Traditional Polish cuisine – sweets and more!

Polish cuisine is extremely diverse and rich in flavors and traditions. What comes to my mind first when I think of our native cuisine? These include potatoes, meat, cabbage, pierogi, sausage, pickled cucumbers, cream, mushrooms, fudge candies, good bread and many others.

The basis of many Polish dishes are potatoes, which can be found in various forms – boiled, baked, fried or puréed. Meat, especially pork and beef, is a frequent ingredient in traditional Polish dishes, such as bigos, schabowy or goulash.

Cabbage, in the form of pickled or fresh, is another element of Polish cuisine. Together with meat, it creates dishes such as gołąbki, kapuśniak or borscht. Pierogi, popular throughout the country, are pieces of dough filled with various fillings – e.g. meat, cabbage and mushrooms, cheese or other additives.

Sausage is also an important element of Polish cuisine. It can be found in many variants, from Krakow to country style, as well as smoked and raw. Pickled cucumbers are probably the most frequent visitor to our pantries, used for soups, salads, and also as an excellent addition to sandwiches.

Cream, often used for casseroles and soups, is very popular in Polish cuisine, as are mushrooms, which can be found in forests throughout the country.

Fudge candies, famous Polish sweets, are an inseparable element of Polish cuisine. At my house, we most often make the famous puffed rice cones from them :)

Bread is a basic food product in Poland, and traditional Polish baked goods, such as rye bread, rolls or St. Martin’s croissants, are very popular. Flour is also a frequent ingredient in Polish cuisine, used for baked goods, noodles, pierogi or pancakes.

In short, Polish cuisine is a combination of diverse flavors and traditions that have survived for many generations. It includes both simple, homemade dishes and more sophisticated ones that are part of the Polish culinary heritage.

Nowadays, when we have such easy access to cuisines from all over the world, it is worth remembering our traditional cuisine and passing on the old recipes of our grandmothers :)
See my recipes from Polish cuisine