It’s always interesting to learn how different countries take similar ingredients and turn them into iconic dishes all their own. Here, guest writer Michal Jonca tells us about 9 items from Polish cuisine that have unique ingredients. 

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9 Unique Polish Cuisine Items to Try: Beyond Pierogi

Polish cuisine reflects Polish history – it’s rich, non-obvious, and diverse, just like a mosaic of people who had been living theer for decades. You can find the influence of such varied culinary traditions as German, Turkish, Mongol, Jewish, Russian, and Tatar. Most travelers visiting this Central European country taste famous pierogi and bigos (a stew with meat and cabbage). But you shouldn’t limit yourself just to that. Sometimes trying unusual, regional dishes requires courage but it’s an adventure worth diving into. Let’s go on a journey through the most unusual food you can eat in Poland.

Kaszanka

Kaszanka (prounounced as “kashanka”) is Poland’s most popular example of a “zero-waste” sausage product. It’s a mix of groats, offal, spices, and pork blood inserted in a gut bag. Sound creepy? Probably, but if you dare to try it, you’ll be surprised with a spicy taste combined with a delicate filling. Most often, you can eat it raw, fried with onions, or grilled. In some restaurants around Poland, you can try kaszanka served with fruits – especially apples.

Regionally, kaszanka is also known under different names. In the Upper Silesia, it’s “krupniok,” while people from Padlasie (northeast of Poland) call it “krwawa kiszka” (bloody kiszka). In Central Poland, near the city of Lodz, you can try the variation of kaszanka called bulczanka. The difference is that the local inhabitants use breadcrumbs instead of groats.

Kaszanka sausage. Photo courtesy Adobe Stock Photo by npls.

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Flaki

Flaki (tripe) is another example of a zero-waste dish. It has been present in Poland since at least the 14th century.  Apparently, it was the favorite dish of legendary Queen Jadwiga and King Jagiello. It’s a kind of thick soup served with cleaned, and cut into, thin, transverse strops of fragments of (usually) beef stomach.

Flaki is a dish that evokes extreme emotions – it is either adored or hated by consumers, but also by chefs. Considered as food for the poor, the product has its characteristic, but not very intense, smell. In different regions of Poland, flaki is prepared a bit differently. In Podhale, the most popular type includes mutton, wheras in southeast Poland, it’s beef, but with savoy cabbage. In Urzędów, near Kraśnik, in the Lublin region, you can taste beef tripe with duck broth, mushrooms, and millet.  A typical dish of Warsaw cuisine is flaki served with meatballs and marrow.

Flaki, or tripe, in soup. Photo courtesy Adobe Stock Photo by Arkadiusz Fajer.

Buza

Buza is a slightly fermented, acidic soft drink based on millet, sometimes served with a sweet halva. IT’s an example of Podlasie cuisine, which is unique and undiscovered even in other parts of Poland. Buza is available in only three restaurants in the city of Bialystok – Esperanto Cafe, Na Prawo, and Mazel Tov. Interestingly, it was brought to Poland by Macedonians before the first World War. This drink is widely known in the Balkan countries, although they prepare it a bit differently, and from different ingredients. For example, Bulgarians make buza with wheat or millet and the Turkish make it with maize.

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Dzyndzałki

The full name of the dish is “dzyndzałki z hreczką i skrzeczkami,” words that are typical for Mazurian dialect. Dzyndzałki is a type of dumplings stuffed with buckwheat and served with cracklings. Since Warmia and Masuria is a region full of lakes, you can also eat dzyndzałki stuffed with fish, such as smoked trout (yummy!). The dish appeared in the region of Warmia and Mazury, along with people displaced from the Eastern Borderlands (present-day Belarus and Western Ukraine) after World War II. Its anme probably comes from the characteristic edges of the dumpling, in the form of long ears, the so-called “dzyndzle,” and from the Lviv name of buckwheat, “hreczka.” It is a perfect example of how Poland’s multicultural and tragic history influenced its culinary traditions.

More Unique Polish Cuisine:

Siuśpaj

Siuśpaj is a dessert prepared from barley groats cooked with dried pears and plums, sweetened with sugar and honey. The dish was an everyday dinner or a refreshing meal prepared during fieldwork in villages near Tarnów, 60 kilometers from Cracow. Homemakers often served siuśpaj with sweet milk for pouring or drinking after. During cold winters, farmers were eating it warm, and in summer, they eat it cold.

Nowadays, people prepare siuśpaj according to a recipe from the second half of the 19th century. It is very popular at various markets, and harvest festivals. Siuśpaj also became a traditional Christmas Eve dish in Lesser Poland.

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Tatar

Tartar is a dish is made of scraped, minced, or finely chopped raw beef, oil, salt, pepper, egg yolks, and onions. According to the legend, tartar appeared on Polish lands thanks to … Tatars. These militant hordes from Asia have threatened Poland for decades. That is why, probably to emphasize their wildness, they were said to eat raw horse meat. Historical sources say, however, that this is not true.

Nowadays, it’s a traditional Polish snack, but is also known in other countries. There are different approaches to seasoning meat and preparing it. In France, tartare is ground and seasoned with hot sauces. It is also often served there with potatoes. In Belgium it is called fillet americanne and in Denmark it is called tatarmad. In Poland, real tartare is prepared from sirloin. It is a very delicate and fresh meat, the taste of which is felt in every bite. Some people prepare a ligava steak, but it can be tough and overgrown, so the best meat is the sirloin. Tatar is widely recognizable and you can try it almost anywhere. However, choose high-quality restaurants as it’s still raw meat served with raw egg yolk.

Beef Tartar with accompaniments. Photo courtesy Adobe Stock Photo by FomA.

Wodzionka

Wodzionka means… a water soup! It is a simple Silesian bread dish prepared quickly. Wodzionka or brotzupa (from German brot – bread, and suppe – soup) has many varieties, but the basis for the recipe is always boiling water, bread and animal fat. The popularity of wodzionka is related to the tradition of not throwing away and using very stale bread. You can often eat a wodzionka with separately served bratkartofels, i.e. boiled and fried potatoes.

Żurek with Pickled Red Pine Mushrooms

Żurek is probably the most popular Polish soup. Its main ingredients are sourdough, sausage, bacon, and eggs. But there is one special kind of żurek, which is cooked with pickled red pine mushrooms. This soup is unique for the mysterious, mountainous region of Beskid Niski, two hours drive from Cracow. Pickled red mushrooms used to rule on peasant tables and were served on the occasion of Christmas and carnival. Then, for years, recipes with red pine mushrooms were forgotten. Fortunately, we have been seeing a renaissance for some time.

Żurek with pickled red pine mushrooms has a unique taste. It is dry and sour, slightly salty with a hint of sweetness. You should definitely try it when visiting Beskid Niski.

Zurek photo courtesy Adobe Stock Photo by malajscy.

Acorn Coffee

Acorn coffee is one of the most interesting substitutes for traditional coffee. Chopin himself was a big fan of it (yup, he was Polish, not French). Already in the nineteenth century people understood the beneficial properties of the roasted oak fruit mixture. This drink not only tastes good and smells beautiful, but is also said to give energy and strengthens the body. Contrary to regular coffee, it provides us with magnesium and is gentle on the stomach. Drinking acorn coffee is recommended for people with hypertension, celiac disease and digestive system problems.

-Story by Michal Jonca. See bio, below.

Author’s bio: Michal Jonca is passionate about travel and food experiences, who visited 40+ countries on four continents. He is a Travel Leader at the largest Polish travellers club Soliści organizing adventurous trips worldwide and the Community Manager at PhotoAiD. Here is the company’s privacy policy: https://photoaid.com/privacy

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