Help me like Polish food (recommendations)

TeffleThreads: 28 Posts: 2,105 Joined: Aug 26, 10 ♂	Edited by: Teffle Sep 28, 10, 15:38 #1
It's not that I hate it or anything. My own view is that some of it is very nice (special mention goes to kaszanka & kabanosy) , most of it is just OK/edible and some of it is awful. Apart from the usual suspects of pierogi, bigos etc - is there anything I should be trying in particular?

alexw68	Edited by: alexw68 Sep 28, 10, 15:58 #2
Wild mushroom soup. Prawdziwki are the most tasty. Here in Wielkopolska it's been a great year for 'em. Beg for it, buy it, steal it - you won't be disappointed.

gumishuThreads: 17 Posts: 3,943 Joined: Apr 6, 09 ♂	Sep 28, 10, 16:49 #3
have you ever tried potato pancakes Teffle - these are not strictly Polish thing but I love em - much more than I do love chips - maybe I can come up with some other ideas later

TeffleThreads: 28 Posts: 2,105 Joined: Aug 26, 10 ♂	Sep 28, 10, 17:03 #4
alexw68: Wild mushroom soup. Sounds good in theory but I haven't been impressed with Polish soups. Not having access to those mushrooms probably doesn't help either! gumishu: have you ever tried potato pancakes Teffle Nope. Sounds like it might be a bit like boxty though.

warszawskiThreads: 60 Posts: 2,386 Joined: May 21, 10 ♂	Sep 28, 10, 17:12 #5
Kaczka z jabłkami: baked duck in apple.

convexThreads: 46 Posts: 7,185 Joined: Nov 25, 09 ♂	Sep 28, 10, 17:18 #6
Teffle: Sounds good in theory but I haven't been impressed with Polish soups. zur slaski is sweet sweet winter ambrosia.

alexw68	Sep 28, 10, 17:23 #7
convex: zur slaski is sweet sweet winter ambrosia. Convex that was below the belt. I'm going to have to go to the fridge now and brew up a bowl or two, and I was doing so well with the 'not between meals' thing...

SzwedwPolsceThreads: 13 Posts: 1,915 Joined: Feb 21, 09 ♂	Edited by: SzwedwPolsce Sep 28, 10, 17:34 #8
warszawski: Kaczka z jabłkami: baked duck in apple. Yes! And kotlet schabowy. Can also be made by using chicken filet.

♂

Edited by: gumishu Sep 28, 10, 17:37 #9

Teffle:

gumishu:
have you ever tried potato pancakes Teffle

Nope. Sounds like it might be a bit like boxty though.

placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes) are made with (more or less finely) grated raw potatos and finely cut onions with some wheat flour added (it makes the mixture thicker) and eggs to bind the things together - add some salt and pepper - i like some caraway in it too - like the boxty the things are fried but rather as smaller 'slaps' (that do not fill the entire pan - it is for the convenience of turning the thing) - I am pretty sure you can find some sensible recipe in English - i do it 'na oko' - measuring the proportions with just the judgement by the eye (forgive me my English ;)

AmathystThreads: 30 Posts: 3,968 Joined: Nov 10, 06 ♀	Sep 28, 10, 17:51 #10
gumishu: have you ever tried potato pancakes Divine, had some in Czech Republic last weekend... Teffle: Nope. Sounds like it might be a bit like boxty though. Nothing like what you are thinking about - they can have fillings, mine had cabbage and bacon and resembled nothing like a potatocake in the UK..Really filling and dead cheap!

TeffleThreads: 28 Posts: 2,105 Joined: Aug 26, 10 ♂	Sep 28, 10, 18:00 #11
Amathyst: Divine, had some in Czech Republic last weekend... So are the Czech ones the same as the Polish ones then?

gumishuThreads: 17 Posts: 3,943 Joined: Apr 6, 09 ♂	Sep 28, 10, 18:04 #12
Teffle: Amathyst: Divine, had some in Czech Republic last weekend... So are the Czech ones the same as the Polish ones then? I guess they are similar - though I never had potato pancakes in Czech Rep

szef

Sep 28, 10, 18:10 #13

Sorry Polish folk but I think its the shops everthing looks.. boxed. Except the glass shelf which is for people wanting to make open sarnies. The bread is great but only for one day, after that Polish people use big squishy tomatoes on top to pretend its not hard.

Hot food is what we need,

So far Ive managed to find, fried fluffy potatoes with bacon, wild mushrooms (the ones with sponge underneath, NO blades(at market now)) boiled,next day fryed with onion. The chanterells are nice with scrambelled eggs, klops are sort of minced pork rolls in gravey, Golabki (meat and rice in wraped in cabbage leaves,in tomatoe sos, if you want a good big feed at a milk bar Golonka seems always to be the biggest and cheapest, lovely.

MEMBER ♂

Sep 28, 10, 19:00 #14

Teffle:

is there anything I should be trying in particular?

Potato cake with goulash is a real treat if made properly, its a Hungarian dish but very common here. Gołabki is nice too again if made correctly. A good Polish cook will know how to cook meats properly with the sauce and they tend to gather as much flavour as possible from the ingredients without adding powders or flavour enhancing additives.

Generally speaking i cook whatever i feel like, not so much typical Polish and find my meals taste much better with the freely available organic produce here. For example soon i will buy 200kg of potatoes for the winter and I know they will be amazing as they always are. Chips, mash, roast whatever the potatoes are great.

A Polish person will say English soups are like baby food as theyre think and blended, here they tend to be a watery consistency, white Barszch is nice as is the traditional red barszch i even like the gherkin based soups. Rosoł is nice with tonnes of very thin pasta - great for hangovers.

monika87Threads: - Posts: 77 Joined: Aug 26, 10 ♀	Sep 28, 10, 19:43 #15
You do not like our food? Tsk tsk tsk what do you have for a sense of taste? Well, OK it is not every ones taste, it's understandable if one is from another country. Can you cook? If not, buy a cookbook, take training courses and cook in Poland your Irish food. Enjoy your meal ;-)

pgtxThreads: 49 Posts: 6,327 Joined: Feb 14, 09 MEMBER ♀	Sep 28, 10, 19:46 #16
that's OK not to like some food... don't feel forced to eat anything you don't like... that goes for every cuisine...

♂

Sep 28, 10, 20:39 #17

You do tend to grow up to Polish food, when I first came to Poland I hated the food with a passion, I wanted sauce and gravy, now I have my favorites, many have been mentioned here. As WB mentioned buying food from local producers is great and its quite funny because they always try to tell you it is organic, but the quality is far superior to the supermarkets and a snip of the price. We buy our eggs, fruit and vedgs, jams, honey and meat, when we visit family about 100 klm north of Warsaw, although its a lot less expensive the quality is what counts.

For me:

Soup - Zurek with white sausage.
main - as mentioned Duck with apple and all the trimmings.
Pudding - sernik or good makowiec

After dinner drink - szarlotka - vodka/apple juice

Hangover cure the next day, Rosol or left over zurek

pgtxThreads: 49 Posts: 6,327 Joined: Feb 14, 09 MEMBER ♀	Sep 28, 10, 20:45 #18
warszawski: After dinner drink - szarlotka - vodka/apple juice i think that's tatanka :) for some people Polish food needs more flavor, spices... for some it's too mild and too fat... but hey, Poland is a Northern, cold country after all... :)

♂

Sep 28, 10, 20:52 #19

warszawski:

Soup - Zurek with white sausage.

Needs mashed taters to make it complete :)

pgtx:

i think that's tatanka :)

Interesting, is that a regional differentiation? I've only heard szarlotka here in Wroclaw.

pgtx:

for some people Polish food needs more flavor, spices... for some it's too mild and too fat... but hey, Poland is a Northern, cold country after all... :)

I've got some awesome chipotle mole that comes in handy more often than not...hot cock sauce works too (just google it, make sure safe search is on!).

♂

Edited by: Teffle Sep 28, 10, 21:03 #20

Thanks all for the posts.

Wroclaw Boy:

A Polish person will say English soups are like baby food as theyre think and blended,

Yeah, I've heard that.

...here they tend to be a watery consistency

Yeah, what we would normally call broth. It's OK, but for me, too often Polish soup tastes a bit bland and only of it's ingredients - if you know what I mean. I think meals should taste better than the sum of their parts, including soup.

monika87:

You do not like our food?

Well as I said, I like some of it.

monika87:

Can you cook?

Yes, very well actually ;)

...take training courses and cook in Poland your Irish food.

Ooooh defensive aren't we? ;)

Well I don't need lessons, don't live in Poland and don't eat "Irish food", because basically, there is no such thing.

PaulinaThreads: 2 Posts: 561 Joined: Jan 31, 08 ♀	Sep 28, 10, 21:21 #21
Teffle: Ooooh defensive aren't we? ;) Hmm... Why do you need/want to like Polish food, Teffle? Any particular reason?

♀

Edited by: monika87 Sep 28, 10, 21:45 #22

Teffle:

...take training courses and cook in Poland your Irish food.

Ooooh defensive aren't we? ;)

Well I don't need lessons, don't live in Poland and don't eat "Irish food", because basically, there is no such thing.

Paulina:

Ooooh defensive aren't we? ;)

Hmm...
Why do you need/want to like Polish food, Teffle?
Any particular reason?

You don't live in Poland, you are not Polish? So now that would be really interesting to know. lmao

Is a Polish woman the reason? ;-)

I don't like Turkish food, I do not live in Turkey, so what?

♂

Edited by: Teffle Sep 28, 10, 21:54 #23

monika87:

I don't like Turkish food, I do not live in Turkey, so what?

So what indeed - what's your point?

You said:

monika87:

...cook in Poland your Irish food.

...and I advised you that I don't live there - that's all. I can't cook anything "in Poland" if I'm not there?!

I suppose I "want" to like Polish food more because I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt and I'm thinking I should have more of it or some of the less well known stuff before I make my mind up.

So, no woman involved, no ; )

♀

Edited by: monika87 Sep 28, 10, 22:50 #24

Teffle:

monika87:
I don't like Turkish food, I do not live in Turkey, so what?

So what indeed - what's your point?

You said:

monika87:
...cook in Poland your Irish food.

...and I advised you that I don't live there - that's all. I can't cook anything "in Poland" if I'm not there?!

Yes it is already clear to me. You did not understand what I meant in my second post, but no matter. ;-)

Teffle:

I suppose I "want" to like Polish food more because I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt and I'm thinking I should have more of it or some of the less well known stuff before I make my mind up.

OhOh I see! Not a bad idea ;-)

warszawskiThreads: 60 Posts: 2,386 Joined: May 21, 10 ♂	Sep 28, 10, 22:53 #25
convex: Interesting, is that a regional differentiation? I've only heard szarlotka here in Wroclaw. Szarlotka in Warsaw as well.

pgtxThreads: 49 Posts: 6,327 Joined: Feb 14, 09 MEMBER ♀	Sep 28, 10, 22:54 #26
convex: Interesting, is that a regional differentiation? I've only heard szarlotka here in Wroclaw. warszawski: Szarlotka in Warsaw as well. interesting... well, i guess it varies by regions... :)

warszawskiThreads: 60 Posts: 2,386 Joined: May 21, 10 ♂	Sep 28, 10, 23:03 #27
pgtx: interesting... well, i guess it varies by regions... :) Tatanka is a Lakota (Indian tribe) word that literally means "bull buffalo". This drink in other parts of Poland (especially in the north of the country) is also known as szarlotka (apple pie). A glass of tatanka in a pub in Krakow costs less than two euro

noreenbThreads: 4 Posts: 1,082 Joined: Apr 22, 09 ♀	Sep 28, 10, 23:19 #28
murzynek :D How it can be in English by the way? Anyone knows?

pgtxThreads: 49 Posts: 6,327 Joined: Feb 14, 09 MEMBER ♀	Sep 28, 10, 23:23 #29
noreenb: murzynek :D How it can be in English by the way? Anyone knows? kind of a brownie...

convexThreads: 46 Posts: 7,185 Joined: Nov 25, 09 ♂	Sep 28, 10, 23:32 #30
pgtx: kind of a brownie... More of a chocolate cake, or? Brownies are pretty dense, Murzynek is....fluffier?

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