Poland

Geographical position

Situated in Central Europe, Poland borders with Russia, Lithuania and the Baltic Sea in the north, with Belarus and the Ukraine in the east, Germany in the west, and the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the south. Poland’s landscape is marked by the lowlands of the North European Plain, the average height of which is 173 m. Large rivers flow through the plain: Odra, Visla and Varta. The Karpat and Tatra Mountains with Rysy (2499 m), the highest mountaintop in Poland, are the second geographical reality of Poland.

Polish national dish called bigos, is made from sauerkraut (from Rasol) with different types of meat, smoked meat and mushrooms.

The closeness of the neighboring cultures is reflected in Polish cuisine, so that in it one can feel the influence of the Russian, German, Austrian, Czech, as well as Italian and French cultures. Polish national cuisine took on numerous specialties from the numerous ethnic minorities that live in the country: Jews, Ukrainians, Belarusians and Lithuanians. Poland has 38.7 million inhabitants, and the fact that as many as 25% of Poles live from agriculture and domestic animal breeding has an influence on the quality of the Polish cuisine. Poland attracts by its rich cultural heritage and numerous natural beauties.

Historical influence

The name Poland dates from the middle of the 11th century, and the root of the word originates from the name of the ancient Slavic tribe, Polani, that settled in the 5th century in the fertile lowlands between the Visla and Odra Rivers. Svoj procvat Poljska dozivljava u 16 st. ujedinivsi se s Litvom pod dinastijom Jagelovića postavsi tako jedna od glavnih europskih sila. Poland experienced a bloom in the 16th century by uniting with Lithuania under the Jagelović dynasty, thus becoming one of the main European forces. After the fall of the dynasty in 1572 Poland entered a period of wars and decline of the political and cultural power, and at the end of the 16th century, it was finally divided among Austria, Russia and Prussia. After the 1st World War Poland regained independence to be once again divided between the Soviet Union and Germany in 1939. After the 2nd World War the geographical map of Poland was retailored – it gained new territories in the west, however lost the old ones in the east. Poland introduced democracy in 1989; in 1999 it joined NATO; and in 2004 it became a member of the EU. Poland is today a stable democratic country with a fascinating history, which is reflected in its national cuisine as well.

Features of Polish cuisine

Rich national cuisine has been influenced by the nations Poland was in direct contact with, and is regionally very diverse. Typical foodstuffs used in Polish cuisine are: sauerkraut, red beet, cucumbers, kohlrabi, cream, mushrooms, as well as smoked and other types of sausages. Meat dishes are very aromatic in Poland because Polish peopleuse a lot of spices such as dill, caraway, majroran, pepper and parsley. The most popular desserts are cakes. A glass of vodka after a good lunch is quite recommended also because it facilitates indigestion.

Specialties of Polish cuisine

Various types of meat, pasta dishes and soups are part of traditional Slavic cuisine, and so of Polish cuisine as well. We offer you a typical Polish meal that consists of at least three courses starting with a soup, a starter such as herring or salmon, followed by a main course. We recommend the national specialty known as bigos or kotlet schabowy. We will finish the meal with a dessert such as makowiec or drożdżówka.

The Poles finish their meal with a dessert, and since they are known as sweet-toothed people, cakes are a must-have in their culinary culture.

Soups
The offer of soups in Poland is diverse, so we will only mention the most frequent and common ones:

Barszcz - a red beet soup, a traditional Slavic dish.

Chłodnik - a cold soup made from soured milk, young red beet leaves, red beet, cucumbers and finely chopped or ground fresh spices.

Rosół - chicken soup.

Zupa grzybowa - a soup made from various types of mushrooms.

Zupa ogórkowa - a soup made from pickled cucumbers, often including pork meat.

Žur - a sour soup made from rye flour with white sausages and hard-boiled eggs.

Žurek - a soup similar to the žur soup including potatoes. In certain parts of Poland it can also include mushrooms. Žurek is often served with cream.

Bread
People eat various types of bread in Poland. The rich Polish offer of bread products includes: white bread, brown bread, bread with various sesame, poppy and other seeds.

Meat dishes
Meat is prepared in various ways: grilled, sautéed, boiled… It is served warm with aromatic sauces, but also cold with mustard, horse radish and pickled mushrooms or cucumbers.

The most famous meat dish is the schabowy cutlet - breaded and fried pork steak served with potatoes and sausages. Pieczony schab, yet another meat specialty, is roast pork filled with dried plums. Widely recognized are also golonka or boiled knuckle and kaszanka or black pudding, a former rural dish and today’s specialty of the finest restaurants.

Beef specialties are: zrazy zawijane - sautéed beef rolls filled with pickled cucumbers, sausages and mushrooms and served with roughly-ground buckwheat semolina. Kaczka po krakowsku is sautéed duck with mushrooms.

Pasta dishes
Pillows (pierogi) made from dough are an important element of Polish cuisine. They are made from the dough used to make noodles, and can be filled with minced meat, finely chopped cabbage mixed with mushrooms, cottage cheese or fruit. Filled like that, they are put in boiling water.

The most delicious variation of pierogi are ruskie pierogi, filled with cheese, potatoes and fried onions. Naleśniki are pancakes, and as the afore-mentionedpillows, they constitute a very important element of Polish vegetarian cuisine. Pyzy (gnocchi made from potato flour) and dumplings (gnocchi filled with fruit).

Vegetables
Cabbage is a typical vegetable of Polish cuisine. The national Polish specialty known as bigos, is made from sauerkraut (from Rasol) with different types of meat, smoked meat and mushrooms. Gołąbki are leaves of fresh cabbage filled with minced meat, rice or mash, served in tomato or mushroom sauce.

Desserts
The Poles finish their meals with dessert, and since they are known as sweet-toothed people, cakes are a must-have in their culinary culture. Cakes are mostly made from yeast dough (baba, drożdżowe). The most popular Polish sweet delicacies are: makowiec, rolled dough filled with poppy seeds, fruit or nuts, doughnuts (pączki), mazurek, apple pie (szarlotka), cheese cake (sernik) and ginger bread.

Drinks
As far as drinks are concerned, we have to point out that Polish specialty is the finest pure vodka: Chopin vodka, Belvedere, Luksusowa, Wyborowa. Aromatic vodkas are also quite popular: Zubrówka, a vodka with herbs from the national park called Białowieza , home to the only type of European buffalo – Žubra, who feeds on such herbs. Goldwasser from Gdańsk contains particles of 22-carat gold. Pablo Picasso once said that the three most extraordinary things from the first half of the 20th century were: blues, cubism and Polish vodka.

The lovers of beer will not be disappointed either with the selection of beer in Poland, which is just as good as that of Germany or the Czech Republic. Among the numerous breweries, the best-known are the Żywiec, Warka and Elbląg.

During the cold days, the best way to get warm is to drink hot wine and beer with honey and other spices. Polish liquors: mead (miód pitny) or sweet alcoholic creams, creams made from egg yolk, vanilla or chocolate are often used with desserts. Fruit stews are also drunk, i.e. non-alcoholic drinks made from fruit, sugar and spices.

Travel tips

• Lonely planet describes Poland as a cheap and safe destination with kind and hospitable people.
• The best time to visit Poland is between May and September, but it may also be nice in October.
• Feel the contrast between the rural, conservative and religious, and the urban, quick and chaotic Polish life.
• Don’t miss out on the opportunity to visit Białowieza – the oldest Polish national park, the Tatras, Warsaw and Kraków.
• Polish Film Festival is held in Gdyna, in November.
• Warsaw is the cultural center of Poland. Experience its modern musical inspiration in August. Lovers of jazz will have a chance to enjoy their favorite tunes at the end of October.
• Nobel Prize winner - Maria Skłodowska, later known as Marie Curie, was born in Warsaw in 1867.
• Should you wish to use the Internet free of charge while staying in Warsaw, you can do so at the Warsaw University Library.
• Tip: an expected tip for taxi services is 10%, but you do not have to leave a tip in restaurants where additional 10% for the service is usually included in the price already.