In the Cookbooks - a Polish-English glossary

There are a lot of websites, which would give you a description of Polish dishes, often misspelled or not correct at all, or just... too dificult to read and use right from the start for every person who is not used to Polish language. How can one know, stumbling upon a recipe which says "Kapuśniak", what it is? Maybe it's a cake, pasta recipe or fish dish? What one should expect? Well, I've decided to give you a list of the most common Polish dishes along with their explanations. I hope you'll find it informational enough. If you find any other Polish names you find too tiring to translate or to understand - just ask.

SOUPS
Chłodnik litewski: cold yoghurt-and-beetroot soup served with a hard boiled egg, originally from Lithuania.
Barszcz biały: sour thick wheat starch soup with marjoram, potatoes, sometimes with cream. Similar to Żurek in taste.
Barszcz czerwony: refreshing beetroot soup with vegetables and sour cream or served clear with dumplings.
Żurek: sour rye soup with potato, sausage or an egg, sometimes served in a bread loaf.
Krupnik: thick barley soup with a smattering of vegetables and smoked meat.
Kapuśniak: sour cabbage soup.
Zupa ogórkowa: hot sour cucumber soup, usually served with potatoes and/or rice.
Zupa koperkowa: dill soup.
Rosół z kurczaka: golden chicken consommé with noodles.
Zupa pomidorowa: tomato soup, often with rice or noodles.
Grochówka: thick pea soup.
Zupa grzybowa: mushroom soup with cream.
Flaki wołowe: beef tripe soup.

HORS D'OEUVRES
Smalec: partially double fried lard with onion, marjoram and sometimes with apple or prune. It is spread over bread and served together with pickled cucumbers as an appetizer before the main meal.
Śledzie w śmietanie: herring in sour cream, usually with onion.
Boczek ze śliwką: bacon stuffed with prunes.
Tatar: steak tartar; raw minced beef with chopped onion and raw yolk.


MAIN COURSE - BEEF & VEAL
Eskalopki z cielęciny: veal in a blanket.
Polędwiczki wołowe: beef sirloin, often with rare mushroom sauce.
Ozór wołowy: soft steamed beef tongues.
Sztuka mięsa w sosie chrzanowym: boiled chunk of beef in horseradish sauce.
Zrazy zawijane: beef rolls stuffed with bacon, gherkin and onion or red pepper, in a spicy sauce.


MAIN COURSE - PORK
Golonka w piwie: fat, but tasty pork knuckle, sometimes in beer sauce, always with horseradish; very traditional, originally from Bavaria.
Karkówka: tenderloin, usually roasted
Kotlet schabowy: traditional breaded pork cutlet (a tasty choice).
Kiełbasa: Polish sausages - white sausages are especially very tasty. They go well with pickled cucumbers (gherkins) in combination with beer or vodka and fresh air.
Żeberka w miodzie: spare pork ribs in honey.


MAIN COURSE - POULTRY
Kaczka z jabłkami: roast duck with apples.
Kurczak de volaille: chicken steaks spread with butter, filled with mushrooms and bread crumbed, originally French.
Wątróbki drobiowe: chicken liver.


MAIN COURSE - OTHER MEAT COURSES
Baranina: roasted or even grilled lamb – great, especially popular in the mountain region.
Klopsiki: meatloaf, often with tomato sauce.
Bigos: appetizing, seasoned "hunters' stew" made from sauerkraut with chunks of various meats and sausages, extremely traditional.
Dziczyzna: game.
Fasolka po bretońsku: bean and sausage stew.
Gołąbki: cabbage parcels originally from Lithuania, they are stuffed with meat or meat and rice.
Kaszanka: grilled or baked solid pieces of buckwheat blended with pork blood and shaped as sausages.
Szaszłyk: originally Caucasian dish; chunks of meat grilled on a spit.


MAIN COURSE - FISH
Karp po żydowsku: carp in aspic with raisins, originally Jewish recipe adapted by Polish cuisine (eaten mostly during Christmas time).
Łosoś: salmon, often baked or boiled in a dill sauce.
Pstrąg: trout, sometimes flambé.
Sandacz: pike perch.


VEGETARIAN DISHES
Pierogi: very traditional small white dumplings, larger than ravioli, filled with sauerkraut with mushrooms, cheese and potatoes or with fruit. They can be also with meat (z mięsem).
Naleśniki: omelettes stuffed with jam, fruit, cottage cheese etc. and very similar to crepes.
Knedle: potato dumplings stuffed with fruit, usually plums or strawberries.


SIDE DISHES
Frytki: chips, french fries.
Kopytka: hoof-shaped dumplings.
Kluski śląskie: Silesian dumplings, made from boiled potatoes.
Kasza gryczana: buckwheat groats.
Placki ziemniaczane: potato pancakes.


SWEET TIDBITS
Faworki or chrust: pastry twisters.
Galaretka: sweet fruit jellies.
Makowiec: sweet poppy seed cake.
Pączki: doughnuts, traditionally with jam filling.
Sernik: delicious cheesecake, made from special kind of cheese and other traditional ingredients.
Szarlotka: apple cake, sometimes served with whipped cream or ice cream.


Source: http://www.staypoland.com/poland-food.htm

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.