A Quick Guide to the Food of Polish Christmas

pierogi_wigilia_fot_wojciech_wojtkielewicz_en_01406563_0086.jpg, default, Christmas Eve 'pierogi', photo: Wojciech Wojtkielewicz / East News

#polish cuisine

#polish christmas

Christmas Eve is, without a doubt, one of Poland’s most significant celebrations and culinary-wise – Christmas Eve dinner is one of the most important meals. Traditionally, twelve different dishes are served; some of them are quite well known all around Poland, others can be strictly regional; some of them are eaten throughout the seasons, while others are only enjoyed once a year; all are meatless. As the most important festive dishes of our tradition, they are key elements of the Polish culinary canon. Let’s take a look at twelve dishes we most often associate with Christmas Eve.

Mushroom soup

Thumbnail — Mushroom soup, photo: Wojciech Pacewicz / PAP

Mushroom soup is made with dried forest mushrooms (ceps are the most beloved), which are an important part of the Polish culinary heritage. It is often served with either thin or square noodles (łazanki – the name comes from the Italian lasagna – can also be served as a main dish with sauerkraut and mushrooms), with or without a dollop of cream.

Red borsht with mushroom-filled dumplings

If you look up the world barszcz in the dictionary, two meanings are listed: firstly, barszcz is a soured soup (zupa na zakwasie) or a portion of this soup; secondly, it’s hogweed – a plant with big leaves which grows in a moderate climate. Barszcz – understood as an umbrella term for several soups has been a part of Slavic culture since time immemorial, yet it was not always prepared with beets. It was originally made from the aforementioned hogweed, which required the plant to be soured like sauerkraut, which resulted in a pleasantly tart taste, much like contemporary barszcz – or, for example, sorrel soup, which is sometimes referred to as ‘green borscht’.

Ryba po grecku

Greek fish, photo: Piotr Bławicki / East News

The name of this popular appetizer means ‘Greek-style fish’, and yet there’s nothing Greek about it and the origins of the name are unclear. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that serving fish with a tomato-based, vegetable sauce is reminiscent of the Mediterranean (there is a slight resemblance between Polish Greek-style fish and a dish from Corfu called bourdeto). Fillets of white fish (such as pollock or cod) are fried and then braised in a delicious sauce made with onions, julienned carrots, parsley roots and celeriac, tomato paste and spices.

Fried carp

Carp fried in bell peppers in butter, photo: Marcin Klaban / AW

The tradition of carp farming in Poland is at least 700 hundred years old, and it was present on royal tables for centuries. However, it became an eminent part of Polish Christmas tradition only after World War II. It is more popular than nobler fish like sander, eel or pike, yet it is also the most controversial element on the table, since many people believe it to be ‘muddy’. Those who enjoy it, dust it in flour, fry, and serve with warm sauerkraut and boiled potatoes.

Jewish-style carp

Carp Jewish-style photo: Grzegorz Skowronek / AG

On Christmas Eve carp is not only served as a main course, but often also as one of the appetizers – the fish is cooked in a fish stock which then turns into a jelly. Sweetened with almonds, raisins and onions, it was a traditional dish of Ashkenazi Jews who lived in Central Europe.

Herring

A break in the midst of partying and fun or a rather unpleasant culinary necessity for the long periods of fasting imposed by Catholic religious observance. Today in Poland, herring seems to be a gastronomic oxymoron as far as cultural associations, and yet, it has remained a staple food in a country in which fish is generally rarely consumed.

Sauerkraut & mushrooms

The presence of sauerkraut in Polish culinary culture is strong, and it becomes particularly obvious during Christmas Eve. Nearly everyone braises sauerkraut as a filling for pierogi, a ‘sauce’ for łazanki, or as a side dish with the addition of dried forest mushrooms or with yellow peas. Some Poles also like it with soaked raisins. It is also known as bigos.

Pierogi

Pierogi are without a doubt Poland’s most famous dish – the ultimate, universally beloved comfort food. A book about Polish cuisine for foreigners could be entitled ‘Not Only Pierogi’, since they seem to be all everyone loves and talks about. Their worldwide popularity is not surprising, as most nations have their own version of a filled pasta. And that’s precisely what pierogi are: delicious boiled pastry parcels filled to the brim with all sorts of yummy things: cheese and potato, sauerkraut and mushrooms, meat, spinach, lentils, sweetened farmer’s cheese or berries. Always a perfect balance of the familiar and the exotic.

Kutia

Kutia is an ancient dessert made exclusively for Christmas Eve dinner, typical of Eastern Poland. It is a mixture of cooked, unprocessed wheat grains, cooked poppy seeds, honey, dried or candied fruits often soaked in a small amount of red wine, and various nuts and seeds – usually almonds, sunflower grains or walnuts. In the past, kutia had not only had a culinary role but was also connected to Slavic religious beliefs. Interestingly, similar dishes can be found in both Sicilian and Greek traditions, which suggests ancient origins of the dish.

Makowiec

One of the most original – and probably the most controversial – Polish cakes, makowiec most often is a strudel-like, yeast cake filled with a luxurious mixture of finely-ground poppy seeds, butter, honey, dried fruits and nuts. There are other shapes and variations, but one thing is clear – poppy-seeds are one of the most beloved, festive delicacies in Poland.

Piernik

Old Polish cuisine was full of exotic spices, including ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg, and they were all used when baking gingerbread – a beautiful cake, which was already prepared in the 17th century. Its hometown is Toruń – the city of Nicolas Copernicus – where you can visit gingerbread museums and still taste the best cookies. The traditional Old Polish piernik, which is still prepared in many homes, requires a lot of time and attention. The dough consists of honey, butter or lard, sugar, eggs, flour and a mixture of spices. It should be made a couple of weeks in advance to mature and gain a special gingerbread flavour. Baking it a couple of days before Christmas Eve makes it ideal for dinner. It is then cut along and eaten with layers of traditional plum preserves (powidła). It remains fresh for a long time. Poles also bake ginger cookies which they use as Christmas-tree decorations.

Kompot z suszu

Dried compote, photo: Damian Klamka / East News

Poles love dried and smoked fruits and use them especially in Christmas dishes. Dried fruit compote is a popular beverage served at the end of Christmas Eve. It is made from cooked dried and smoked fruits – typically plums, apples, pears, raisins and apricots. Apart from having quite a distinct – yet controversial – flavour, it also speeds up digestion, which is highly appreciated after such a lavish dinner.

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