The Food of Western Poland
At first glance it might seem that Polish cuisine is not as regionally diverse as some of the others, yet upon a closer look it becomes clear that although we share many of the same traditions, most cities and regions also have their own, distinct and often unknown in the rest of the country. Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting dishes of Western Poland.
Poznań & Greater Poland
Greater Poland (or Wielkopolska) is a historical region in the West of Poland with its largest city in Poznań, its oldest in Kalisz. Due to its location and history – after the partitions a big part of it became part of the Prussian empire – the region’s cuisine is influenced by the food of Germany, but also by bourgeois Western European cuisine in general – and some argue Poznań is actually the only true middle-class city in Poland. 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.
Since the 19th century Poznań has been synonymous with potatoes – known locally as pyry. Some of the most famous regional potato dishes include pyry z gzikiem – boiled potatoes with spiced cottage cheese – szagówki dumplings and plyndze pancakes. Poznań-style roast duck served with steam buns and braised red cabbage is a staple, as well as goose – an often undervalued meat served especially in the autumn, traditionally for St Martin’s Day (November 11th). Another delicacy connected to this day is St Martin’s croissant – filled with white poppy seeds, nuts and raisins.
Gdańsk & Pomerania
The traditional cuisine of Pomerania, Kashubia and Kociewie mixes ingredients from the land and from the sea; although for obvious reasons it’s most often associated with fish – usually herring and cod – in the past it was also based on foraged 'fruits of the forest', much like the neighbouring Scandinavian food. German, Prussian, even Dutch influences were also present, especially in Gdańsk, which for centuries has been an affluent port city. For the same reason in old Pomeranian cookbooks ingredients like vanilla, aniseed, and even lobster can be found. In Gdańsk marzipan pralines and Goldwasser herbal liquer are reminders of the Free City’s Hanseatic past.
Other dishes typical of Pomerania might sound more local, yet they still are quite exotic in the rest of the country: rutabaga soup served with goose is a good example, just as herring marinated in goat’s milk and klitundplumen – plum soup served with dumplings. And since we are on it – as pretty much all other Polish regions Pomerania has its own potato dumpling – here they are called szadolce and kulanki; buckwheat pancakes are called rynczoki, and sweet apple pancakes – ruchanki.
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia – or Górny Śląsk, the southeastern part of the historical region of Silesia – is one of Poland’s most distinct areas, with its own customs, language, identity and – obviously – its own cuisine. Silesian food combines Polish tradition with the flavours of Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic, yet has its own unique nature due to the industrial character of the region, mostly known for mining.
The ethnic separateness at the table is linguistic as well as culinary: some of the most common dishes – like żur or karminadle (pork cutlets made with ground meat, which in the rest of the country are called kotlety mielone) are Silesian versions of meals eaten all over Poland, while others – such as siemieniotka (hemp soup) or moczka (gingerbread soup) are purely regional and seem pretty exotic to the rest of Poles. The most iconic Silesian dinner – śląski łobiod – is also a combination of the familiar and the singular: rosół z nudlami (meat broth with noodles) is followed by beef roulade accompanied by modro kapusta – braised red cabbage – and kluski śląskie – Silesian potato dumplings
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'Śląskie niebo', photo: Monkpress/East News
The case of Wrocław is a very unique and complicated one: although the city is located in the West of Poland, it could very well be included in an article about Eastern cuisine. Following World War II the city has returned to Poland, and its German inhabitants were expelled, while people from lands annexed by the Soviet Union – ie. Lviv, Vilnius and Volhynia – were resettled and brought their own traditions with them. Therefore the pre-war Breslau cuisine – as the city was called in German – has almost vanished and has been replaced by dishes originating from the East.
Some of the old recipes include beer soup and bread soup, sausages and pretzels, as well as probably the most typical regional dish – śląskie niebo, or Silesian Heaven: pork in a dried-fruit sauce, served with potato dumplings. And yet Ruthenian pierogi with cheese and potatoes, and cabbage rolls filled with buckwheat – dishes we would typically associate with Eastern regions, are also a vital part of the Lower Silesian culinary tradition.