There’s an anecdote about a Parisian and a Moscow gentleman who respectively went on a train trip to visit each other. They both fell asleep during the long journey and at some point, they both woke up in Warsaw. And they both thought they already arrived at the final place. So – How much is Polish traditional food, really … Polish? Let’s find out.
Where the authentic Polish cuisine comes from?
Poland stretched across a Middle European Plain is a melting pot of all the Continent’s culinary traditions. Lots of German influences, close proximity to Bohemian and Austro-Hungarian plethora of flavours and recipes, all are deeply implemented into a bedrock of cross-Slavic cuisine. There’s also a huge inheritance from Jewish tradition which was brutally exterminated some 80 years ago but left a significant mark on our food. And of course, you can find traces of the Italian renaissance and French baroque. Plus, British industrialism. Plus, modern American “fast-foodism”. Plus… Yet, I will fight the battle for our authenticity. With all those influences we have saved some of our distinctive features and culinary traditions. Check out for instance the way we used forest mushrooms in our kitchens. The whole section of this blog will be dedicated to exclusively Polish food ideas.
OK. You may ask. But how can you describe the Polish culinary soul in simple instructive words? Well, it’s two words – a messy richness. Messy because you find combinations of ingredients and spices mingled together in all sorts of ways. And richness because a single dish usually involves a lot of components and flavours. Plus, the idea of feasting is put in Poland on a completely different level. For example, a traditional Polish Christmas celebration (which we call “Wigilia” and eat on Christmas Eve) has to include at least a dozen of different dishes. You can’t just get away with trying two or three. You have to taste them all. Polish wedding is usually celebrated with a night-long “biesiada” (feast) where apart from drinking all sorts of food are gradually served and consumed. Sometimes it even prolongs to the next day.
So please, be warned. We are tough players when it comes to eating and drinking (especially the latter) so you can’t be faint-hearted if you decide to engage in our ways. Fortunately, this website will give you some idea of what you can expect. You can read about the ingredients we use; you can try some ideas we will gradually present here; you may also decide to try some products which we offer in our online shop. But finally (only when you are ready) you can visit our restaurant and indulge in Polish feasting. You are very much welcome.