Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without amazing food! And because Holidays are just around the corner, let’s see if you need help translating those spice ingredients in recipes?

Spices started to become popular in medieval times when soldiers and traders brought them back to their countries from different corners of the globe. Their rarity made spices a prized commodity, reserved mostly for the rich people and royalty. Since Christmas was a time of great feasts, many spices became synonymous with this time of year. Traditional dishes were given an exotic overhaul with the introduction of some amazingly flavorsome spices!

Do you ever get a great, secret (!) Family Recipe??? I bet you do…and sometimes they are in a different language. So what do you do? Google, translate? I decided to create a list of spices and their names in Polish! I hope this will come in handy for all of the chefs:) Making biscuits, gingerbread, pierogi, mule wine? Let’s see, what spices do we use in the kitchen?

Salt – Sól

Pepper – Pieprz

Cinnamon – Cynamon

Black Pepper – Pieprz Czarny

Cloves – Goździki

Cumin – Kminek

Ginger – Imbir

Garlic – Czosnek

Bay Leaf – Liść Laurowy

Nutmeg – Gałka Muszkatołowa

Poppy Seed – Mak

Anise – Anyż

Turmeric – Kurkuma

Caraway – Kminek

Cardamom – Kardamon

Celery Seeds – Nasiona Selera

Fenugreek – Kozieradka

Oregano – Oregano

Peppermint – Mięta

Sage – Szałwia

Savory – Cząber

Sesame Seeds – Ziarenka Sezamu

Coriander – Kolendra

Curry Powder – Curry w proszku

Catnip – Kocimiętka

Lemon Balm – Melisa

Fennel – Koper

Rosemary – Rozmaryn

Vanilla – Wanilia

When you think of Christmas, which flavors spring to your mind? I think my favorites are Rosemary and Thyme…

And since we are talking about spices, check out this post about herbs and spices and healthy living Polish way…it will come in handy in the coming Winter months!

Healthy living with herbs the Polish way.