A Polish Menu for Every Season

pomidory-papryki-cukinie-lublin-fot-jakub-orzechowski-ag-jo210609_961205.jpg, default, Tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini and other vegetables on a market stall in Lublin, photo: Jakub Orzechowski/AG

#polish cuisine

Our food in Poland has remained quite seasonal despite access to imported foodstuffs and greenhouse produce. Yes, we do eat lemons, bananas, and avocados all year round (even though the truth is no part of the world should expect everything to be accessible all the time), yet for many of us our daily menus are organised around what tastes the best (and is the cheapest) at a particular time of the year. If you want to ‘eat seasonally like a Pole’, we’re here to provide you with some inspiration.

Winter

Let’s start with the most difficult time of the year: not much grows in the coldest months, so we’ve always had to rely on preservation techniques such as fermentation, drying, smoking, and pickling to have our larders stocked for winter. The food we crave is satiating, warming, immunity boosting and delicious.

In season: cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, onion, garlic, beetroot, carrot, potato, apple, pear

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Stewed cabbage, photo: East News

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Śniadanie (breakfast):

Warm millet groats (jaglanka) with apples or pears stewed with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves
Apple pancakes (racuchy z jabłkami): to make the batter, you need to combine 400ml of kefir (or buttermilk) with one egg, ½ teaspoon of baking powder, a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of sugar, add 2 sliced sour apples and 2 cups of flour and then fry the little pancakes on an oiled hot pan

Obiad (lunch*):

* it traditionally consisted in Poland of a soup and a main, although nowadays more and more often we stick with just one dish):

Krupnik: barley soup
Rosół: warming broth
Żur: soup with boiled egg, potatoes and sausage
Bigos: the iconic sauerkraut hunters’ stew
Kwaśnica: the soup of Polish mountaineers, made with sauerkraut, smoked ribs and bacon, served with potatoes on the side

Kolacja (supper):

A slice of sourdough bread with smalec
‘Vegetarian smalec’: a white bean spread with caramelised onions and apples, spiced with marjoram and black pepper, served with dill pickles
Sauerkraut latkes (fuczki): to make the batter, you need to combine 1 cup of wholemeal flour, 10 tbsp milk or water, 1 egg, some salt, pepper, caraway, and marjoram, then add 300g of chopped sauerkraut and (optionally) 1 small, chopped onion; then you need to fry the latkes on a hot oiled pan

Spring

The world comes to life again, first with some tender leaves and tiny sprouts, then with the abundant greenery of young cabbage, chard, sorrel and spinach, which give way to new potatoes, baby carrots, cucumbers and some seasonal superstars: rhubarb, asparagus and finally – strawberries. We crave everything that’s fresh, crispy, and full of vitamins.

In season: young cabbage, chard, sorrel, green onions, radishes, cress, kohlrabi, cucumbers, lettuces, rhubarb, asparagus, strawberries.

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Botwinka soup, photo: Bartosz Krupa / East News

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Śniadanie:

Twaróg (Polish cottage cheese) mixed with some yoghurt, chopped radishes, green onions and garlic, served on sourdough bread
Kasza manna (or semolina) with stewed rhubarb and vanilla
Egg and cress: this Easter staple (also beloved in the UK) is a combination of eggs, mayo and watercress, which tastes amazing when spread on Polish sourdough bread

Obiad:

Botwinka: a soup made with young beetroot leaves with potatoes and włoszczyzna (carrots, parsley roots, celeriac), served with sour cream, a boiled egg and dill
Sorrel soup: made with either fresh or pickled sorrel, served with sour cream and a boiled egg
Barley ‘risotto’ with asparagus and new cabbage: imagine you’re making a risotto, but use barley groats instead of rice and maybe some cider instead of white wine; make it green and seasonal with green asparagus, young cabbage, and lots of chopped dill

Kolacja:

Strawberry pasta: I know it sounds weird, but bear with me… Pasta (farfalle or penne might be best in this case), yoghurt or cream, slightly mashed strawberries, and a sprinkling of sugar: what’s not to like?
Stewed young cabbage: you need to chop the tender leaves of young cabbage and stew them with some onions, carrots and vegetable stock; it can be thickened with a roux and tastes best when served with lots of dill; for a full meal, you can also add bacon lardons or cubes of fried smoked tofu

Summer

From the beginning of June to the early days of September, the abundance of produce on the market stalls is mind-blowing: there are green zucchini and yellow summer squashes, white, red and yellow peppers, fragrant tomatoes in all shapes and sizes (when in Poland, you need to try pomidory malinowe, the most delicious ‘raspberry’ cultivar), green beans (an important note: in Poland, green beans are sometimes yellow), fava beans and, last but not least, all sorts of delicious berries and currants.

In season: zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, green beans, fava beans, cauliflower, raspberries, bilberries, blueberries, black, red, and white currants

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Chłodnik soup, photo: Arkadiusz Ścichocki / AG

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Śniadanie:

Jagodzianka: a delicious yeast bun filled to the brim with fresh bilberries
Naleśniki with cottage cheese and berries: simple crêpes made with flour, milk and egg, filled with sweetened cottage cheese and decorated with a variety of sweet, juicy berries

Obiad:

Chłodnik: a cold soup made with cream, buttermilk or kefir, young beets, beet juice and a variety of fresh and crisp vegetables such as radishes, cucumbers, spring onions and dill, served with a boiled egg and new potatoes
The perfect Polish summer lunch: a sunny-side-up egg, new potatoes with butter and dill and a selection of vegetables: semi-pickled cucumbers, tomatoes with spring onions, mizeria (cucumber & cream salad) and, most importantly, cauliflower and/or green beans served with buttered breadcrumbs
Bilberry pierogi: the idea of a sweet main meal may be a controversial one, yet the famous pierogi filled with berries, served with cream and a sprinkling of crunchy sugar may be what convinces you

Kolacja:

Leczo: sometimes what we cook resembles the Hungarian lecsó, sometimes it’s more like a French ratatouille, but either way one of the most beloved summer dishes in Poland is a vegetable stew made with onions, peppers, zucchini or summer squash and tomatoes, sometimes with the addition of some sausage, and sometimes with some chickpeas or aubergines; you can eat it with bread for supper or serve it as a main meal with rice or groats
Just a bowl of boiled salted fava beans, perfect when you’re planning to watch sports
Just a slice of watermelon straight from the fridge when it’s too hot to eat

Autumn

When summer comes to an inevitable end, there’s still a lot to be excited about: it’s the time of those fragrant wild mushrooms that Poles adore so much, the time of orange pumpkins and purple plums, the time of cranberries, quinces and elderflowers; we also turn to Brussels sprouts and kale, which in modern Polish cuisine we mix with delicious hazelnuts and walnuts.

In season: wild forest mushrooms, pumpkins, plums, nuts, cranberries.

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Boletus mushrooms, photo: Jan Molek/Forum

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Śniadanie:

Racuchy dyniowe (pumpkin pancakes): originating in the Podkarpacie region, they are made by combining 2 cups of soured milk, 1 cup of pumpkin puree, 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 grated apples, 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp baking soda; the batter is then fried just like regular pancakes
Cranberry kisiel: one of Poland’s favourite desserts, kisiel is made by thickening fruit juice with some potato starch and one of the best and most traditional versions is made with cranberries; according to a recipe from 1913, you need to boil 300g cranberries with 400ml water, some cinnamon, cloves and sugar, then add 2 tbsp potato starch (you need to combine it with a couple tablespoons of the hot liquid, before adding to the pot), wait until it thickens and serve it with some cream
Scrambled eggs with chanterelle mushrooms

Obiad:

Mushroom soup: one of the autumnal staples is a thick, creamy soup made with fresh mushrooms, served with lots of parsley or dill; later in the year, dry mushroom stock becomes more common
Pumpkin soup: there’s no limit to what you can do with a plain pumpkin soup; in Poland we like to make a simple version with butter, onions, and garlic, served with croutons and chopped parsley
Baked goose with marjoram, apples and beetroot: a traditional November dish, especially in the Greater Poland region

Kolacja:

Knedle ze śliwkami: big, round, potato-based dumplings filled with purple plums are an autumnal delicacy, delicious when served with melted butter and toasted breadcrumbs
Parsley pesto: a more Polish variation on the beloved Italian classic can be made with local ingredients: parsley, walnuts, garlic, and rapeseed oil
Kale, apple and hazelnut salad with a honey mustard dressing: although the recipe sounds quite ‘international’, it can be made with strictly Polish autumnal ingredients: kale mixed with crispy apples, toasted hazelnuts and a honey-and-mustard vinaigrette would be a winner in every country on Earth

Written by Natalia Mętrak-Ruda, Sept 2021

Language English

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