We all know that breakfast is a very important meal! The waffles and pancakes so common for breakfast in the Western Europe (and USA as well) are usually reserved for the main course or dessert in Eastern Europe. And, while cold cereals are becoming more common, typically, breakfast is a much more substantial meal: cold cuts (wędliny), smoked sausages (kiełbasy wędzone), pickled and fresh fruits and vegetables (marynowane i świeże owoce i warzywa), hard-cooked eggs (jajka na twardo), cheeses (sery), pastries and breads galore (w bród ciasta i pieczywa), jams and jellies (dżemy i galaretki). Omelets (omlety) are becoming popular in the larger hotels and restaurants, but loose, moist scrambled eggs (jajecznica) are more common. Sometimes hearty soups like Polish żurek make an appearance.

Image by withassociates on flickr.com

In Poland, where breakfast is known as śniadanie , you might dine on an open-face sandwich, or zapiekanka or kanapka (popular word for “sandwich”), made of cold cuts, meat spreads, kiełbasa, cheese, tomatoes and sliced pickles. Hot dogs (without rolls) are popular as well. Bread and rolls of all types figure prominently at the Polish breakfast table. Bread is usually fresh, warm and crispy – traditional toast like in USA is hard to find in most of the places. Eggs prepared many ways: scrambled with bits of sausage or bacon, hard- or soft-boiled, are common. Hot oatmeal (gorące płatki owsiane), muesli or breakfast cereal with milk (płatki śniadaniowe z mlekiem) are very common. Breakfast drinks include a somewhat coffee (kawa), tea (herbata), milk (mleko).

In the spring and summer, fresh vegetables and fruits make an appearance at the breakfast table.

Hope this made you hungry! Smacznego!

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)