20 Best Traditional Polish Foods You’ll Love
One thing I noticed is that in the US many items presented as ‘Polish food’ aren’t actually Polish. I was even on a food tour in NYC once and got served ‘Polish cheese’ which was actually Gouda, just packaged in Poland (Gouda is a Dutch cheese).
While some people know a few famous Polish dishes such as Pierogi, Polish cuisine has much more to offer. As a native Pole, let me introduce you to some of the best Polish foods.
If you’re brave enough to try some weird dishes that aren’t weird to Poles but definitely raise an eyebrow of foreigners, make sure to check out my other list as well.
20 Best Traditional Polish Foods You Should Try
1. Pierogi
Undeniable, pierogi is the most popular Polish food. Pierogi is already plural in Polish (pieróg is singular), but in the US people love to call it pierogis which makes no sense. They are thinly rolled-out dough filled with a variety of fillings, savory or sweet. They could be served as an appetizer, main dish or dessert.
The most popular fillings are meat, sauerkraut with mushrooms, spinach, buckwheat, potatoes with fried onions, pepper and cottage cheese called Ruskie which means “Ruthenian pierogi“ (not “Russian” as they’re often wrongly classified), sweet cottage cheese with raisins and seasonal fruit (blueberries, strawberries and cherries), buckwheat, sweet cottage cheese or boiled potatoes with fried onions (called Russian dumplings.
You can get them either boiled, baked or fried, but traditionally in Poland you eat them boiled with butter and onions on top.
2. Golabki / Gołąbki – Cabbage Rolls
Polish golabki (translating directly it means ‘little pigeons’) is cooked minced meat, often with onions and mushrooms, wrapped up in a leaf of white cabbage and stewed. It’s one of the dishes that was surely brought to the US by Polish immigrants.
They’re served with either boiled potatoes or bread and poured over with a thick and creamy tomato sauce. Get recipe for golabki here.
3. Bigos
Poles love to pickle food. The Polish pickled cucumber is a bit different than the traditional gherkin you might be used to – it’s a bit sour, with a lot of dill, similar to kosher-style pickles.
Cucumbers only pickled for a few days have a different, less sour taste than those pickled for longer. They’re known as ogórek małosolny, which literally means ‘low-salt cucumber’. There is also kiszona kapusta, literally sauerkraut, which might appear strange, due to the method of preparation. Like wine, one has to keep on stepping on it in a barrel…
Bigos is a rich stew which is sometimes translated into ‘hunter’s stew’ is made with various types of chopped meats, sauerkraut and shredded fresh cabbage.
The recipe generally changes from house to house but it’s very hearty and sometimes describes as the Polish version of chili. Get a recipe for bigos here.
4. Kotlet Schabowy
Kotlet Schabowy is a pork cutlet in a coating. It’s like Wiener Schnitzel, but thicker. If you ask a Pole to serve you something typically Polish, you’ll be served schabowy with boiled potatoes and warm beets – alternatively with a boiled carrot chopped in cubes mixed with peas.
The history of Polish kotlet schabowy dates back to the 19th century (which is way later than first recipes described in the most famous Polish cookery book Compendium Ferculorum from 1682) when the recipe was found in a cookbook by Lucyna Cwierczakiewiczowa.
5. Kotlet Mielony
Similar to the Danish meatballs, the Kotlet Mielony is a flat, pan-fried meatball but in a coating. They’re usually eaten with boiled potatoes, or a cold salad like sauerkraut or pickled/boiled beetroots.
6. Gulasz
The gulasz in Poland is the local version of the well-known Goulash dish, of which many Central European countries have their own recipes. The main ingredients are usually tender pieces of beef and then a broth of bell pepper, carrots, mushroom, onions and paprika.
A typical way to serve the dish is with potato pancakes or buckwheat kasha (also known as toasted groats).
7. Kluski Slaskie / śląskie
Known in English as Silesian dumplings, these are a simple recipe of eggs, mashed boiled potatoes and flour that are usually eaten with fried beef roulades and rich gravy with some boiled red cabbage.
Another version of these dumplings are kopytka – literally little hooves. They’re made the same way as kluski slaskie, but have a different shape. Get recipe for kopytka here.
8. Pyzy & Knedle
‘Pyzy’ is a type of large oval-shaped dumpling (the singular being ‘pyza’) stuffed with meat, twarog cheese or mushroom stuffing and boiled in water. They’re so big that they’re usually only served two or three in a portion as a main course.
‘Knedle’ are quite similar, made from a potato dough that can be both side dish or a dessert because it is stuffed with fruit like plums that are slightly sweet but also a bit tart.
9. Leniwe – Lazy Pierogi
The lazy man’s pierogi is a simpler substitute for the very popular Pierogi mentioned above which is what makes it different from the normal recipe.
The dough is made by incorporating dry curd cheese such as farmer’s cheese or ricotta and when it’s rolled out into the dumplings, it’s left unfilled. The Lazy Pierogi is usually served as a side dish with sour cream or crispy golden bacon bits.
10. Placki Ziemniaczane – Potato Pancakes
Authentic Polish potato pancakes are a traditional comfort food eaten all over the country. Everyone has their own family recipe but the base is always potatoes, grated onions, eggs and flour, flattened and fried into savory pancakes.
You can have them with mushroom sauce or sour cream. Get recipe for Polish potato pancakes here.
11. Golonka Gotowana – Pork Hock
Pork hocks, or ham hocks or ‘knuckles’ are actually the ankles of the pig, and when made the traditional way are fork-tender and literally fall off the bone.
A lot of places smoke the hock these days but that is not the real Polish way. It’s served with roasted vegetables, boiled potatoes and of course, some sauerkraut.
It’s a simple meal, and since the part of the meat is quite inexpensive so was an affordable meal for the middle and lower class throughout the country’s history.
12. Zrazy
This dish actually dates back to the 14th century and used to be served to the nobility. Today it’s not too restricted and is a very common main course in most places.
Zrazy (pronounced ZRRAH-ZIY) is essentially meat, usually beef, roulade that’s cooked for several hours in a slow cooker and served with potatoes and the popular side dish of red cabbage.
The beef is stuffed with various fillings like sauerkraut, mushrooms, onions and many more.
13. Ryba po Grecku
Literally translated, this dish means Greek-style fish, so it’s quite obvious that the Polish borrowed this cooking style from the Greeks.
The main course meal is fried fish fillets in a sauce made from a tomato base and can be served hot and cold.