Onion Flatbreads & Izbica-Style Nudes: Culinary Specialties from the Lublin Region | Article | Culture.pl

Onion Flatbreads & Izbica-Style Nudes: Culinary Specialties from the Lublin Region

kazimierz-dolny-z-lotu-ptaka-fot-robert-neumann-forum-0566563321-s.jpg, default, Kazimierz Dolny, photo: Robert Neumann / Forum

#polish cuisine

The surroundings of Zamość and Lublin not only provide an attraction for tourists but also offer an abundance of fantastic food. The cuisine of the Lublin region, which to this day combines the influences of various national groups previously inhabiting the area, inspires local chefs as well as those from the trendiest restaurants and bistros. Izbica-style nudes (golasy) or Janów-style buckwheat cake (gryczak) are culinary favourites. One is quite spoilt for choice.

Biłgoraj-style loaf & Janów-style buckwheat cake

Biłgoraj-style loaf, photo: Wojciech Jargiło / Newsweek Poland / Reporter / East News

Izbica-style nudes (golasy), i.e. baked patties rolled up in horseradish leaves, are made of boiled potatoes, buckwheat and quark. Whence the name ‘nudes’? Probably from the fact that the filling is wrapped in a leaf only and not in dough. Until recently, potatoes and various groats were grown at almost every homestead in the Lublin region. To this day, dishes made of buckwheat, lentils and potatoes constitute an important part of the local cuisine, especially pierogi (dumplings, loaves or pies) and kulebiaki (savoury pies) in various guises.

Local versions might differ in name or certain ingredients, but regardless of whether it’s Biłgoraj-style pieróg (loaf), Janów-style gryczak (cake or bread with filling made of buckwheat, quark and milk or sour cream, ed.) or Roztocze-style golas (nude) that lands on our plates, each of these dishes contains the spirit of the region. Lublin-style pierogi are filled with, for instance, buckwheat, quark and mint leaves. According to some, they’re the most recognisable of local dishes, next to cebularze (onion-topped flatbread). Similarly, buckwheat, potatoes, quark, eggs and cream are used to make Biłgoraj-style pieróg, a specialty from the Biłgoraj area baked in a pan with a texture resembling that of pâté.

Nasutów-style roll-up

Nasutów-style roll-up, photo: Nasutów House / nasutow.pl

This dish is said to be a peasant version of the French savoury pie served in the 19th century in the palace in Kozłówka, which is currently home to the Zamoyski Museum. It’s made by stuffing layers of wheat dough with a potato and onion filling, thanks to which the flavour resembles placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes), beloved by so many. The zawijasy (roll-ups) are boiled in water with oil, sliced diagonally and then served with pork cracklings, onions and sauerkraut. They can also be fried after boiling, which makes the pastry crispy.

Zamość-style duck

Duck, photo: Bartosz Krupa / DDTVN / East News

Isn’t it fascinating that in Kraków duck is stuffed with buckwheat, whereas in Zamość it’s stuffed with… another duck? This city, established by the grand chancellor and great crown hetman Jan Zamoyski, was populated not only by Catholics but also by Jewish people, and it’s from the intermixing of Polish and Jewish cultures that Zamość-style duck supposedly originated. To make the dish, one duck has to be deboned. Then the meat has to be chopped and mixed with dried plums, raisins, walnuts, marjoram and rosemary. The other duck is then stuffed with this filling. This specialty is usually served during holidays together with potatoes, groats, pancakes or even raspberry jam.

Poniatowa-style carp in cream

Carp in cream, photo: Bartosz Krupa / DDTVN / East News

Another specialty that reportedly derives from Jewish cuisine is Poniatowa-style carp in cream. The dish has no relation to the last king of Poland, Stanisław August Poniatowski. Rather, the name refers to the town of Poniatowa, famous for its centuries-long tradition of breeding carp. Prior to 1939, Jewish people comprised half of the local population, and carp was one of their most popular food products. Cultural influences intermingled, and, according to ethnographic studies, local Poles, too, would prepare carp with onions and cream. Eventually, the fish became not only one of the local staples but also a traditional Christmas Eve specialty. Carp fillets are fried and sautéed in their own juices, with the addition of spices. Onions are sautéed separately, deglazed with broth and flavoured with cream.

Lublin-style onion flatbread

Lublin-style onion flatbread, photo: Jakub Orzechowski / Gazeta Agency

There is probably no savoury treat from the Lublin region more representative than cebularz (onion flatbread). The custom of baking round wheat flatbread topped with poppyseeds and onions can be traced back to the Jews of Lublin’s Old Town who popularised cebularz in the 19th century. Luckily, the tradition survived the upheavals of World War Two. Currently these goodies are no longer viewed as a specialty of the impoverished. For instance, Robert Trzópek from the Warsaw restaurant Bez Gwiazdek (No Stars) developed his own take on cebularz. In his interpretation, it’s an onion-flavoured flatbread with intensified onion flavours through the addition of charred-onion jam, spring onions in onion syrup and garlic scape flowers pickled in apple-cider vinegar.

Lublin-style meat stew

Lublin-style meat stew, photo: Jerzy Nogal / Forum

The halcyon days of the forszmak (meat stew) were the times of the communist regime. In the Polish People’s Republic, the nutritious pork goulash with pickle slices flavoured with tomato puree dominated workplace and university canteens. It currently seems to have been somewhat forgotten, although it can still be glimpsed on the menus of local restaurants as a comfort food. What’s more, the creators of the unique restaurant concept Water & Wine in Nałęczów ventured to devise some modern twists on the forszmak.

Translated from Polish by Anna Potoczny

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