When I tell people that I lived in Poland, they often ask me about food, such as "What did you eat there?" and "What do Polish people eat?" Personally, I ate rice and kebabs every day, which was a far cry from the average Polish person, but here I would like to explain what kind of meals Polish people living in Poland usually eat. Let me start by saying that Polish food is delicious!
In Poland, lunch is the main dish.
Before we get into the details of the meals, I need to explain the Polish food culture. Like Japan, Poland basically eats three meals a day. However, in Japan, dinner is often the most delicious meal of the day, but in Poland, lunch, called "Obiad", is traditionally the most luxurious. Also, lunch time in Poland is very late, usually around 4pm. The reason for this custom is that Poles traditionally started working early in the morning and returned home early in the afternoon. For this reason, Obiad, which is eaten after work, is the most delicious meal of the day, and for dinner, Kolacja, alcohol is the main focus and food is often just a snack. However, in recent years, with globalization, it has become rare for people to have a light lunch around 12 o'clock and a proper dinner, just like in Japan and many other countries. Despite this trend, I would like to explain the traditional Polish Obiad this time.
The basics are soup + staple food + salad + main dish
Most Polish meals consist of these four items. However, you eat the soup first. (In Japanese, soup is something you "drink," but in Polish it is "eaten.") After you finish the soup, you eat the remaining three items on one plate.
soup
Although there are many different types of soup, they are all rich in flavor and very delicious, and are also suitable for Japanese palates. Here we will introduce two typical soups that are often eaten in Polish households.
Rosół
It is a clear soup made from meat and vegetable stock. Chicken soup is particularly popular, and is often topped with carrots and thin capellini pasta.
Rossou
Żurek
Rye soup. It has a sour and rich taste that is hard to find in Japan, and it is one of my favorite Polish dishes. The standard fillings are boiled eggs and Polish sausage "Kiełbasa". Experts eat it in a bread bowl.
Jurek (photo by author) - bread soaked in the soup is also delicious.
staple food
The staple food of the Polish people is potatoes. They also eat bread, but it is more commonly eaten as breakfast, a snack, or as a side dish for soup. Potatoes are the main source of carbohydrates in the Obiad. Polish potatoes are very tasty, like Hokkaido potatoes in Japan. They can be cooked in a variety of ways, such as simply boiled, mashed, baked, or braised. Buckwheat, also known as "Kasza," is also a popular staple food.
salad
In salads, sauerkraut, carrots, purple cabbage, and beets are often used. They are more often boiled or pickled than raw. Pickled cucumbers are also commonly eaten.
main
Although Poland has a culture of eating fish, meat is the main dish eaten in Poland. Pork is especially popular. Polish pork is soft and juicy, and is easy to eat and delicious compared to beef, which is lean and relatively tough.
Cotlet (pork cutlet) + potato + sauerkraut and beet salad
Kotlet is a standard Polish dish that is often eaten at home. The batter mixed with eggs is not as crispy as Japanese katsu, but it has a soft and gentle flavor. The meat inside is of course juicy.
Photo by the author @ friend's house
Braised pork + rice + beet salad
Stews are also common in Poland. Pork that has been simmered for a long time and is full of flavor melts in the mouth. Rice is also sometimes eaten like this.
Photo by the author @ friend's house
Goulash + kasha (buckwheat) + sauerkraut salad
Goulash is a stew that is widely eaten in Central Europe. It is made from beef, lard, onion, paprika, etc. I have eaten goulash in several countries, but I personally think that Polish goulash is the best. This is also my favorite. The granular thing in the back of the photo is kasha, which seemed strange to me at first, but as I got used to it, I started to like it more than potatoes.
Photo by the author @ Restaurant in Warsaw
What about after the meal?
After the meal, people drink coffee or herbal tea and eat cake. American coffee is the most popular. Polish cakes are all delicious, but they may be a little too sweet for Japanese people.
That's all about Polish food! As I mentioned at the beginning, Polish food is very delicious and I think it's a taste that Japanese people will like. When I visited Poland with a friend just before the COVID-19 outbreak, he praised it highly, saying, "It never disappoints!" I hope that as many people as possible will enjoy this food once the COVID-19 pandemic is over!
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