Polish Food

Polish Food is rather different to other European Foods; I will list a number of foods, their Polish name and phonetic English pronunciation in Brackets further down this page.

Many Polish Foods are regional in Particular Slansk (Silesia), Masuria, Pomerania and Tatra Mountains have their own food preferences and traditional dishes. The information below consists mainly of Silesian or National Dishes.

My own experience with the food is that there is very little I really like so I spend quite a lot of time cooking for friends and family, the poles love English Food, particularly Fish and Chips, Sheppard’s Pie, Steak and Kidney pie and Quiche Lorain. This is very useful as these dishes cover the range of my cooking expertise.

I do miss several English Foods, which are difficult or impossible to obtain in Poland, therefore at Christmas I order a Food Hamper from the UK for all my family. Such Items as Bisto Gravy Granules, Birds Custard, and English Bacon is very popular in Poland. Some other items such as Cheddar Cheese and HP Sauce are available if you search them out.

Polish Soups tend to be sour and light, usually eaten with some type of Roll or dumpling in the soup; typical types are Barszcz as described below and Zurek

Meat cuts are rather different from the US or Europe and typically people purchase large blocks of meat such as a whole sirloin. This is in part due to the cheapness of the meat. The quality varies but generally, if you purchase at a butchers shop the quality is good. Wild boar and game are normally very tasty and available in many good restaurants and butchers.

Desserts are not as elaborate as Western countries although the cheesecake and sharlotka are very nice usually served with cream or Ice cream.

Polish food generally is rather heavy in calories, but as the Poles as a race are slim, the diet does not seem so heavy from external appearances. One interesting fact is that during the communist period I was responsible for a large factory where in the canteen the food supplied had to conform to the government norms. The main meal must consist of 2,000 calories for manual workers, although if working in cold conditions this had to be 3000 calories. Nowadays we accept 1500 calories as a normal daily requirement.

Traditional Foods 

Most people recognize this Polish food as being traditional, although several countries have identical food. In Russia, they are known as Pelmeni, in Belarus and Lithuania Kalduny. Perogi were originally peasant food but have spread amongst all classes including nobility.

The Perogi is can be described as parcels of unleavened dough normally containing Mashed Potatoes with Cheese, (Russian Perogi), Cheese, Dried Mushrooms, Wild Mushrooms and Cabbage. Although several other fillings are also used dependent on what is in the larder. The savoury variety is often served with fried onions. Sweet Perogis are also popular in some areas containing strawberry, cherries, apple or other fruits.

Here is an old traditional recipe for this well known Polish dish.

The first thing anyone thinks of when talking about Polish food is perogi, my first experience of Perogi was actually in Canada, very enjoyable, but the actual Polish Perogi is quite different being usually boiled rather than fried as in the US and Canada. In fact, I prefer the calorific North American version.

The unleavened dough is rolled flat and then cut into circles using a cup or glass, the filling is placed in the center and the dough folded over and crimped. They are then boiled until they float then removed from the water. Sometimes they are tossed in a little butter in a frying pan before serving. The Perogi is often served as part of a meal with: Barszcz.

(Barsht) Borscht is a very popular polish food often served as part of a meal, often including Perogi, it is a Clear Beetroot Soup, the ingredients can also include Garlic, Onions, Carrots and Celery. Traditionally the ingredients are kept in a container for up to seven days to mature and take on the typical sour flavor and cooked slowly, then strained to create the dish.

Barszcz it is often served with Rolada this consists of Mushrooms, usually Wild in a dough roll fried, but also has a version filled with beef which would be eaten as a main course.

Kielbasa (Sausage) although I have eaten in many countries, Poland seems to have the greatest range of sausages on earth both is size and flavor. The sausages are much stronger that the European or North American Varieties. Recipes vary with the region. It may take you some time to find the type you like. Most are regional but even in a none specialist supermarket there will normally be more than 50 different types.

Many farms produce their own Sausage, these are often eaten with a bottle of Vodka when friends call or there is some excuse for celebration. I would not recommend this type of sausage nor too much of the Vodka to wash it down with. I have personal experience of this type of meeting and the food poisoning that it created.

Chleb, Bread The traditional Polish Bread is quite hard and dry although the modern bakeries now produce similar bread styles to the rest of Europe.

Here is a selection of Polish Food you may find on any polish menu and a description. There are some Polish foods I still find rather gruesome and I will comment on them below. This is a little unfair as all tastes differ and you may like them, but I suggest if you are not adventurous leave them alone for now:  Many items of Polish Food are sour by design; I have tried to note those which may be too 'different'

Zupa (Soup)

Chlodnik Litewski: Yoghurt and Beetroot Soup usually with a boiled egg

Zupa Grochowa: Pea Soup a very hearty tasty soup follow this link for the traditional original Polish recipe.

Barszcz Bialy (White Barscht): Wheat and Cream Soup

Zurec: Sour Potato and Corn soup

Krupnik: Barley & Vegetable soup Kapusniak: Sour Cabbage Soup

Zupa Ogorkowa: Sour Gurkin or Cucumber Soup

Zupa Koperkowa: Dill Soup.

Rosol: Clear Chicken soup with noodles.

Zupa Pomidorowa: Tomato soup with noodles or rice.

Zupa Grzybowa: Wild Mushroom Soup.

Starters & Main Course

Smalec: Lard with Onion and spices served with bread and pickled Gerkhins.

Sledzie (Sledge): Fried Herring in sour cream with onion.

Boczek ze Sliwka (Bocheck ze Slivka): Bacon stuffed with Prunes

Steak Tartar: Like a raw beefburger with Onion. Main Courses

Eskalopki z cieleciny, (Escalop chilanchieny): Veal in dough.

Polandwiczki (Polandvitca): Serloin Steak usually with sauces.

Sztuka miesa w sosie (a peice of meat in sauce): Boiled beef in horseradish source.

Zrazy zawijane: Beef rolls stuffed with bacon, gherkin, onion and res pepper in spicy sauce.

Golonka w piwie: Typical Polish Food, Pork knuckle in beer sauce with horseradish.

Kotlet Schabowy: Breaded pork cutlet, (Ideal if you dont want to be too adventurous), follow this link for a traditional original Polish Recipe.

Kielbasa: Polish sausage in many varieties, stick to white if you are new to them.

Zeberka: Spare pork ribs in honey. Kaczka (catchca): Roast Duck (Usually very nice).

Kurzak de volaille: Chicken in butter filled with mushrooms.

Watrobki drobiowe: Chicken Livers

Baranina: Roast Lamb: (normally very good in the mountain regions).

Klopsiki: Meatloaf with tomato sauce.

Bigos: Hunter stew with sour cabbage, meat and sausage. (an aquired taste).

Dziczyzna: Wild game of some kind.

Fasolka po bretonsku: Bean and sausage stew. (Quite nice).

Golabki, (golompki): Cabbage parcels stuffed with meat and rice then fried, (different).

Szaszlyk, (shashlick): Similar to Shishkebab, reccomended.

Karp po zydowsku: Carp in aspic Losos, (wosos): Salmon baked or boiled Pstrag (strang) Trout Other dishes

Naleshniki: Pancakes filled with anything from Cheese to Strawberries.

Knedle: potato dumpling stuffid with plums or other fruit.

Frytki: french fries (recognisable anywhere).

Kluski slaskie: Silesian dumpling made from potatoes.

Placki: a cross between a potato pancake and rosti, very filling but tasty. The farmers variety is nice.

Deserts

Faworki Pastry twists Galaretka: Jelly/Jello.

Makowiec: Poppy seed cake.

Paczki, (paunchki): doughnuts without holes.

Sernik: Tasty cheesecake.

Szarlotka: Apple cake.