We sure love gołąbki, pierogi, bigos and pączki (we will have plenty of these in just couple of days!)…but we also love a good pizza! You heard it right, it might not be Italian quality, but Poles are great pizza makers as well! And they sure know about International Pizza Day!

And what a better day to talk about it if not International Pizza Day?! (my family is having one after fun day of skiing as well:))

Pizza day “from the scratch style”. Image by Seksak Kerdkanno from Pixabay

Growing up in Poland I only remember few pizza outings with my family. For the most part, my mother used to make one for us, whenever we asked for it. It was definitely not a pizza i eat and experience here in USA though. My mother would make it in a dip dish ( kind of a lasagna dish). It had thick crust, mushrooms and caramelized onions…and it was my absolute favorite!

International Pizza Day! Pizza oven: Image by tcameliastoian from Pixabay

Later on, when I was a teenager, pizza started being popular and you were able to get it almost everywhere!

There are 2 major things you have to know about pizza in Poland though!!!

Typical baguette pizza! Image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay

First of all, don’t be surprise if you order pizza from a food truck, and it is actually on a baguette, not on traditional crust! Sometimes this is considered “pizza” in Poland. This late-night snack, popular in many food trucks across Poland, is an Eastern European cousin to French-bread pizza, built on a savory base of sautéed mushrooms. It has countless toppings options, just like Italian pizza!

Another thing I want you to be aware of is that a lot of places in Poland put ketchup on their pizza by default!!! They will not ask you if you want it or not – it just comes with it! Crazy, right? Just ask my husband!!! He get’s so mad about it…So whenever you order a pizza, just do yourself a favor and ask for “no ketchup” if you don’t want it.

Pizza, a relatively recently arrival on the Polish culinary scene, has had a rapid rise. The first pizzeria appeared in 1974 in the northern city of Słupsk, when a pizza oven was installed in one of Poland’s traditional milk bars. It happened after the owner of the place returned inspired from an Italian holiday. To bridge the cultural gap, she covered the pies with mushrooms, onion and mackerel. I guess it was a hit!

But it was only after the fall of communism, in 1989, when the dish started to become more widely available. In 1992, American giant Pizza Hut opened its first restaurant in Poland. It was located at  Marriott Hotel in Warsaw. I remember stopping by that place when I was in high school! I have tried so many pizzas since my childhood days…but my mother’s one is still my favorite!

I hope you are enjoying a slice of pizza today!