Polish food is quickly becoming the cuisine of today, especially since the effects of communism have faded to allow a more democratic as well as economically sound Poland to thrive. In actual fact, it’s been more than 25 years since communism was abolished and, during this time, Poland has transformed herself in a way that is almost unrecognizable. The mentality of hunger has been gone. Nowadays, the Polski sklep is a fast and fresh, readily accessible, and food-based business and entrepreneurs are driving the country forward at an accelerated rate.
These are five of the top reasons for me to be enthralled by Polish food:
1. Poland is home to an Michelin star street food, chocolate and Michelin star festivals
Warsaw restaurant chef Wojciech Amaro has kept the Michelin star for the second year, allowing the city to keep up with the latest capital cities like London. Modern Polish cuisine is beginning to gain international attention. Whereas restaurants in the communist era were either underground or limited to government-subsidized ‘milk bars’, these days seasonality and local produce govern the menus of Polish chefs who have trained at some of the world’s best restaurants, such as El Bulli and Noma.
An experience of a fine quality In Poland can also have the benefit of being affordable when compared to high-end eating establishments across Europe. The menus in the capital city and surrounding areas offer dishes like cream of pumpkin soup with Thymus oil. There is also venison ravioli made with rosemary butter, and Chocolate mousse, with the addition of yuzu for a complete the meal.
Street food trucks with American influences and festivals are popping up across Poland which proves that Poland is an advanced and vibrant country and eager to keep pace in Western trends. The city that was once the capital of Krakow holds every year a Street Truck Festival in August that draws food trucks and tourists from across the globe while November is the month that hosts an International Festival of Chocolate and Sweets to the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw. If you are a fan of traditional Polish food, you should try the annual “Pierogi Festival” that is held in Krakow that is currently in its 12th year.
2. Polish food is vegetarian, vegan , and gluten-free.
Are you vegan or vegetarian and planning to visit Poland? It’s no problem. It was once that meat was the mainstay of Polish dining establishments as well as kitchens, however nowadays, health food options such as fresh vegetables, dishes like falafels, bean burgers, and raw salads made of vegetables known as’surowki’ are plentiful. Special diets are becoming more easily accepted and gluten-free food items are becoming more popular. One popular Warsaw restaurant that I have visited provides traditional, vegan, as well as gluten-free Polish Zapiekanki A type of grilled baguette , which is similar to pizza. Cafés, smoothie bars and bakeries that are artisanal are accommodating special diet requirements. One of my favorite Polish recipes to serve vegetarian guests is Kopytka tiny dumplings which are served along with mushrooms from the wild. Mushroom hunting was once thought as a national sport So expect lots of fungi in the menu as well as foraged food items that include wild berries as well as herbs.
3. Traditional Polish cuisine can keep your warm during the cold winter months.
Regional Polish food and the traditional dishes served in Poland are sometimes referred to as ‘Kuchnia Staropolska’ . this type of food is experiencing the rounds again. Pierogi which is hand-made Polish dumplings, remain to be among the most famous Polish food items. Pierogi can be filled with potato, cheese as well as mushrooms, cabbage and even meat and cooked or boiled and, when cooked according following a recipe that is very old they can also be baked. Outside of the kitchen, try them at”pierogarina” – the name of a cafe or restaurant which specializes in pierogi. They are also delicious street foods, and so check out for food stalls that serve fresh hot pierogi as you shop.
Other winter warming dishes include hot teas of Barszcz beetroot soup as well as Placki Ziemniaczane, potato pancake served with a creamy goulash, mushroom sauce or sour cream. To enjoy a sweet treat Poland is also known for its yeast-infused Paczki or doughnuts. They are also warm pancakes stuffed of creamy hot cheese.
4. Polish cuisine has been influenced from various cuisines across the globe.
It’s easy to find familiar foods in an Polish kitchen however, in reality there are many Polish recipes have been influenced from other nations in Europe. In 1518 it was reported that the Italian queen Bona Sforza came to Poland to be married to King Sigismund 1 and along with her , she brought Italian cooks. While staple grains, cereal crops and vegetables that were seasonal were in Poland however, the Queen Bona was believed to have brought in items like lemons, citrus fruits and figs, asparagus artichokes, tomatoes, and the pomegranates. In the later 1800s, French dishes also had an impact on royal cuisine. Poland’s position on the Turkish trade route meant that a variety of spices and exotic ingredients such as cinnamon, cloves, almonds, and rosewater made their ways into Polish recipes too.
5. Polish food is particularly good when paired with vodka.
Vodka (or wodka as it is known in Poland) was made in Poland from the beginning of the middle ages. There are documents dating it as far in early as the 8th century. In its early forms, vodka was utilized for medicinal purposes. Unexpectedly, vodka didn’t appear in the top 10 list of Polish exports of food and beverages in 2013, but in reality Poland mostly exports apple cider, cheese, pork and poultry, smoked fish tomatoes, as well as other fresh and frozen fruits to its neighbors as well as to more and more destinations like China as well as China, the UK as well as the UAE. But ask anyone from outside Poland what they believe Poland is most famous in, and I’m certain vodka is at to the very top!
Today, to be able to get the guarantee stamp for Polish vodka, the vodka has to be made solely in Poland using traditional grains like wheat, rye, or barley, as well as potatoes. The most popular of these are vodka and food tours which promote traditional cuisine using specifically selected vodkas.
Polish dishes that work especially good with vodka are sledz (herring) and traditional curried meats, pickled vegetables like the mushrooms, pork dishes like the kotlet Schabowy or cutlets from pork that have been fried. More sweet vodkas, like Krupnik, an alcoholic honey drink that is ideal for serving warm, Sliwowka or the plum vodka and Wisniowka which is an alcoholic cherry vodka, make perfect dessert drinks.
Do you not have time to travel to Poland? There are Polish centers all over the world. In actual fact it’s true that the Polish diaspora is among the largest around the globe which means that you’ve been to a “Little Poland” in your locality. As this year marks the 10th anniversary of Poland’s accession to the EU and the UK as well as many other European countries have also witnessed an increase in Polish stores and restaurants popping up which has made Polish food available everywhere far beyond Poland.
