Why Poland should be your next foodie destination

There’s more to Polish food than dumplings and stuffed cabbage, and the average meal is neither boring nor predictable. The world opened up to Poland in the last half century, and local chefs have challenged themselves to update traditional recipes with new ingredient combinations and methods of preparation. Here's our guide to the flavours of Poland.

Specialities vary quite a bit from the northern, Baltic Sea area, to the southern, mountainous part of Poland. Freshwater fish dishes rule the north. Herring in oil is served as a starter; herring in cold sour cream over hot potatoes is often the main dish. There's also paprykarz, a white fish dish with veggies and rice, and white fish in gelatine with beets.

Aromatic roasted duck is a national delicacy and can be found in all corners of the country. Every region claims theirs is the best because of the stuffing: veal with giblets in the Wielkopolska region; wild mushroom in the Kujawy region; dried plums in Mazovia or buckwheat and walnuts in the far east. Duck will most likely be served with a potato dumpling of a regional variety, and a serving of a sweet and sour hot red cabbage dish made with raspberries or cranberries. Definitely add this one to your list of dishes to try.

I couldn’t call myself a Pole if I didn’t mention pierogi. There are countless varieties, and they also differ from region to region. Depending on where you are, try a few savoury fillings, like potato and cheese, or sauerkraut and mushroom, and then a few sweet fillings: blueberry or strawberry, or sweet cheese topped with sour cream and sprinkled with sugar.

Due to the varying availability of ingredients, making soup out of “nothing” is an art in Poland, resulting in a variety of soups like you’ve not seen anywhere in the world. Try as many of these as you can:

Kwaśnica: a sauerkraut soup made with pork (ribs) and potatoes, famous in the mountain region
Barszcz ukraiński: a beet soup full of a variety of vegetables
Goose soup: served with dumplings or noodles
Flaki: an aromatic tripe soup, made with beef stomach, because nothing goes to waste
Zupa grzybowa: a wild mushroom soup using seasonal mushrooms picked and dried locally (the season runs from late August)
Chłodnik: a cold beet soup served only in the hot-weather months made of beets, fresh cucumbers, radishes and refreshing fresh dill.

The bar mleczny, or milk bar, is a place where you're served traditional Polish food, and lots of it. It originated as a cafeteria-style bistro in the late 1800s and was heavily subsidised by the government, with the intention of feeding the working class of the post-war era. There aren’t as many milk bars as there were, but those still around remain affordable and attract hungry customers from all walks of life. It’s a place where you can experience a hearty home-cooked meal fast, at a fraction of the price you’d expect.

Sweets

When visiting a Polish bakery or a cafe, you can clearly see that the nation has developed a major sweet tooth. There are so many to choose from: yeast poppy seed rolls, sweet cheese buns, torts, fruitcakes, cheesecakes, apple cakes, ginger cookies, sugar cookies, cream cakes, layered cakes, meringue cakes, and donuts. Good luck selecting only one!