How to Love (or Tolerate) Winter: Polish Tips That Will Keep You Warm
Whether you’re finally indoors after a long walk, arriving home after a commute in the cutting wind, or are just happily enjoying an evening under a blanket... there is nothing quite like the feeling of munching or sipping on something hot and homemade. When the cold is getting you down, warm yourself up with these Polish foods & drinks!
When the days become darker and greyer, we all need a pick-me-up from time to time. If you’ve found yourself surprised by a sudden change in the weather, or are feeling a bit down because of the short days and long nights, these Polish remedies might be just for you!
The queen of Polish soups
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Rosół, or Polish chicken broth, photo: Tomasz Adamowicz / Forum
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While this suggestion may be a bit obvious, you have to admit that there’s something special about cooking a hearty dish when it’s windy and cold outside. It’s a unique feeling of comfort – knowing that you’re inside and safe, and there’s a nourishing pot of liquid goodness simmering on the stove. Surely we all know what it feels like to have a hot bowl of soup on a wintery day. And if you’ve never cooked a soup in your life then we suggest you try it!
Rosół, a chicken or vegetable broth, is the queen of Polish soups. It’s meant to help you during a cold and is highly recommended when you're feeling under the weather. Broth is also supposed to be good for the soul, or so they say. Moreover, rosół is often used as the base for many other Polish soups.
Not a fan of soups? Go ahead and try making other Polish comfort food favourites!
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Stefania Legowik's home-made nalewki, Częstochowa, photo: Grzegorz Skowronek/AG
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The Polish nalewka is something special – anyone who’s tried one will agree! These Polish tinctures, or liqueurs, are concentrated extracts made by soaking fruit or herbs in alcohol. They can be made out of plums, berries, lemon, ginger, quince, or even nuts! Though nalewki (rich and syrupy, usually`1` served in tiny glasses) are commonly used as a digestive, they are supposed to have healing properties. It is believed that the alcohol extracts many valuable components from the fruit, while preserving them at the same time. Their healing properties were already known in Poland in the Middle Ages, so why not give it a try in the 21st century?
You can prepare your own nalewka at home, here’s the simplest recipe for beginners:
- 1 kg of your favourite fruit
- 400 g sugar
- 1 l vodka
Put the fruit into a large (3-4 l) jar, pour in the vodka, seal the jar, and set it aside on the kitchen counter. After a week of maturing the tincture, add the sugar. Mix the ingredients a few times a day to make sure that the sugar dissolves. After two days, pour the liquid through a filter into a bottle. Let it sit for a few months (the longer you’ll wait the stronger your nalewka will be!).
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A mulled wine & beer stand, Christmas market, Wrocław, photo: Maciej Kulczyński / PAP
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In most European countries people drink some form of mulled wine (in Poland it’s grzane wino, in Germany it’s glühwein, in Sweden it’s glogg). The hot, deep red beverage, infused with oranges and wintery spices like cloves and cinnamon, is many people's winter favourite. Whether they’re visiting a town in the mountains, or simply taking a walk through a holiday market, some cannot imagine winter without it. But what if you’re not a wine person? No worries, Poland has a fantastic alternative.
The popularity of grzaniec (or grzane piwo, literally heated beer) has been on the rise for the last few years. Some prefer it over the wine beverage because it contains less alcohol, so it can be consumed in larger quantities without… the negative effects the next morning. The idea is basically the same: combine beer with orange slices, some honey, spices and warm it up in a pot on very low heat. Warm beer? Sounds unusual, yet prepared the right way may be just the perfect answer for those chilly nights!
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Bigos, or hunter's stew photo: Kalbar / PAP
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Although considered a traditional dish usually prepared around the winter holidays, bigos (hunter’s stew) is still a staple in many Polish homes. Especially during the winter, when kapusta kiszona (sauerkraut or pickled cabbage) is in season! Sauerkraut is not only full of vitamin C but is pickled, which means it’s also a great probiotic. And those, as we all know, are important to stay regular and to maintain a strong immune system.
Some say that the better the sauerkraut the better the bigos. We believe that the magic happens when you add the extra ingredients: kielbasa, spices, dried plums, mushrooms. And preparing the base for bigos is effortless! Chopped cabbage, water and salt is all you need to start. Bigos requires time and that just may be the beauty of it – the longer you cook it, the better. Don’t eat meat? No worries, because this beautiful dish can easily be veganised! It remains as delicious and warming!
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Szarlotka, or Polish apple cake, photo: Diana Domin / Forum
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Apples, plums and pears are all fruits that are in season in the autumn and winter in Poland. Polish grandmas have known for ages that one should always eat what is local and in season! And nothing says ‘seasonal’ like a cake full of fresh fruit. Cakes, as most Poles know them, are usually prepared using a simple recipe, while adding fruit, sometimes nuts and raisins. Nowadays you can get any fruit, even from across the globe, at any time of the year. Still, we recommend sticking to those that are local and in season. Not only is this better for your health but also better for the environment.
One of the few fruits that are available in Poland in the winter are the undervalued, yet delicious and nutritious apples. Poland produces over 4 million tonnes of them, annually. So why not use them! Szarlotka (Polish apple pie) is a classic, biszkopt z jabłkami (sponge cake with apples) is easier if you’re a beginner in the kitchen. Bliss is the smell of a baking cake wafting in the winter air. The warmth of the oven, the smell of the sugary goodness and the awareness that in an hour or so, you will get to enjoy your creation! Now who doesn’t want to curl up in a blanket while having some cake and sipping some tea?
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A cup of tea, photo: Magdalena Szachowska / Forum
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If you’ve visited Poland, then you may have noticed how important herbata is. No matter whose house you visit, the first question is bound to be ‘może herbatki?’ (maybe some tea?). It can also be an opening to chat some more – ‘może zostaniesz na herbatę?’ (maybe stay for a cup of tea?), or most simply an invitation to begin with – ‘wpadnij na herbatę!’ (stop by for a cup of tea!).
According to The Telegraph, Poland is the 8th biggest tea drinker in the world (right after Egypt, but before Japan). Poles drink tea all year long – no matter whether it's warm or cold outside – and they know millions of ways to prepare and enjoy this beverage. If you’re clueless about how to start your adventure with tea (because the possibilities are endless!), then we have a recipe that might make your debut easier: a special ‘winter tea’ for those cold days nipping at your nose. When temperatures drop below 10°C most cafes and restaurants invite their guests to partake in a herbata rozgrzewająca (a warming tea, which is almost impossible to pronounce: her-bah-tah roz-gzhe-vah-yon-tzah), which means that you’ll be served an exceptional, winter edition of the famous drink. Prepare a large mug or tall glass (yes, we do that here!) of black tea and then add the following ingredients, letting them brew for a while:
- 3 - 6 cloves
- 1 piece of ginger (about 1 inch / 3 cm) sliced
- 3 orange slices
- 3 tsp of raspberry syrup or honey
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Volunteers with hot tea and coffee, Lublin, photo: Wojciech Pacewicz / PAP
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Here’s something for the hikers out there! Or just those who managed to climb onto the couch. Herbata z prądem literally means ‘tea with electricity’, and it is indeed tea with... a high voltage. It’s most often referred to as herbata góralska, or mountaineer’s tea, since our famous Polish mountaineers are supposedly the ones who came up with the idea. It was practical – one of the easiest ways to warm yourself up when traversing snowy mountains. Simply add a dash (or two!) of rum or vodka to a mug of tea. Some believe that it’s also the best remedy for a winter cold.
Stay warm out there!
Sources: aniagotuje.pl, telegraph.co.uk