Traditionally, that is until the late 20th century, obiad was a hot meal eaten by Poles in the afternoon, after work (that is, around 5 PM), and ideally with the family. As such it was the most important meal of the day – a central if late moment between śniadanie (breakfast) in the morning and kolacja (supper) in the evening.
Today, with the advance of the Western capitalist agenda and new corporate work hours, obiad is usually eaten at work (which makes it more of a lunch), with kolacja becoming more often the last shared family meal of the day.
Polish dinner parties are at their most splendid on Saturday or Sunday, when families invite their relatives: parents, grandparents, parents-in-law – a real menagerie, which for some may seem like mission impossible in the field of social and family relations.
The menu of such an obiad may be much more varied today, but the archetypal and stereotypical Polish dinner would have to include barszcz or rosół, and kotlety schabowe or gołąbki.
In comparison, other traditional Polish meals may seem rather unspectacular. Scrambled eggs for śniadanie and sandwiches for kolacja is a frequent choice.
The interesting thing about the Polish word kolacja, is that it comes from the Italian word collazione which today means ... breakfast.