In this list, there are off beat but memorable dishes I tasted during my recent trip, plus a few usual Polish dishes that appear in every list (flooding the internet). Ask the wait staff for these dishes, if you like to give it a try ๐ Let's dive straight into it.
1. Beetroot Soup. Known as barszcz (pronounced va-shhi). It's a watery soup with either beef or mushroom stock and beetroot which gave the thin light broth its colour and a sourish savoury flavour. I don't like sourish things in general but barszsz I like as the sourness is smooth and gentle on the palate. It has a homely comforting feel and appetising too when paired with meaty dishes. There's usually Polish noodles or dumplings in the soup.
2. Herring in Cream. Known as ลledzie W ลmietanie (pronounced sway-yup-sway-ta-near). Poles eat herring in a thousand ways, and in some form with almost every meal. Some traditional preparations, and increasingly with international influences e.g. we were served a Thai inspired spicy interpretation during our visit.
We are visiting Poland, so do go for the traditional as well. Poles like sourish things, so naturally there's herring in sour cream. It's brined herring pieces smothered in thick sour cream with raw onion rings, salt and pepper, dressed with dill and beetroot slices. It's salty and sour complemented with sweetness from the crunchy raw onion. Very cheery and pretty dish that is a great appetiser.
3. Smoked Goat Cheese. Known as oscypek (pronounced aus-see-peck).
4. Gingerbread. Known as piernika (pronounced pierre-nika). Let's get this straight off the bat - Polish gingerbread are world best.
Vodka from Gdaลsk,
gingerbread from Toruล,
a lady of Krakรณw,
shoes from Warsawa,
these are the best things in Poland.
So says 17th century poet Fryderyk Hoffman and we can't disagree with him, even today. (Except that Gdaลsk is now also the Polish capital of beers - we shall come to that later ๐ป )
Torun (north central Poland) is the capital city of gingerbread since the 13th century. Traditional Torun gingerbread is flavoured with honey and exotic spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves etc from China, the East Indies, India and Arabia. Today, Torun gingerbread retains its flavours and are made in an infinity of creative designs which are too beautiful to eat ๐
Your can learn how to make gingerbread at Museum of Torun Gingerbread ๐ click
5. Goose Tartare. Poland is the largest producer of goose in Europe, 95% of which are exported (mostly to Germany). Traditionally, Poles eat goose dishes on 11 November which is Poland Independence Day, and also St. Martin's Day.
According to legend, St. Martin was born in Hungary in 316 to a Roman officer. Following his father's footsteps, St. Martin joined the army. One cold day in Gaul, St. Martin chanced upon a half naked beggar wearing just a piece of cloth. St. Martin shared his coat with the beggar. That night, St. Martin dreamt that the beggar was Christ.
With this vision, St. Martin decided to be a priest. When the bishop died, St. Martin was nominated for bishophood. However, St. Martin was not ready for the honour and he ran away to hide in a goose farm. But, the geese made so much noise that he was quickly found and was reluctantly appointed bishop. Hence, the tradition of eating goose on St. Martin's Day on 11 November.
Goose is prepared and served in many ways in Poland, from baked to carpaccio, pate, to sausages etc. Go the whole
My unforgettable taste of goose tartare by Chef Piotr Lenart at Gozdawa Palace (at ลochocin) ๐ click
6. Goose Blood Soup. Known as czarnina (pronounced char-nee-nah). It's a dark soup, hence the name, czarnina from the Polish word for black "czarny". The main ingredients are fresh goose blood, vinegar and water, hence it is watery and tastes sourish savoury. (Vinegar prevents the blood from curdling which contrasts with the Chinese style of eating blood curd.) Czarnina is usually served with Polish noodles or potato dumplings inside (Poles like to put these in their soups). Not quite my cup of soup as I don't really like sourish things, but hey, try it if you like to bring home food stories to amaze your friends ๐ According to tradition, when a gentleman goes to a lady's home to propose marriage, and if he is served goose blood soup, the answer is no ๐
7. Masurian Lake fish. When I travel, I like to look out for local seafood to try. Poland is richly blessed with many rivers, literally thousands of lakes (and the Baltic Sea).
A slab of pan fried zander (perch pike) fish from the Masurian Lakes served on a mound of pumpkin dumplings and a flamboyant vivid splash of dill sauce. I am not a big fan of fried fish but one of my travel mates swear that she will come back to Poland just for this dish ๐ ๐ฎ
I like my fish steamed, poached, or here in Poland, smoked or baked.
Leftovers don't lie. Already told you I don't like sour things.... ๐
8. Polish Tripe Soup. Known as flaki (pronounced flak-ki). Our host recommended this to us. Those who picked the
Beneath that dark brown broth are slivers of tripe boiled to nearly a soft mush. It felt like a wholesome fortifying broth and it tastes robustly savoury with slight beefiness. I enjoyed it actually (coming from Singapore, tripe soup isn't that alien, as beef tripe and pig maw soup are common in Chinese restaurant menus here).
Photo credit: Wikipedia
Painting of a 18th century hawker selling flaki in the streets. Flaki is part of Polish tradition since the 14th century and loved equally by kings and commoners alike. Now, I can boast that I have eaten a Polish dish fit for kings. Flaki is also reputedly a potent hangover remedy, which brings us to the next subject.
9. Wodka (Poland's national drink, known as vodka elsewhere). Well, you are in the motherland of vodka in Poland. Polish pride in their national drink is almost ferocious and with centuries of distilling experience, you are in vodka heaven. Vodka is everywhere, all kinds of fruit, floral and spice flavours, but if you
10. Silesian Dumplings. Kluski ลlฤ skie (pronounced coos-ki-swoh-stair). Not really a dish by itself but the carb that accompanies many Polish meat dishes. Silesian dumplings are made with a blend of mashed potato and potato flour, and boiled. They have no fillings. The thumb makes a depression at the top, so that it can catch and hold sauces. Well, Silesian dumplings provide the necessary energy for the day and make any dish complete, if not taste better. I enjoyed it because of its chewy spongy bouncy spring to bite and the bit of sweetness it brings to the dish that I am having.
(Silesian dumpling are similar to the Hakka Chinese suan pan zi or "abacus seed" ่ๅคด็ฎ็ๅญ but the dough is made with rice or tapioca flour and mashed yam. Yes, suan pan zi also has that cute
I created a fusion dish combining Silesian dumpling and abacus seeds. It's delicious ๐ click
10(+1). Polish Dumplings. Known as pierogis (pronounced pierre-row-geese ). Any listicle on Polish food that does not mention pierogis is like a list on must-try Singapore food that does not mention chicken rice (a serious offence).
Pierogis are thinly rolled out dough stuffed with a variety of savoury or sweet fillings (in that sense, similar to their Chinese counterparts). Common fillings are ground meat, sauerkraut, mushrooms, spinach, buckwheat, potatoes, fried onions, pepper, cottage cheese etc, or combinations of these. Traditionally in Poland, pierogis are boiled, but there are baked or fried varieties.
Had various variations of pierogis everywhere I went in Poland. If you did not try any pierogis when you are here, Poles won't let you claim to have come to Poland before ๐
Pierogis are said to have come from the Far East in the 13th century and they do resemble jiao zi ้คๅญ.
My final fling in Poland.
Poland Food & Sightseeing Itinerary (Warsaw, Lodz, Torun, Gdansk) ๐ click
10 Restaurants to try in Poland (Warsaw, Lodz, Torun, Gdansk) ๐ click
Date: 15 Dec 2019
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