Polish Cuisine by Region: Greater Poland
Due to its location and history, Greater Poland (or ‘Wielkopolska’)‘s regional cuisine is influenced by the food of Germany, but also by Western European cuisine in general.
The historical region, in western Poland, has its largest city in Poznań (which some argue is Poland’s only middle-class city), its oldest in Kalisz – one of the most ancient settlements in all of the country – and one of its most famous in Gniezno, which was the first capital of Poland in the Piast era. After the partitions, much of the region became part of the Prussian empire. And yet there are Eastern and Jewish influences as well which, along with the region’s constant relative affluence, make the local cuisine one of the most interesting in the country.
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‘Pyry z gzikiem’, photo: Bartosz Krupa / East News
For many of us living in other regions the first culinary thought connected to Poznań is the humble potato, locally known as pyra (the name is referencing Peru, the potato’s country of origin). Even though the humble spud is popular virtually everywhere, it became synonymous with Poznań as early as in the 19th century. Poznańska pyra refers not just to the wonderful vegetable but sometimes to the inhabitants of Poznań themselves as well.
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Poznań Market Square, photo: Jakub Kaczmarczyk / AG
Most traditionally, it is eaten as a jacket potato with gzik or gzika – cottage cheese mixed with cream, onions and chives. Aa humble (yet delicious!) dish of the working class or a meatless Friday option, it later turned into one of Poland’s favourite zakąski, eaten alongside a shot (or two) of vodka. Potatoes can also be turned into szagówki (dumplings known elsewhere as kopytka) or plyndze (potato pancakes). They are also an important ingredient of the peculiarly named local soup ślepe ryby – blind fish, a meatless soup with a vegetable base. Since there was no meat in it, no drops of fat formed on top. These drops are called oka – eyes – so without them, the soup is ‘blind’.
Another commonly beloved vegetable is white asparagus. It were inherited from Bambry – settlers who brought white asparagus to the Poznań table together with their German culinary culture. Under the communist regime, Greater Poland the only region where you could find it. Today, it’s used in soups, served with breadcrumbs or baked with cheese.
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Andrzej Kłonecki on his goose farm, photo: Arkadiusz Wojtasiewicz / AG
Another Greater Poland staple is kaczka po poznańsku or Poznań-style duck: roast duck served with red cabbage, yeast buns called pyzy and apples. This equivalent to the British Sunday roast is a festive favourite, served in most restaurants in the region. There’s even a special culinary recommendation, Tutej na Kaczkę (Here for Duck), which was given to the best restaurants during the Poznań’s festival Festiwal Dobrego Smaku (Festival of Good Taste) in 2020.
Around Poland, Poznań is also associated with czernina – a duck-blood soup with dried fruit, also known as ‘black soup’ or ‘reject the suitor’ soup – in the 19th century, it was served to young men whose proposals to their beloveds had been rejected by parents. Although it is quite hard to come by these days, it is still remembered as a classic by many Polish immigrants in the US.
Another bird that has its own special place in Greater Poland’s culinary history is goose. It was willingly eaten in Poland in the past, but after World War II, local consumption declined – although geese from Poland still hold a strong position on foreign markets, for example in neighbouring Germany. Cooking geese mostly took place late in autumn and in the winter, because that’s when the meat is the tastiest. Fattening ended on 11th November, and that’s when goose season officially started.
In the past decade, a campaign was launched to reintroduce the old Polish goose to new Polish tables. It is called Gęsina na Świętego Marcina (Goose Meat on St Martin’s Day). Goose is now also eaten on 11th November – which is also when we celebrate our independence – and Poznań celebrates this time with revelry. Not just with goose though!
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‘Rogale Świętomarcińskie’ (St Martin’s croissants), photo: Krzysztof Kuczyk / Forum
The most famous pastry of Greater Poland is the rogal świętomarciński or St Martin’s croissant, filled with white poppy seeds, vanilla, dates or figs, and raisins. The tradition of baking this sweet crescent can be traced back to the folk tradition from the 16th to 18th centuries, when on St Martin’s Day, greasy geese were eaten as people feasted in preparation for the beginning of Advent the next day. It also signalled the end of autumn work in the fields, which deserved a proper feast.
Yet according to a widely spread opinion, the precursor of croissant baking in Poznań was Józef Melzer, a confectioner in a bakery, who persuaded his employer to bake croissants, and then distributed them to poor residents of Poznań. He came up with the idea in November 1891 under the influence of a sermon from the parish priest of St Martin, Friar Jan Lewicki – who urged people to celebrate the holiday, and show love to the patron saint of the parish (also the patron saint of bakers), by showing mercy to the poor inhabitants of Poznań. In the following years, other confectioners and bakers of Poznań picked up on it, and so the longstanding tradition was born.
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Kalisz, photo: Roman Koszowski / Gość Niedzielny / Forum
Other cities in Greater Poland also have much to be proud of. Kalisz is known all over the country for its Andruty Kaliskie – these round, thin, semi-sweet wafers have been baked there since the beginning of the 19th century and sold in city parks for decades. Their origin is probably connected to the Jewish matzo – Jewish people had lived in the city since the 12th century and sold their specialty on the streets.
Since, contrary to Poznań, Kalisz – which is located in the East of Greater Poland – became a part of Russia after the partitions, some of its traditional dishes, such as pierogi filled with goose meat and soured potato soup made with żur, have been influenced by eastern traditions. Local cuisine is so rich and varied that there’s a whole tourist trail called Flavours of Kalisz (Kaliskie Smaki), covering some of the best restaurants, often located in beautiful manor houses.
Other towns and villages have their own traditional products: kaszanka rychtalska (blood sausage from Rychtal village) spiced with marjoram and cloves has been made for centuries, just like wędzonka krotoszyńska (smoked bacon from Krotoszyn) and various kinds of salceson (brawn) made with cured pork or veal tongues, pork jowl and liver. Some of the most interesting drinks are miodówka witosławska (honey vodka from Witosław village) and napój z hyćki (elderflower cordial).
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Gołuchów Castle, photo: Robert Baumann / Forum
Greater Poland is now one of the most interesting regions for foodies, with both summer food festivals and elegant restaurants such as Hyćka, Oskoma, Concordia Taste and A Nóż Widelec. Michał Kuter from the latter has published a bilingual book with recipes inspired by local tradition. Here is his recipe for ślepe ryby soup:
Text
Toppings:
1 lemon
200 g crayfish
1 tablespoon oil
1 bunch chives
salt and pepper to taste
Soup:
200 g leek, just the white parts
30 g garlic
200 g shallots
500 g potatoes
200 g parsley root
200 g celeriac
40 g butter
1 l broth
1 bay leaf
3 allspice berries
3 thyme sprigs
500 ml single cream
salt and black pepper to taste
Toppings:
Grate the zest of a lemon and juice it. Mix with crayfish, oil and chopped chives, season with salt and pepper. Put in the fridge for 12 hours.
Soup:
Finely dice all of the vegetables; thoroughly rinse the potatoes in cold water. In a 5-litre pot, melt the butter and sweat the leek, garlic and shallots on a low heat for 3-4 minutes. When they are translucent, add the celeriac, parsley root and potatoes. Add the broth and the herbs, and cook until the vegetables are tender, around 30-40 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper. Temper the cream with a little bit of the soup and pour in the pot. Take out the herbs. Mix with a hand blender or in a food processor – the soup should be smooth and creamy. Sift through a fine sieve and cool down. The soup tastes best the next day. Serve it warm – in my version, I add crayfish marinated in lemon juice.
Author
Michał Kuter, trans. Natalia Mętrak-Ruda
Written by Natalia Mętrak-Ruda, April 2021