Polish Cuisine Traditions

If you want to try traditional Polish cuisine, there is one basic rule to it:
stop counting your calories! :)

Typical meals are very hearty and often contain a lot of meat. Just sampling them is enough to discover that they are really delicious and worth putting on a few ounces. The most famous and certainly recommendable dishes are: bigos, kotlet schabowy, pierogi and gołąbki (all of those dishes descriptions and recipes you will find at my blog here - just click the links). Polish people like to say that their two basic and most famous products are: delicious Polish bread and a variety of spiced sausages ("kiełbasa"). In fact, in many cities of the world you can find Polish shops specializing in kiełbasa sausages or Polish bakeries famous for the tasty bread made only using natural ingredients and methods.


The most typical ingredients used in Polish cuisine are sauerkraut, beetroot, cucumbers (especially pickled cucumbers; gherkins), sour cream, kohlrabi, mushrooms, sausages and smoked sausage. A meal owes it taste to the herbs and spices used; such as marjoram, dill, caraway seeds, parsley, or pepper. The most popular desserts are cakes and pastries. A shot of vodka is an appropriate addition to festive meals... and it certainly helps you to digest all of this delicious and tasty food.

Poland's culture has always integrated elements from its neighbours, and there are also many recipes of Jewish origin. The tastes and preperation of meals often differ from county to county (or voivodship - that's how they are called in Poland) so depends in which part of the country you are, you may encounter various recipes and dishes. Nowadays the Polish menu is still changing, being influenced by various, sometimes exotic tastes. Apart from traditional restaurants specialising in traditional local cuisine, you can find restaurants serving e.g. Italian, French and Asian foods, as well as vegetarian bars everywhere in Poland.


If there are any Polish recipes or traditions you'd like to read about here - you're most welcome to write a comment or a suggestion. I'll really appreciate all of the feedback! :)

Oh, and by the way - if you feel lost when browsing for some Polish recipes - check out this short Polish Cuisine Glossary.