Travel-Stained Life

One of the reasons we were excited to spend time in Poland was for its food, of course!  We are foodies to the core and Polish food has a special place in our hearts (or stomachs) due to Ben’s ancestry.  His childhood is full of excursions to a Polish buffet restaurant in Chicago of which I began to partake several months after Ben and I started dating.   We opted for Polish cookies, specially made by his mother and aunts, over cake on our wedding day.  So this post is dedicated to the food we came in search of and triumphantly found with a little help from our couchsurfing hosts and a bit of trial and error.  By the end of our time here, we were starting to read the menu with ease.  The following list and photos are the main foods that we came in search of…

Barszcz – similar to borscht where the main ingredient is beetroot

Pierogies – potato dough dumplings similar to a giant ravioli

• Meat-Mięso
• Cheese-Ser
• Potato-Ziemnieki
• Saurkraut-kiszone or kapuste
• Mushroom-Grzyby
• Cherry-wisnie
• Ruskie-potato and cheese filled

Naleśniki – thin pancakes that are usually stuffed with curd, fruit, or a variety of other ingredients (we have always known these as blintzes)

Bigos – stew of cabbage and sausage

Gołąbki – stuffed cabbage leaves rolled around a mixture of ground beef, rice and spices

Placki ziemniaczane – potato pancakes, grated or minced, flattened and deep fried

Kopytka – small potato flour dumplings

Kiełbasa – polish sausage

Kompot - warm, red juice with fruit floating in it

Helpful link – This site,  http://www.staypoland.com/poland-food.htm, includes a list and explanation of Polish food.  Enjoy!