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List of Polish dishes facts for kids

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Swiecone-2006
Traditional Polish custom of blessing food on Holy Saturday. This Święconka basket contains: kiełbasa, boiled eggs, salt, pepper and bread. Blessed food is eaten at Easter breakfast.
Polish Easter table
Polish Easter breakfast.
Wigilia potrawy 554
Traditional Christmas Eve supper in Poland, called Wigilia.
Kwas chlebowy, kefir, kołacz i korowaj w polskim domu
Traditional Polish wedding breads kołacz and korowaj served alongside homemade kwas chlebowy and kefir.

Polish food is super yummy and has a long history! It's known for being hearty and comforting, often using ingredients like cabbage, potatoes, and different meats. Many Polish dishes are perfect for cold weather, keeping you warm and full. This article will tell you all about the amazing dishes you can find in Polish cuisine.

Delicious Polish Soups

Polish meals often start with a warm bowl of soup. Here are some popular ones:

  • Barszcz - A beetroot soup. The vegetarian version is a special first dish for Christmas Eve. It's often served with uszka, which are tiny ear-shaped dumplings filled with mushrooms.
  • Barszcz biały - This is a sour rye and pork broth. It often has boiled pork, kiełbasa, ham, and hard-boiled eggs.
  • Chłodnik - A cold soup, perfect for summer! It's made from soured milk, young beet leaves, cucumbers, and fresh dill.
  • Czernina - A unique soup made with duck blood.
  • Flaki or flaczki - A stew made from beef or pork tripe (guts). It's seasoned with marjoram.
  • Grochówka - A thick and tasty pea or lentil soup.
  • Kapuśniak - A warm soup made from cabbage or sauerkraut.
  • Krupnik - A hearty barley soup, often made with chicken, beef, or just vegetables.
  • Rosół - A classic chicken noodle soup, very popular in Poland.
  • Zupa ogórkowa - This soup is made from sour, salted cucumbers, often with pork. It's sometimes called "dill pickle soup."
  • Zupa pomidorowa - A simple and delicious tomato soup, usually served with pasta or rice.
  • Żur or Żurek - A sour soup made from rye flour. It often includes white sausage and hard-boiled eggs. Sometimes it has potatoes and mushrooms too!

Main Dishes to Try

Polish main courses are usually quite filling and full of flavor.

  • Bigos - This is a famous "hunter's stew." It's a mix of cabbage and different meats, often kiełbasa, cooked together.
  • Gołąbki - These are cabbage leaves carefully stuffed with seasoned minced meat and rice. Sometimes they are made with mushrooms and rice instead.
  • Golonka - This dish is stewed pork knuckle or hock.
  • Gulasz - A stew with meat, noodles, and vegetables, especially potatoes. It's seasoned with paprika.
  • Kaczka z jabłkami - Delicious roast duck cooked with apples.
  • Kaszanka - This is a Polish blood sausage. It's made from pork blood, liver, and fat, mixed with kasza (groats) and spices.
  • Kiełbasa - Sausage is a super important part of Polish food! There are tons of different kinds, smoked or fresh, made from pork, beef, or other meats. Every region has its own special kiełbasa.
  • Kotlet mielony - A minced meat cutlet. It's made with eggs, bread crumbs, garlic, and spices, then fried.
  • Kotlet schabowy - This is a breaded pork cutlet, similar to a schnitzel. It's often served with boiled potatoes and cabbage stew.
  • Pierogi - These are famous Polish dumplings! They can have many different fillings:
    • Savory: Sauerkraut and mushrooms, meat, or potato and cheese.
    • Sweet: Sweet curd cheese, blueberries, or other fruits like cherries or strawberries.
  • Placki ziemniaczane - These are potato pancakes, usually served with sour cream.
  • Pyzy - These are potato dumplings. They can be served plain or stuffed with minced meat or cottage cheese.
  • Zapiekanka - This is a popular fast food! It's a long baguette cut in half, topped with tomato sauce, fried mushrooms, and onion. Then it's covered with grated cheese and roasted until hot. You can add ketchup or mayonnaise.
  • Zrazy - Thin slices of beef, rolled up and stuffed with vegetables, mushrooms, eggs, or bacon and pickles.

Tasty Side Dishes

These dishes go perfectly with Polish main courses:

  • Ćwikła z chrzanem - Grated beetroot mixed with horseradish.
  • Kapusta kiszona - Simply sauerkraut.
  • Kapusta zasmażana - Sauerkraut pan-fried with onions, cooked pork, and spices. It's a very hearty side.
  • Kartofle gotowane - Boiled potatoes, often served with fresh parsley or dill.
  • Kopytka - Hoof-shaped potato dumplings.
  • Mizeria - A traditional Polish salad made from thinly sliced cucumbers and sour cream, seasoned with salt and pepper.
  • Ogórek kiszony - A dill pickle, very common in Poland.
  • Sałatka warzywna - This is a vegetable salad, a classic Polish side. It's made with cooked and finely chopped root vegetables, potatoes, and hard-boiled eggs, all mixed with mayonnaise and mustard.

Popular Polish Drinks

Poland has a variety of drinks, both hot and cold.

  • Beer (piwo) - Very popular in Poland.
  • Coffee (kawa)
  • Kefir - A fermented milk drink, often enjoyed with breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
  • Kompot - A clear juice made by cooking fruits like strawberries, apples, or cherries in water.
  • Kvass (kwas chlebowy) - A fermented drink made from dark rye bread, sugar, and yeast. It's been around for a long time!
  • Tea (herbata)
  • Vodka (wódka) - This drink has been around in Poland since the 8th century! It was first used as medicine.

Sweet Polish Desserts

If you have a sweet tooth, Polish desserts are for you!

  • Faworki - Light, fried pastries covered with icing sugar. They look a bit like ribbons.
  • Krówki - Polish fudge candies, soft and milky.
  • Makowiec - A delicious poppy seed-swirl cake, sometimes with raisins or nuts.
  • Mazurek - A special cake baked for holidays like Easter and Christmas.
  • Naleśniki - These are Polish crepes. They can be folded or rolled and are often filled with sweetened cheese, fruits, or whipped cream.
  • Pączek - A closed donut, usually filled with rose marmalade or other fruit jams.
  • Pierniki - Soft gingerbread cookies, often iced or filled with marmalade and covered in chocolate.
  • Sernik - Polish cheesecake is one of the most popular desserts! It's made mainly from twaróg, a type of fresh cheese.
  • Szarlotka or jabłecznik - This is Polish apple cake, a comforting classic.
  • Tort - A multi-layered sponge cake, filled with buttercream or whipped cream, and often decorated with fruits or nuts. It's served for special events like birthdays.

Regional Specialties: A Taste of Poland's Areas

Different parts of Poland have their own unique dishes!

Greater Poland Region

  • Gzik - A mix of quark cheese with sour cream, diced radishes, and green onions or chives.
  • Kaczka z pyzami i modrą kapustą - Roast duck served with steam-cooked rolls and red cabbage.
  • Rogale świętomarcińskie - Croissants filled with white poppy seeds, almonds, nuts, and raisins. They are traditionally eaten on November 11th, St. Martin's Day.

Lesser Poland Region

  • Bryndza - A cheese made from sheep's milk.
  • Oscypek - A smoked cheese made from sheep's milk, often served sliced and fried with cranberries.
  • Proziaki - Polish flat soda bread.

Tatra Mountains Dishes

  • Oscypek - A hard, salty smoked sheep's milk cheese.
  • Żentyca - A popular drink made from sheep's milk whey.

Lublin Region

Masovia Region

  • Bułka z pieczarkami - A bun filled with a mushroom stew.
  • Flaczki z pulpetami - Tripe stew with marjoram and small meat noodles.
  • Pączki - Doughnuts filled with rose marmalade.
  • Pyzy z mięsem - Round potato dumplings stuffed with meat.

Podlaskie Region

  • Cepeliny or Kartacz - Large, long potato dumplings stuffed with meat and marjoram.
  • Kiszka ziemniaczana - A potato sausage.
  • Korycinski - A type of cheese.
  • Kutia - A traditional Christmas dish made of wheat, poppy seeds, nuts, raisins, and honey.
  • Sękacz - A pyramid cake with many layers.

Pomerania Region

  • Pierniki - Soft gingerbread shapes, often filled with marmalade and covered in chocolate.
  • Ruchanki - Flat, oval fried pancakes.

Świętokrzyskie Region

  • Krówka opatowska - A sweet milk candy with a hint of vanilla.

West Pomerania Region

Silesia Region

  • Kluski śląskie - Round potato dumplings with a small dip in the middle, often served with gravy.
  • Krupniok - A blood sausage made from kasza (groats) and animal blood, spiced with marjoram and garlic.
  • Rolada z modrą kapustą - A beef roll stuffed with pickled vegetables and ham, always served with red cabbage. It's traditionally eaten with kluski śląskie for Sunday dinner.
  • Wodzionka - A simple soup with garlic and squares of dried rye bread.

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