Polish cuisine

Complementary traditional Polish farmers food (bigos stew, pierogi dumplings, gołąbki cabbage rolls, skwarki cracklings)
Various kinds of Polish kielbasa sausages. From the top down: biała, kabanos, and wiejska with mustard.
Oscypek, a Polish smoked cheese and traditional food of the Goral people in the Tatra Mountains
Bagels originated in Poland and became widespread after the migration of Polish Jews to the United States.

Polish cuisine (Polish: kuchnia polska, pronounced [ˈkux.ɲa ˈpɔl.ska]) is a style of food preparation from Poland. Cooking in Polish fashion is denoted by the term à la polonaise. It evolved over the centuries to be eclectic, shaped by ten centuries of regional agricultural practices, historical trade routes, religious observance, and cultural exchange. It is rich in meat, especially pork, chicken and game, in addition to a wide range of vegetables, legume, grains, mushrooms as well as herbs, and makes extensive use of butter, cream, eggs, and seasoning.

Among popular Polish national dishes are bigos [ˈbiɡɔs] ⓘ, pierogi [pʲɛˈrɔɡʲi] ⓘ, kiełbasa, kotlet schabowy [ˈkɔtlɛt sxaˈbɔvɨ] ⓘ (pork loin breaded cutlet), gołąbki [ɡɔˈwɔ̃pkʲi] ⓘ (stuffed cabbage leaves), zrazy [ˈzrazɨ] (roulade), zupa ogórkowa [ˈzupa ɔɡurˈkɔva] (sour cucumber soup), zupa grzybowa [ˈzupa ɡʐɨˈbɔva] (mushroom soup), zupa pomidorowa [ˈzupa pɔmidɔˈrɔva] (tomato soup), rosół [ˈrɔsuw] ⓘ (meat broth), żurek [ˈʐurɛk] ⓘ (sour rye soup), flaki [ˈflakʲi] ⓘ (tripe soup), and red beetroot soup barszcz [barʂt͡ʂ] ⓘ. Traditional dishes often demand lengthy preparation. Many Poles take time to serve and enjoy their festive meals, especially Christmas Eve dinner (Wigilia) on December 24, or Easter breakfast, both of which could take several days to prepare.

A traditional Polish dinner is composed of three courses, beginning with a soup such as rosół broth or tomato soup. In restaurants, soups can be followed by an appetizer such as herring (prepared with either cream, oil, or in aspic), or other cured meats and chopped raw vegetable salads. The main course usually includes meat, such as a roast, breaded pork cutlet, or chicken, with a coleslaw-like surówka ([suˈrufka]), shredded root vegetables with lemon and sugar (carrot, celeriac, cooked beetroot), sauerkraut, or mizeria salad. The side dishes are usually boiled potatoes, kasza, or less commonly, rice. Meals often conclude with a dessert of either a fruit compote, makowiec, a poppy seed pastry, napoleonka mille-feuille, or sernik (cheesecake).

Internationally, if a Polish culinary tradition is used in other cuisines, it is referred to as à la polonaise, from the French, meaning 'Polish-style.' In French cuisine, this term is used for techniques like using butter instead of cooking oil; frying vegetables with buttered breadcrumbs; using minced parsley and boiled eggs (Polonaise garnish); and adding horseradish, lemon juice, or sour cream to sauces like velouté.


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