Polish Language Blog

Dining out in Poland can be a great experience. All the wonderful, tasty food, so different than food in US…

Looking at the menu in different Polish restaurants may be a little confusing sometimes. Sometimes, even with the english menu, you may be surprised what you actually ordered. For example, if you order toast for breakfast…you will get something looking almost like grilled cheese with ham!

Here is a list of some typical dishes you may find on the Polish menu:

Zupy - Soups

Chłodnik Litewski: Yoghurt and beetroot soup usually with a boiled egg

Zupa Grochowa: Pea soup

Barszcz Bialy: Wheat and cream soup ((White Barscht)

Żurek: Sour potato and corn soup

Krupnik: Barley & vegetable soup

Kapuśniak: Sour cabbage soup

Zupa Ogórkowa: Sour gurkin or cucumber soup

Zupa Koperkowa: Dill soup.

Rosół: Clear chicken soup with noodles.

Zupa Pomidorowa: Tomato soup with noodles or rice.

Zupa Grzybowa: Wild mushroom soup.

Przystawki – Starters

Smalec: Lard with onion and spices served with bread and pickled gherkins.

Śledzie: Fried herring in sour cream with onion.

Boczek ze śliwką: Bacon stuffed with prunes

Tatar: Like a raw beefburger with onion

Surówki: a lot of times translated as “mixed salads”, but they are actually more like a mixture of coleslaw, finely chopped green and red cabbage, etc.

Dania główne - Main Courses

Eskalopki z cielęciny: Veal in dough.

Polęndwiczki: Serloin steak usually with sauces.

Sztuka mięsa w sosie: Boiled beef in horseradish (usually) sauce.

Zrazy zawijane: Beef rolls stuffed with bacon, gherkin, onion and res pepper in spicy sauce.

Golonka w piwie: Typical Polish food, pork knuckle in beer sauce with horseradish.

Kotlet Schabowy: Breaded pork cutlet, (ideal if you dont want to be too adventurous)

Kiełbasa: Polish sausage in many varieties

Żeberka: Spare pork ribs in different sauces

Kaczka: Roasted duck

Kurczak de volaille: Chicken in butter filled with mushrooms, sometimes there is cheese instead of mushrooms

Wątróbki drobiowe: Chicken livers

Baranina: Roast lamb

Klopsiki: Meatloaf with tomato sauce.

Bigos: Hunter stew with sour cabbage, meat and sausage

Dziczyzna: Wild meat of some kind.

Fasolka po bretońsku: Bean and sausage stew (usually with tomato sauce)

Gołąbki: Stuffed cabbage (usually with mixed ground beef and pork, rice, onions and spices)

Szaszłyk: Shishkebab

Karp w galarecie: Karp in aspic

Naleśniki: Pancakes filled with anything from cheese to strawberries.

Knedle: Potato dumpling stuffid with plums or other fruit.

Frytki: French fries

Kluski śląskie: Silesian dumpling made from potatoes

Placki: a cross between a potato pancake and rosti, very filling but tasty. The farmers variety is nice.

Deserts

Faworki: Pastry twists

Galaretka: Jelly/Jello.

Makowiec: Poppy seed cake.

Pączki: Doughnuts without holes.

Sernik: Cheesecake.

Szarlotka: Apple pie

Lody: ice cream

Murzynek: brownies/chocolate cake

SMACZNEGO!!!

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

I was reading Polish news and came across this really strange thing…

Residents of Zachodnio-Pomorskie were left rubbing their eyes in amazement this week when they were confronted with the peculiar sight of a car perched on top of a large tree.

The bizarre event occurred in the north western village of Lubczyna and according to daily Fakt, was the handy work of a number of fed up locals who wanted to teach the car’s owner a lesson.

24-year-old Zbigniew F. was well-known for speeding around the village like a maniac with no thought for other drivers or pedestrians, despite not actually owning a valid driving license and the action was angry residents’ way of letting him know they had had enough.

Residents say that he’s used to drive around the village in such a dangerous fashion and that they had to put up with this for 10 years. Even as a youngster the boy had no license.

In order to make their thoughts known to the perpetrator, a number of villagers decided to take direct action to show that enough was enough.

Hiring a crane, they waited till the dead of nigh and hoisted the white Ford from the ground and left it balancing rather dubiously in a nearby willow tree.

“We received a phone call from the car’s owner informing us that some of his neighbours had played a trick on him and put his vehicle in a tree,” says Marta Pierko, a spokeswoman with the local police.

However, despite having nothing to do with the strange act, Zbigniew F. was ordered by authorities to remove the vehicle before somebody was injured because of it.

“It’s certainly a punishment for me,” he says in an interview. “But it’s too difficult and I actually don’t really want to talk about it.”

According to, the police spokeswoman, Zbigniew F. was always punished by authorities when caught driving without a license in the past. He did receive fines when caught.

The white Ford has since been removed from its latest parking spot and locals are now waiting to see whether the punishment has made any difference.

And what do you think about it? What would police do here in USA in this situation? Not only about the car on a tree, but also about someone driving without driver’s license for so many years? Sometimes it really amazes me how PD works in Poland…

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

Ok, so today is mother’s day in USA! Happy mother’s day to all of wonderful mama’s!

Mother’s Day (Dzień Matki) in Poland is not until May 26th, but I thought I will give you an idea for different wishes, just in case you would like to write a card for your mama in Polish.

Mother’s Day is marked with the special celebrations in schools and kindergardens. Younger children prepare so called “laurki” for their mothers. ( laurka – is a sheet of paper decorated with flowers, birds, hearts etc.,  on which children write their wishes to their mothers). Schools often carry special ceremonies or classes to commemorate Mother’s Day.

Kids with dads usually buy flowers or different gifts for their moms. I used to clean the house with my brothers and “prepare” a meal for our mom – as best as we could!

Here is a beautiful song/rhyme/wishes for this special day (it was my favorite when I was a little girl – I used to sing it to my mom every year on her day):

Dziś dla Ciebie Mamo świeci słońce złote,

Dla Ciebie na oknie usiadł barwny motyl.

Dziś dla Ciebie Mamo płyną barwne chmurki

A wiatr je układa w świąteczne laurki.

Dziś dla Ciebie Mamo śpiewa ptak na klonie

I dla Ciebie kwiaty pachną też w wazonie.

Dzisiaj droga Mamo masz twarz uśmiechniętą,

Niechaj przez rok cały trwa to wielkie święto.

Today for you the sun is shining golden Mom,

For you on the window sat a colorful butterfly.

Today for you Mom colorful clouds float

And the wind puts them in a holiday’s “laurki”.

Today for you Mom sings the bird in the clone

And for you also smell the flowers in the vase.

Today, you mom smile all day,

Make this holiday last all year!

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)