In Taste Atlas rankings, Poland often occupies high positions. This time, however, we were ranked quite low and fell out of the top fifty. So, we at the editorial office decided to make our own ranking. However, we won't evaluate global cuisines but instead ask our readers which Polish region or city boasts the best local dishes. We received dozens of comments on a Facebook post by Haps, and we also gathered opinions within our editorial team, tallying the most common responses. You can find the results below.
Where in Poland is the best local cuisine? We made a ranking. Among the most common responses were: Podlasie (including several mentions of Supraśl), Silesia, and Greater Poland, which formed the top three. Lesser Poland, Kashubia, and Lublin were also frequently mentioned. So, what does the ranking look like?
- Podlasie
- Silesia
- Greater Poland
- Lesser Poland
- Tied: Masuria, Kashubia, and Lublin
- Tied: Subcarpathian and Masovia
- Kuyavian-Pomeranian region
We didn't ask for specific dishes that our readers enjoyed the most. However, we provide examples of local dishes from each region that are definitely worth trying:
Podlasie
This region is known primarily for its potatoes. You can enjoy delicious kartacze, which are elongated potato dumplings filled with meat. They are served with cracklings and onions. They are quite large, so they can easily fill you up quickly.
Another classic from Podlasie is kiszka ziemniaczana. It's made from grated potatoes, onions, and cracklings, stuffed into pork intestine, and then baked in an oven. Kiszka ziemniaczana is also a characteristic dish of Belarusian cuisine.
We can't forget about babka ziemniaczana, which resembles a meatloaf in appearance. Its base is, of course, potatoes, to which onions, eggs, potato flour, and spices are added, and then the mixture is baked in an oven. Babka is delicious when served with mushroom sauce.
Silesia When we think of Silesian cuisine, the first thing that comes to mind is rolada with dumplings and red cabbage. And we are absolutely right, as it is probably the most recognizable dish of this regional cuisine. But it’s not the only one. In Silesia, there is even a Culinary Route called Śląskie Smaki. Its members can only be restaurants that have earned certification confirming the quality of dishes and regional authenticity. What can we eat there? The restaurant menus include serula (a type of sour soup made with buttermilk), Silesian zalewajka, Beskid potato pancakes baked on a griddle with cracklings, and hekele, a cold dish made of herring, pickles, hard-boiled eggs, mustard, and pepper.
Greater Poland
This is another region closely associated with potatoes, thanks to the invaluable pyry z gzikiem. These are simply boiled potatoes in their skins, served with a sauce made of cottage cheese, sour cream, and onions, with some greens added.
You can also enjoy plyndze, which are simply potato pancakes. However, according to the website wielkopolska.travel, the Poznań version is served sweet, with sugar or with sour cream mixed with sugar.
Among the potato dishes of this region, szagówki should also be mentioned. These are made from eggs and flour. They are similar to kopytka, except in Greater Poland they are cut diagonally, hence the name, as "na szagę" means diagonally in the local dialect. Szagówki are usually served with boiled sauerkraut. Another regional potato dish is szare kluchy, which can be eaten with cracklings or, like szagówki, with boiled sauerkraut.
Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland cuisine is associated by many with cheeses, and this is a very good association. The most popular are, of course, oscypek, but we cannot forget about redykołka, its younger sibling, and the mild bundz.
You’ve probably also heard of moskole, which reign supreme in Podhale cuisine. These are oval cakes made from potatoes and flour, traditionally baked on the hot plate of a kitchen stove. They are served with bryndza, and you can also find versions with goulash or garlic butter.
If you like cabbage dishes, try kapuśniorka z grzybami. As we read on the website www.malopolska.pl, this dish has been prepared and eaten in the Łącko area for over 100 years. The name probably comes from the sour juice that seeps from the sauerkraut, which is called kapuśniorka in Lesser Poland.
Masuria
Masurian cuisine is a blend of Polish, German, and Lithuanian influences. One of the dishes popular in both Masuria and Warmia is plińce z pomoćką. These are potato pancakes served with a mass of cottage cheese and sour cream, seasoned with onions, garlic, and spices.
This region is also home to farszynki, which are fried potato patties. They are stuffed with meat filling, sealed at the edges, and then fried on a hot skillet. The list of traditional products of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship also includes kartoflanka po wschodnioprusku, also known as Masurian kartoflanka. As the name suggests, this is a potato soup served with sausage and smoked meat.
Kashubia
One of the Kashubian dishes that can boast a rather peculiar name is ruchanki. These are fluffy apple fritters. They were once made from leftover bread dough. They can be served sprinkled with powdered sugar and are perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dinner.
Another Kashubian specialty is dziadówka soup. It is made from buttermilk with bacon and potatoes. The ingredients also include onions and rye flour. You can guess that, given the ingredients, dziadówka is a hearty dish that quickly fills the stomach.
A dish that has gained fame throughout Poland is Kashubian herring. It has also been included on the list of traditional products of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. It is made with a sweet and sour tomato sauce and onions.
Lublin
Lublin cuisine is a true composition of flavors, resulting from the region's location. Eastern and Western cultures intertwine here. From the website lubelskie.travel, we learn that the list of regional products in Lublin includes as many as 200 items. Among the most popular are definitely cebularz lubelski, a round wheat flour flatbread topped with onions and sprinkled with poppy seeds. It originated from Jewish cuisine.
Also noteworthy are flaki piaseckie and piróg biłgorajski. The latter may resemble a meatloaf. It is made from buckwheat, boiled potatoes, eggs, white cheese, lard, and spices. Soup lovers should also try lubelski forszmak, which is served in a hollowed-out bread. What’s in the mix? Poultry meat, smoked bacon, and pickled cucumbers, among other ingredients.
Subcarpathian
Like the previously mentioned regions, Subcarpathian cuisine is also a fusion of many different traditions. "Here you will find Lemko-Boyko, Pogórzańska, and Lasowiacka cuisine. Here, peasant cuisine blends with noble cuisine, and bourgeois with Jewish cuisine," we read on podkarpackie.travel. So, what is worth trying there? Definitely proziaki, which some of you might already know well. These are a type of bun or pancake. They are simple to make, although recipes may vary. They are usually baked on a griddle and served with garlic butter.
Fans of intense flavors should try żurki, which originate from Lemko cuisine and the local kysiłeyca. Żurki appear in many versions in this region. One of them is żurek rzeszowski. The website podkarpackie.travel notes that although the recipes for Subcarpathian żurki differ, this soup must always be hearty, sour, and thick.
Masovia
Mazovian cuisine has been greatly influenced by Kurpie cuisine. Traditional dishes of the region are described in the brochure "Specjały kuchni mazowieckiej," which was financed by the budget of the Mazovian Voivodeship. There we find classics such as żur, old Polish broth, lard, krupnik with millet groats, pork knuckle with cabbage, or beef roulades. There is also parzybroda, a soup with cabbage, potatoes, onions, and cream. Its name comes from the fact that it is so good that everyone eats it before it cools down and burns their chin.
Kuyavian-Pomeranian
The cuisine of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie region is as rich as other previously mentioned regional cuisines. Among the traditional products listed are żur kujawski (Kuyavian sour rye soup), amoniaczki cookies, and kujawska bania z zacirkami, which is a soup whose name refers to pumpkin—called "bania" by the Kujawy people. The pumpkin is cut into cubes, cooked until soft, and then combined with milk that has been boiled and mixed with the mashed pumpkin. The soup is sweetened with sugar and served with zacierki, a type of dumpling made from rye flour.
Another interesting dish is grzybowniczki. These are made from yeast dough filled with a mushroom stuffing. The filling includes both fresh, cooked mushrooms and dried mushrooms that have been soaked in milk and then cooked. The stuffing also includes spices, egg, onion, and breadcrumbs.
Which local cuisine do you like the most? Do you agree with the ranking, or would you arrange it differently? Share your thoughts in the comments!
