Capitalism was often blamed for its harmful contribution to the downfall of Polish culinary traditions, but one should keep in mind that treats like capers or parmesan were already known to Poland’s pre-war society. Culinary art wasn’t all about potatoes, onion and cabbage.
Polish cookbooks published at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries are abundant in recipes which may be regarded as strange and uncommon to Polish cuisine. But not everyone is aware of the fact that before WWII, Poland was one of the top exporters of crayfish to the West. Or that Kraków was supplied with fresh oysters from the Adriatic Sea five days a week.
The authors of pre-war culinary books, predominantly women, stressed in their introductions that their objective was to cook not only tasty, but also healthy (like Marya Ochorowicz-Monatowa) and relatively affordable meals (like Halina Kulzowa and Maria Gałecka, Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa or Marja Śleżańska). Here are just a few once popular dishes, known by heart to pre-war housewives, which nowadays could be served in the world’s most extravagant restaurants.
1. Roasted peacocks
Peacocks at the Łazienki Park (no longer consumed), photo: Krzysztof Pacuła / Forum Peacocks are similar in taste to turkeys (…). Because of their rarity, they are regarded as a very elegant dish. (…) slaughtered peacocks should be hung in a cold place for a few days for their meat to become crisp; after plucking, they should be rubbed with lemon juice, stuffed with lardons, skewered like a turkey, stuffed with chestnuts or livers, and roasted, either on a rotating spit or in an oven.
But traditional cuisine wasn’t just about the taste of the food. It was also about its appearance. Monatowa wrote:
Peacock is served like pheasant, i.e., on croutons, with a feathered neck and head, and the tail on the other side.
2. Crayfish pudding
Crayfish, photo: East News Boil half a dozen crayfish with dill. Peel szyjki rakowe ('crayfish necks', actually the animal's abdomen) and the legs, shatter the shells and prepare crayfish butter. Here Monatowa sends the reader back to the recipe for crayfish soup, then continues:
Leave half of the necks and legs for the sauce, chop the other half and combine with two buns soaked in milk.
The author instructs to mix the butter, egg yolks, fresh dill and the remaining crayfish meat with breadcrumbs, sour cream and whipped egg whites, and transfer the resulting mass into a pudding mould. Then "steam for an hour. Serve covered with crayfish sauce…”
3. Beer soup
An illustration from Zupy i sosy culinary book, 1929, photo: The National Library of Poland (Polona) Give us a moment to explain: beer is made with yeast and yeast is rich in nutrients. It’s not about the alcohol (not this time at least)! Kulzowa and Gałecka are a little more specific when it comes to recipes. You will need 1.5 litre of beer, 5 g cloves, 30 g butter, 2 egg yolks, 250 ml sour cream, 150 g bread for croutons and 150 g cottage cheese.
Boil the beer with some cinnamon and cloves and a piece of bread crust. Strain it and add cream mixed with egg yolks and pour into a bowl without bringing it to a boil.
Beer soup should be served with bread croutons and diced cottage cheese.
