what are the 12 traditional polish christmas dishes

Carp, borscht, as well as kutia made of groats, poppy seed, cabbage with peas, Silesian gingerbread and fish head soup. Christmas Eve dishes in Poland vary depending on which part of the country you are in, but almost all dinners on this special day consist of 12 dishes and dried fruit kompot

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Full Answer

What are the 12 Polish Christmas dishes?

Some specific dishes may differ from various regions, but many of them are universal.Christmas Eve red barszcz with porcini raviolis ('uszka') Culture.pl. ... Christmas Eve carp. Culture.pl. ... Herring. Culture.pl. ... Pierogi. Culture.pl. ... Cabbage rolls ('gołąbki') Culture.pl. ... 'Kutia' ... Old Polish 'piernik' ... Poppyseed cake ('makowiec')

What is the traditional Polish Christmas meal?

The Wigilia supper Fish provides the main dish of the Christmas Eve feast across Poland. There are variations of carp fillet, carp in aspic, gefilte fish (Jewish-style carp), sweet with onions, carrots, almonds and raisins. Accompaniments consist of cabbage, cooked red or sauerkraut with apple salad.

What are the 12 courses of Wigilia?

Items that would normally be included in a traditional Wigilia menu include mushroom soup, boiled potatoes (kartofle), pickled herring (sledzie), fried fish, pierogi, beans and sauerkraut (groch i kapusta), a dried fruit compote, babka, oplatek, assorted pastries, nuts and candies.

What do Polish people traditionally share before eating their Christmas Eve meal?

Sharing wafer - Just before the dinner, family members share the wafer and wish all the best to each other. Hay on the table - This tradition is on the decline, but there still are families who put hay on the table covering it with the table cloth.

What is a traditional Polish Christmas gift?

Piernik (gingerbread) We start off with a truly universal gift idea. The delicious Polish gingerbread, known here as piernik, has been the symbol of the city of Toruń since the medieval times. If you happen to stay there, you are bound to buy loads of different kinds of pierniki (plural of piernik).

What are the main Polish dishes?

Here are 7 Polish dishes you absolutely must try...Pierogi ruskie (Russian-style dumplings) Pierogi ruskie, restaurant-style (c/o KUBARN/Kuba Winkowski) ... Rosół Rosół (c/o KUBARN/Kuba Winkowski) ... Gołąbki (cabbage rolls) ... Kotlet schabowy (schnitzel) ... Bigos. ... Sernik (baked cheesecake) ... Makowiec (poppy-seed cake)

What are the 7 fish eaten on Christmas Eve?

This pasta involves seven fish: clams, mussels, halibut, shrimp, anchovy, calamari and scallops. It's nice to have a whole fish, head and tail included, to signify abundance.

What do Polish people do on the 6th of December?

In many Polish households, the morning of December 6th, in Polish referred to as Mikołajki, is a blissful moment. This is when children find small gifts under their pillows, in their slippers or (nowadays more and more often) in a stocking carefully hang out for that purpose the evening before.

Why do Polish eat fish on Christmas Eve?

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.

Why is there no meat on Christmas Eve in Poland?

Traditionally it was day of fasting and abstinence (not eating anything) and meat is not normally allowed to be eaten in any form. Christmas Eve is known as Wigilia (pronounced vee-GHEE-lee-uh).

Why do Polish not eat meat on Christmas Eve?

Not eating meat Leaving a chair empty at the Christmas table may be one of the most popular customs, but few people know its interesting history. Christmas in Poland is a pescatarian's dream. In strict keeping with old Catholic tradition, Poles usually abstain from meat and hard liquor on Christmas Eve.

How do you greet a Polish person on Christmas Eve?

Wesołych Świąt and other holiday words The short way to say “Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas” is “Wesołych Świąt.” The complete way to say “Merry Christmas” is “Wesołych Świąt Boże Narodzenie.” Boże Narodzenie literally means “God's birth.” “We wish you a Merry Christmas” is “Życzymy Wesołych Świąt.”

What are the 12 courses in a Ukrainian Christmas Eve dinner?

Here are 12 traditional Ukrainian dishes for Sviat Vechir (there are many other Ukrainian meals you can cook for Christmas Eve) you can prepare this Christmas.Kutia. ... Borsch. ... Mushroom gravy. ... Varenyky. ... Holubtsi. ... Herring. ... Marinated mushrooms. ... Ukrainian Christmas Bread Recipe.More items...

What are the 12 days of Christmas medieval times?

The Twelve Days of Christmas are the last six days of the old year (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 December ) and the first six days of the New Year (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 January).

How do you count the Twelve Days of Christmas?

The "12 Days of Christmas" referenced in the carol reference the 12 days following Christmas, also known as Twelvetide in Christianity. The period begins with the birth of Christ on December 25th and ends with the coming of the Three Wise Men on January 6th, also known as the Epiphany or Three Kings Day.

What are the feast days of the 12 days of Christmas?

The Twelve Days are as follows:1st Day: the birth of Christ.2nd Day: St. ... 3rd Day: St. ... 4th Day: The Feast of the Holy of Innocents – the baby boys King Herod killed when trying to find and kill baby Jesus.5th Day: St. ... 6th Day: St. ... 7th Day: Pope Sylvester I – one of the earliest Popes.8th Day: Mary, the Mother of Jesus.More items...

6. Mushroom and Cabbage Pierogi

Pierogi. You couldn’t have a celebration in Poland without these crowd pleaser dumplings on the table. The people would revolt.

Comments

I found the article most enlightening. I'm not an expert being an American of Polish extraction and having visited Poland only a couple of times. I loved the food when I was there. Is there any way of getting a translation of the ginger cookie recipe?

1. Polish Layered Herring Salad (Śledź pod Pierzynką)

Although red meat is not allowed due to the religious nature of Christmas, fish is the one exception. So what salad could be more fitting than this herring dish!

2. Polish Kolaczki Cookies

While the Polish people might have great savory dishes, their sweets are definitely something to write home about. Like these kolaczki cookies, for example.

3. Polish Kutia (Wheat Berry Pudding)

Kutia is a popular Christmas pudding you can bet will be on a Polish table come Christmas Eve.

4. Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad (Buraczki)

Warm or cold, buraczki is a holiday must. This beet salad requires minimal ingredients and is very simple to whip up.

5. Barszcz (Polish Borscht)

Borscht is common in many cultures. However, if you’re sticking with the theme, you’ll want to use the Polish rendition of this soup.

6. Polish Gingerbread Cookies (Pierniczki Tradycyjne)

These gingerbread cookies are not like the cute little gingerbread men, or women, cookies you find in America.

8. Polish Christmas Eve Mushroom Soup

If the weather outside is frightful, cozy up inside next to the fire with this Polish staple.

1. Christmas Wafer ( Opłatek)

Before sitting down at the table, all family members share a traditional Christmas wafer ( opłatek) and exchange good wishes for health, wealth, and happiness in the New Year.

2. Red Borsch with Raviolis ( Barszcz Czerwony z Uszkami)

Christmas Eve dinner in Poland always starts with a bowl of hot soup. Polish red borsch, the beetroot-based soup, is a true Slavic phenomenon and is the most popularly served soup on this Christian occasion. However, the Christmas version varies from the usual one.

3. Forest Mushrooms Soup ( Zupa Grzybowa)

The taste of forest mushrooms is a true Polish culinary heritage. No wonder, the wild mushroom soup is a traditional Christmas Eve dish.

4. Polish Fish Soup ( Zupa Rybna)

Poland has a long and beautiful coastline, of 528 kilometers, to be exact, and over 10,000 lakes all over the country. These natural reservoirs deliver all sorts of culinary treasures that often meet in a hot bowl of traditional Polish fish soup.

5. Fried Carp ( Karp Smażony)

Fried carp is a national food of Poland, though it is eaten only once a year—on Christmas Eve. Depending on local and family traditions, carp is fried with or without a coating.

6. Greek-Style Fish in Tomato Sauce ( Ryba po Grecku)

Don’t fancy carp? Ryba po grecku is a delicate white fish fillet, fried until golden, coated in a generous layer of grated root vegetables (carrots, parsley, and celery roots), and covered with a thick layer of shredded vegetables, swimming in a thick sauce made of tomato paste.

7. Jewish-Style Carp ( Karp po żydowsku)

Jellied carp is very commonly served as one of the 12 dishes during Polish Christmas Eve dinner.

Polish Christmas Eve dinner

In Poland, the 24th of December is probably the most important day of Christmas and therefore the most effort goes into the preparation of the Christmas Eve dinner. The tradition says that there must be exactly 12 dishes (including desserts) on the table and everyone has to try every each of them.

Traditional Christmas soups

What is served that evening depends very much on the region, but there are also a lot of similarities. What you can be sure of is that there will be no meat on the table. Until the midnight mass, the lent is still on so Christmas Eve dinner is all about fish, winter vegetables, and wild mushrooms.

Christmas fish dishes

The biggest star of the evening, and that can surprise many people, is carp. This fish is not eaten in Poland on any other occasion but for some weird reason, it became Christmas Eve staple.

Other Christmas Eve hits

Thankfully for people who don’t like fish, there are other specialities. Pierogi stuffed with wild mushroom or cabbage (or a mix of both), fried with onion can please even the most sublime palate.

Cakes and Christmas Eve desserts

If you fancy something a bit sweeter you should try Kutia. Tradition Kutia is made of wheat berries, poppy seeds and honey, but very often walnuts, raisins, almonds and other dry fruits are added. It’s a lovely sweet dish that can give you a break from other quite heavy dishes.