Polish food is quickly becoming the cuisine of this moment, especially as 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 25 years since the fall of communism and, during the time since, Poland has transformed herself nearly unrecognizable. The mentality of hunger has been gone. Today, Polish food is fast and fresh, readily available . Food-related business and entrepreneurs are driving the country forward at an accelerated rate.
Five reasons I think you should be enthralled by Polish food from the Polski sklep:
1. Poland is home to an Michelin star street food, chocolate and Michelin star festivals
Warsaw restaurant chef Wojciech Amaro is holding onto the Michelin star for the second year, allowing the city to keep up with fashionable capitals like London. Modern Polish food is starting 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 A fine dining experience in Poland is also a plus because it has the benefit of being affordable in comparison to other luxury dining options across Europe. The menus in the capital city and further afield offer meals like cream of pumpkin soup with Thymus oil and venison ravioli topped with rosemary butter, and the chocolate mousse along with Yuzu for a end.
Street food trucks with American influences and festivals are popping up across Poland which proves that Poland is an advanced and vibrant country that is eager to keep up 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 as well as visitors from across the globe and in November, to the International Festival of Chocolate and Sweets to the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw. If you’re a lover of traditional Polish cuisine, make sure to check out the annual “Pierogi Festival” which is held in Krakow that is currently in its 12th year.
2. Polish food is vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free.
Vegan or vegetarian , and you’re visiting Poland? There’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 vegetable-based salads referred to as’surowki’ are plentiful. Special diets are now being more and more accepted as gluten-free options become more popular. One popular Warsaw restaurant that I have visited serves traditional, vegan also gluten free Polish Zapiekanki which is a kind of grilled baguette , which is similar to pizza. Cafés, smoothie bars and bakeries with artisanal ingredients are catering to the needs of special diets. One of my favorite Polish dishes that vegetarians can serve to guests at home is Kopytka small dumplings which are served along with mushrooms from the wild. Mushroom harvesting was once thought to be a national pastime and you can expect plenty of fungi to be found on the menu, as well as foraged items that include wild berries as well as herbs.
3. Traditional Polish cuisine keeps you cozy throughout the cold winter months.
Regional Polish food and the traditional dishes served in Poland are sometimes referred to as “Kuchnia-Staropolska” and this type of food is undergoing an appearance. Pierogi which is made from Polish dumplings, are continuing to be among the most popular Polish food items. Pierogi can be filled with potato, cheese or cabbage, mushrooms and meat, or even fruits and cooked or boiled and, when cooked according in a traditional recipe and baked. Outside of the kitchen, you can taste them at”pierogarina” – the name of a cafe or restaurant which specializes in pierogi. They also make excellent street foods, and so keep an eye for food stalls offering hot and fresh pierogi when you shop.
Other warming winter dishes include hot teas of Barszcz beetroot soup along with Placki Ziemniaczane, potato pancake that is served with a rich goulash, mushrooms sauce , or sour cream. If you are looking for a sweet treat, Poland is also known for its yeast-infused Paczki or doughnuts. They are also warm pancakes that are filled of warm cream cheese.
4. Polish cuisine has absorbed influences from various cuisines across the globe.
It’s possible to think that you’ll struggle to find familiar foods in the Polish kitchen however, in reality there are many Polish recipes have been influenced from other countries in Europe. In 1518 it was reported that the Italian queen Bona Sforza came to Poland to wed King Sigismund 1. 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, oranges and figs, asparagus artichokes, tomatoes, and the pomegranates. Lateron, in the 1800s, French food was also an influence on the court. Poland’s position on the Turkish trade route meant that a variety of spices and exotic ingredients such like 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 since the mid-to-late middle ages. There are documents dating it as far as early as the 8th century. In its earliest versions, vodka was utilized for medicinal purposes. Unexpectedly, vodka didn’t appear among the top Polish exports of food and beverages in 2013, however Poland mostly exports pork, apples, cheese and poultry, smoked fish tomatoes, as well as other fresh and frozen fruits to its neighbors and, increasingly, to countries like China and in the UK or the UAE. However, ask anyone who isn’t from Poland what they believe Poland is most famous by, I’m certain vodka will be at to the very top!
Today, to be able to get the guarantee stamp for Polish vodka it has to be made exclusively in Poland using traditional grains like wheat, rye or barley, or potatoes. In increasing demand are tours that include food and vodka that promote traditional food with specific vodkas.
Polish dishes that pair especially great with vodka, include sledz (herring) and traditional preserved meats, pickled veggies 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 which is best served warm. Sliwowka or the plum vodka and Wisniowka which is which is a cherry vodka, are an excellent accompaniment to desserts.
Do you not have time to travel to Poland? There are Polish hubs all over the world. In reality it’s true that the Polish diaspora is among the largest worldwide which means that you’ve visited a “Little Polish” in your locality. This year is the 10th anniversary of Poland’s accession to the EU 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 readily available across the world, even far beyond Poland.
