Berry Special Traditions: A Fruit for Every Month
Come May, Polish streets, markets and homes are filled with fresh strawberries. Later on, in June, July and August, raspberries and sweet cherries come into the mix, not to mention blueberries, blackberries, gooseberries and black, red and white currants. In the autumn we feast on various plums, while delicious apples help us through the cold winter months. Here’s a look at Poland’s favourite seasonal fruits.
Strawberries
Strawberries, photo: Bartłomiej Molga / Forum Kaszëbske malëna (which means ‘Kashubian raspberry’ in the Kashubian language) is the most famous strawberry in the country. Grown in the beautiful north-western region of Kashubia since the beginning of the 20th century, it was introduced to local farmers by Anastazy Sadowski, who was a priest, social worker and local hero. It is supposed to be the sweetest and most aromatic kind of all and, as a regional product, it’s now protected with an EU geographical indication.
Even if you can’t find this particular type, Polish strawberries – truskawki – are definitely worth your while: usually quite small, dark red and sweet, they are the perfect companion to a number of desserts and even sweet main courses. Strawberries and cream, strawberry smoothies and shakes, strawberry pierogi and knedle are adored by most Poles.
Raspberries
Polish raspberries, photo: Piotr Mazur / Agencja Wyborcza Raspberries – maliny in Polish – are enjoyed all over Europe. In Poland, we have a special fondness for this beautiful berry – its praises were sung by Polish poets and Malina is not uncommon as a girls’ name (another popular one is Jagoda, namely 'bilberry'). Also, if you want to say something is delicious or lovely, you can say it’s miód malina, which means 'honey raspberry'.
Poland is one of the biggest raspberry producers and exporters in Europe, and we tend to have them in our kitchens all year round – raspberry syrup and spirits called maliniak or malinówka can be enjoyed with hot tea on cold winter nights. In the summer, sweet raspberries can obviously be enjoyed on their own but also used in multiple ways both in sweet and savoury dishes.
Bilberries & Blueberries
Bilberries, photo: Henryk Kościelny / Forum But nothing exemplifies the nostalgic flavour of summer holidays in Poland as well as jagodzianki. Yeast buns filled with fresh bilberries are a delicacy enjoyed in the whole country, although there are a few places in Poland that claim ownership of the best traditional recipes, mostly in Mazovia and Mazury regions. These fruits, more than any other, evoke the smell and wilderness of the Polish forest, and are not to be confused with North American blueberries (borówki amerykańskie) which are bigger, sweeter and were only introduced to Europe in the 1930s. If you come across the beautiful bilberry, just add cream and sugar for a simple treat or make a jam to spread on fresh bread.
Currants
Red currants, photo: Arkadiusz Ziółek / East News
When it comes to blackcurrant production and export, Poland is an unquestionable leader, dictating prices all over the world. Red and white currants as well as gooseberries and aronia berries – all often referred to in Polish as owoce ogrodowe, meaning ’garden fruit’ – are also quite popular. Many Poles associate their taste with allotments, where our parents and grandparents cultivated their own berry bushes.
Filled with vitamins and fibre, these fruits can all be listed among our local superfoods. Apart from blackcurrants, which are quite tart, they can be enjoyed raw, but more often they are turned into jams, juices and preserves. All currants can be used in tarts and crumbles or added to old-fashioned Polish jelly desserts such as kisiel and galaretka.
Plums
Prunes in an orchard near Szydłów, photo: Łukasz Zarzycki / Forum
In the autumn Polish fruit vendors fill their stalls with damsons, imperials and mirabelles – there are many plum varieties to choose from. Yet the most delicious and sweetest of all plum cultivars is węgierka (which in English is sometimes called zwetschge plum or purple plum), which is great eaten raw, fantastic in cakes, but possibly most beloved as powidła – a delicious spread made by cooking ripe fruit for several hours without the addition of sugar. Plums can be also pickled in vinegar and served with cured meats or dried and smoked – these are a great addition to the traditional Polish hunter’s stew.
Apples
Apple orchard, photo: Sławomir Olzacki / Forum
With almost 2.5 million tonnes of apples produced in 2017, we are the fourth largest producer in the world (after China, USA and Turkey). There are dozens of species cultivated in Poland and dozens of both sweet and savoury apple dishes that belong to the Polish culinary tradition.
The area which is sometimes called ‘Europe’s Biggest Orchard’ is located in the southern Mazovia region. The towns of Grójec and Warka are almost synonymous with apples. Their story began in the 16th century when Queen Bona Sforza – who came from Italy to marry King Sigismund I the Old and allegedly brought with her vegetables, which to this day are known as włoszczyzna (‘of Italy’) – was given a big area on which she decided to plant orchard trees, mostly apple.
In the following years, apples from Grójec graced the royal Today, the Grójec-Warka region is responsible for 40% of Polish apple production. Jabłka grójeckie (apples from Grójec) now hold a Protected Geographical Indication EU certificate.
There are hundreds of ways to use them: we would eat rice cooked in milk served with stewed apples and cinnamon, or apple pancakes (racuchy), and wash them down with a bit of apple kompot. Yet apples are also served with duck – a baked bird with apples, marjoram, cranberries and roast potatoes is one of Poland’s most elegant classics. Szarlotka – our version of apple pie – is one of Poland’s most popular cakes.
