(copy) Polish food habits

Pound cake is famous all over the world and many countries, including ours, have their own version of it. We call it the "sand cake", maybe because of the crumbs it can break into.

Our dumplings (pierogi) are special in our tradition. The variations inlcude stuffing them with cottage cheese, meat, potatoes or fruit! We just love dumplings!

Polish food habits and traditions

Marble

"To żurek, or not to żurek, that is the question"

Żurek&nbsp;is a sour soup made from fermented rye flour with sausages, potatoes, eggs, and spices. It is popular across Poland in a variety of regional tweaks.&nbsp;Żurek&nbsp;is also eaten in Belarus, Slovakia&nbsp;and the Czech Republic

Now I will pass on to you the ancient knowledge of making this godlike dish!

1. Polish habits and traditions

In general, in Polish cuisine, there is a lot of hard-to-digest, meat dishes that fill the stomach for hours. This is why we mostly eat three meals a day. The last meal, supper, might be something diffrent for every person. Some of us like to eat something lite just to fill up but on the other hand, there are many fans of eating strong, fulfilling dishes even right before bedtime. Of course, we eat things other than meat and noodles. We have many simple salads that are very common on our tables. For example, we have many different ways to do Vegetable Salad, often found on the easter table. It's made mainly from carrots, parsley, apple, and mayonnaise. We can also mention the Napa Cabbage salad which includes pickles, red bell pepper and corn. At Christmas, the grand rule is no meat at all. Only fish and vegetables. Traditionally there are EXACTLY tweleve dishes during Christmas dinner and the children often can't open their presents before they tried all of them.

4. Next, dice the bacon and fry it until crispy. Add it as well to the contents of the pot (don’t be shy about pouring the bacon grease into the pot too ‒ it will add plenty of flavor to the soup). 5. Pour 0.5 liter of the sour base (make sure it is well-mixed) into the pot, and then add the marjoram and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 6. The sour rye soup is now ready! Before serving, mix the soup thoroughly, cut the sausage into pieces or slices, and cut the hard-boiled eggs into quarters. Serve the sour rye soup with sausage and egg. You can also serve it with boiled, cubed potatoes or with mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

Żurek is a very tasty and nutritious soup. All this meat and sausage makes you full. You should definitely try it :)

3. Interesting facts about Polish cuisine

1. We have such weird soups! The names of our soups couldn't be weirder. For example one of the best soup is, in direct translation, guts. Even though, there are delicious. Many years ago we even sent a message through a kind of soup that we served. For example when the guest was not welcome the host offered him a “black soup” which was made of blood, and meat of chicken.

2. Carp is a special fish for our country. In almost every home it's a king of Christmas table and we eat it in almost every form. For example fried, baked, steamed, jelly (yes jelly!). It's like turkey on Thanksgiving in the USA.

3. Pasta with cottage cheese and sugar is the taste of childhood for almost every Pole.

https://podroze.gazeta.pl/podroze/56,114158,12860892,Zwyczaje_kulinarne_Polakow__ktore_zaskakuja_obcokrajowcow.html?fbclid=IwAR1GnuZp0bTMivxTRj00CD8J8JcD2C7pXd54UW2AuPDr86qLtJ7AvNm_oAk

https://folkways.today/zurek-polish-soup/

https://smaker.pl/przepisy-zupy/przepis-zurek-slaski,158811,kuchmariola63.html

https://kulinarni.tvn.pl/przepisy/przepis-babka-piaskowa,695.html

Many of the photos were taken by us, the students.

5. Breakfast is a really important meal of the day. We like to eat hearty, filling breakfasts. Eggs in various forms, with sandwiches and of course hot tea!

6. A curious thing is that grandmothers never believe us when we say that "we're not hungry". If you're around your grandma you're going to be fed, no matter what.

For Easter we prepare eggs in various ways:

devilled eggs, boiled eggs, hard-boiled eggs, stuffed eggs with radish and chives

Easter breakfast always starts with "sour rye soup" or "white borscht". The two are very similar: they look identical but taste slightly different. Every family decides which one they are going to eat.

Ingredients Sour Base: -200 g rye flour -3 cups (approx. 800 mL) lukewarm water (previously boiled) -2-4 garlic cloves -1-3 bay leaves -3-6 whole dried allspice berries -1-2 small pieces of wholewheat bread with crust (can also just use the ends, i.e. crust, of the bread)

Sour Soup -2-4 links of white Polish sausage, uncooked -1.5 liters of water -1 tablespoon of oil -2 large onions, diced -3 garlic cloves, minced -200 g bacon -0.5 liter of the sour base -1-2 teaspoons of marjoram -1-2 bay leaves -2-4 hard-boiled eggs -potatoes (boiled and cubed, or mashed) -salt and pepper to taste

Preparation 1. Preparing the sour base: First pour the flour into a jar (or a clay pot), then add the warm water (boiled, not straight from the tap) and mix well. It is best to mix with a wooden spoon or a whisk. Next, add the peeled whole garlic cloves, bay leaves, dried allspice berries, and bread to the flour-water mixture. Finally, cover the jar (or clay pot) containing the sour base with a dishcloth, gauze, or linen so that air can reach the mixture. Set the jar aside in a warm place for 3 to 5 days; be sure to stir the sour base mixture once or twice daily. 2. When the sour base is ready, it is possible to begin cooking the sour rye soup. In a large pot, pour in 1.5 liters of water and add the uncooked white sausage. Cook over medium heat. 3. Pour the oil into a frying pan and add the diced onions and minced garlic. Fry until translucent and slightly golden brown. Add the fried onions and garlic to the pot with the simmering water and sausage. If desired, set aside a portion of the fried onions and garlic to add to the mashed potatoes, and then add the remainder to the pot.

2. Traditional Polish dishes eaten regularly

Polish Potato Pancakes: they can be thought of as the polish version of fritters. Served with sugar or cream on top.

Mushroom Croquets: a kind of pancake roll coated with breadcrumbs with mushroom stuffing. Notably we drink borsch alongside it.

𝕥𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕤

1. Polish habits and traditions 2. Traditional Polish food 3. Interesting facts about Polish cuisine

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