Description

Polish culinary traditions are as old as Polish culture, which has written a history dating back to the tenth century. This definitive Polish cookbook perpetuates the traditions, with more than five hundred authentic recipes that reflect the customs and culture of the ancient Eastern European country.

Fragrant with dill, caraway, and green parsley; enhanced by onions; and richened by sour cream, Polish cuisine is marked by hearty and full-bodied flavors. This authoritative cookbook presents all of these tastes in a remarkable variety of dishes in all categories. The hors d’oeuvres include traditional bigos, cabbage rolls, and pierogies, stuffed with savory meats, sauerkraut, or mushrooms. The soups are thick and sustaining, from Giblets Barley Soup to the classic staple of barshch, or delicate and refreshing, such as blueberry, strawberry, and spiced soups. Main dishes include Chicken with Paprika and Sour Cream, Veal Fricassee with Dill Sauce, and Pork Ribs with Onions. The variety of vegetable dishes reveals the versatile Polish sauces and salads, from polonaise (buttery bread crumb) preparations of cauliflower and other vegetables to bright, vinegary salads. With nearly one hundred dessert and pastry recipes, this volume incorporates every essential sweet dish, from a selection of babas to ten different varieties of mazurka, Polish doughnuts, and Poppy Seed Rolls.

Complete from appetizers through dessert, chapters also include entries on Polish customs, such as Christmas Eve supper traditions, menus for holidays and special occasions, and the author’s memories from her childhood.