreme.

Traditional Polish dishes - What do the Poles eat?

Pierogi Ruskie

© Kwestia Smaku

In Poland, usually 3 to 5 meals are eaten a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner or breakfast, lunch, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. Contrary to appearances, it is not the first meal of the day that is the most important and the most abundant for us, but the dinner, that is usually a two-course meal. Eating so many meals every day, we need to diversify our daily menu. Polish cuisine is diverse, but the most popular dish is undoubtedly pierogi, which are a kind of showcase of our country. Every foreigner coming to Poland eats and delights in pierogi. This old Polish dish is nothing more than a salty or sweet filling wrapped in a piece of wheat pasta. It is said that a real Polish dinner must consist of a cutlet, potatoes and salad. Cutlets are a whole range of Polish dishes, but the most popular of them are: pork chops, minced and de volaille.

What distinguishes us significantly from other European cuisines is a whole range of various soups, the most popular of which are broth, sour rye soup and tomato soup. Soups are served as the first course at lunchtime.

Polskie zupy

© Shutterstock

Interestingly, there are many dishes in Polish cuisine whose name is misleading. They can be confused with foreign specialties, but they are typically Polish dishes: Russian dumplings, Ukrainian borscht,or Greek fish.

The most popular Polish dishes:

Hunter’s stew - made on the basis of sauerkraut (or sweet) with bacon, sausage, onion and mushrooms. Today, it is most often prepared from pork or beef, seasoned with tomato paste.

Dumplings (pierogi) - a type of noodles that are among the flour dishes. They are made of boiled potatoes, wheat flour, eggs and salt - these ingredients are used to knead a uniform dough.

Stuffed cabbage - made of minced pork, rice or groats, onions, mushrooms and spices, wrapped in white cabbage leaves.

Potato pancakes - made from grated raw potatoes, flour and eggs. This dish comes in many different variations: salty, sweet and highlander (with meat and vegetable sauce).

Cucumber soup - cooked in a meat and vegetable broth with the addition of grated pickled cucumbers, carrots and potatoes.

Pea soup - long-cooked peas combined with lots of smoked meat and sausage, potatoes and carrots.

Cabbage soup - a soup made of sauerkraut, vegetables and several types of meat - at least one should be smoked meat.

Oscypek - hard, smoked sheep’s milk cheese made in Podhale. It is a typical Polish product, produced only in a few voivodeships in the country, which was entered on the list of products protected by European law.

Tartare - Starter made of minced or finely chopped beef, oil, chopped onion, egg yolks and spices. It is eaten raw, without heat treatment.

Polish food - to eat or not to eat ?

Oscypek

© Shutterstock

Although Polish cuisine is not the healthiest, the variety of dishes makes it delicious. They are delighted with our soups or dumplings all over the world. Of course, you should not overdo it with caloric dishes, because you will only gain extra kilos. Nowadays, traditional dishes can be prepared in a fit or vegetarian and vegan version. Apart from the fact that they will be less fattening, the taste will remain almost the same, and that’s what it’s all about.