What do Polish eat for Christmas dinner?

A map of Polish specialities Today's Christmas dinner usually opens with cold plates, including varieties of soused herring, followed by borscht or mushroom soup, and then the hot dishes: often carp, pierogi stuffed with sauerkraut and mushrooms, and croquettes.

What is a traditional Polish Christmas dinner?

Wigilia menu reflects the season. Most families would serve all 12 of the traditional dishes, Bartoszek said. His family plans to serve red borscht with mushroom dumplings, cabbage with mushrooms, carp, mushroom and cabbage pierogi, herring, and mushroom soup, Bartoszek said. The dishes can vary from family to family.

Why do Polish people not eat meat during Christmas?

You'll notice that meat is missing – during the Wigilia dinner, we don't eat meat (besides fish). This is a Polish pagan tradition, not a Catholic tradition, which reminds us of the fruits of the earth, forests, and water that primarily fed our ancestors (Dziura 38).

What is a typical Polish dinner?

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.

What do Polish people give for Christmas?

What Are 12 Polish Christmas Dishes?

Why do Polish people have 12 dishes at Christmas?

There are 12 dishes to represent the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ, the 12 months in a year, and also because the number is considered financially lucky in Polish culture. Calling it a feast may be misleading, though, because this isn't a typical dinner where everyone eats until they're full.

What is the most popular Christmas tradition in Poland?

The most important thing during the whole day is Wieczerza Wigilijna (Polish Christmas Eve Dinner). It begins when the first star appears in the sky. It's Polish Christmas custom to leave one free table setting for an unexpected guest.

Is Polish food similar to German food?

Polish cuisine is very influenced by German and Slavic cuisine, therefore, when it comes to knowing what to eat in Poland, you have to keep in mind that it is mainly a very taste-rich and high-fat food. Polish food also has Turkish, Hungarian, Jewish, Armenian and even French influences.

What is the signature dish of Poland?

Pierogi. Pierogi are filled dumplings containing either meat, vegetables, cheese, fruit or chocolate. Pierogi is undoubtedly Poland's most famous and simple comfort food. But after tasting one of these delicious filled dumplings, you're likely to find yourself craving more.

What are 3 popular foods in Poland?

What is Polish Christmas called?

Christmas in Poland is called "Boże Narodzenie", which translates to 'God's Birth'. Christmas in Poland. Nativity scene (szopka) by Bronisław Pięcik, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Christmas Eve Supper.

What is Santa called in Poland?

Gwiazdor, translated literally as 'Star-man' is the name traditionally used in Greater Poland, Kujawy, Western Pomerania and Kaszuby for the figure who brings gifts on Christmas Eve and is distinguished from Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus, who is only recognised in these regions as bringing gifts on the 6th of December, ...

What is the Polish Christmas tradition with bread?

Christmas wafer (Polish: opłatek, plural opłatki; Lithuanian: kalėdaitis, plural kalėdaičiai; Slovak: oblátka, plural oblátky) is a Catholic Christmas tradition celebrated in Poland, Lithuania, Moravia, and Slovakia. The custom is traditionally observed during Kūčios in Lithuania and Wigilia in Poland on December 24.

What do Polish people break before Christmas Eve dinner?

A Polish Christmas Eve dinner starts with the ceremony of breaking of the “oplatek”. The oplatek is a thin wafer, made of flour and water. The Christmas Polish tradition of the oplatek goes like this: The father or eldest member of the family reaches for the wafer, breaks it in half and gives one half to the mother.

What is the main fruit of Poland?

The most popular fruit in Poland are apples, strawberries, cherries and sour cherries, plums, pears, raspberries, blueberries, currents and chokeberries. As regards vegetables, Poles most often eat tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, carrots, lettuce, peppers, cauliflowers and cabbages.

What is the most eaten food in Poland?

Why is Polish so different from German?

German is a Germanic language (no surprise there), while Polish is Slavic. The two languages developed completely separate from each other over hundreds of years. Therefore, although they both use the Latin alphabet, their pronunciations of the letters aren't the same.

What do Polish eat for breakfast?

The most popular Polish breakfast food are open-face sandwiches featuring slices of hard cheese, cold cuts, tomatoes and cucumbers. Also eaten are different style eggs (soft and hard boiled, fried, scrambled, etc.), pot cheese with radish and chives or honey or jam served with fresh bread and rolls.

What is a fun fact about Christmas in Poland?

People are not allowed to eat meat on Christmas Eve

Christmas supper in Poland is meat-free. Instead, the main dish of the meal is carp. It is traditionally bought alive a few days before Christmas and killed in the bathtub by the lady of the house, which is hands down the most gruesome Polish Christmas tradition.

What are 5 interesting facts about Poland?

Do Polish people drink on Christmas Eve?

As a rule, Poles do not drink alcohol on Christmas Eve. A special compote is made of dried fruits, primarily plums and apricots. This tastes quite unusual and is unpalatable for some; however, it somehow always seems tasty when eaten at Christmas.

What fish do Polish people eat at Christmas?

The latter method is a tradition surrounding Christmas Eve carp in Slovakia, Poland, and Czechia. A symbol of good luck and classic meat-free meal for Christians, common carp makes a popular holiday dish in Central Europe.