I didn’t really know much about Polish food...
And yet once I picked up this cookbook I wanted a spoonful or slice of almost everything! Poland sits on the cusp of Europe’s east and west so it’s no wonder as I flicked through the pages I was enticed.
Okay, so what is Polish food all about?
Traditional Polish fare is a blend of Slavic influences, whilst it also incorporates some French and Italian traits. Slavic culture is focused around rich food and lots of it and Polish cuisine taps right into that. It’s comforting and varied, much like the country: its history, its politics, the regionality and seasonality of the produce. Polish food (like most Slavic food) isn’t always viewed as romantic, ‘pretty’ or light. Sure it’s a little understated but it’s also a little misunderstood, it certainly isn’t all dark and gloomy. And there are two things it does have: great stories and a whole lot of love to give. This is a cuisine that with a little tender love and care alongside some beautiful photography, really does come alive.
"Too much eating and drinking cost us our Poland." Polish Proverb.
Enter Zuza Zak...
Young author Zuza was born in Communist Poland in 1979. Zuza loves to cook, write and knows how to eat, so this book immediately ticks the ‘food passion’ box. Zuza, who now lives in London, still spends much time in her homeland. This book showcases just how much of her upbringing was shaped by food and its role in her family.
The recipes are not the only thing hearty.
Coming from an eastern European family myself, I am very familiar with home-cooking being shared-eating, so I immediately connected with this book. Instantly you are welcomed into Zuza’s family – as you turn each page you quickly begin to unravel the stories and memories that tie in with the beautiful recipes and images. With 250 pages of Polish fare, this is more than a cookbook – it is her lifestyle. I immediately connected with my own food-filled upbringing.
“Families, friends and communities would work together to find, grow, forage and obtain everything that was needed to create amazing feasts.”
Nostalgia gets a makeover
The recipes are thoughtful as they showcase the importance of family through food. There is a sense of excitement as Zuza retraces childhood favourites that have been passed down to her by her mother, whilst also reinventing traditional recipes and giving them a freshness - a fluffy omelette with stewed berries, perhaps? In a recipe that messes – nicely - with one’s egg-spectations, Zuza has sponge cake meeting omelette in a beautiful breakfast recipe. Or perhaps Zuza's family recipe of ? Zuza’s great auntie has been making this potato pie for years, therefore the quantities and instructions given to Zuza were 'lots of marjoram, lots, lots' and 'a good amount of bacon, but not too much'.
As pretty as a pierogi?
Borscht (beetroot soup), krupnik (a vegetable soup), rugelach (jam pastries) and pierogi were about the extent of the intel I had on Polish cooking. A pierogi is a Polish dumpling and like many dumplings they come in in all shapes, sizes, colours and types – either savoury, often eaten as a main meal with soup, for example her , or sweet dessert-style dumplings, perhaps served with a superb sugary brown-butter sauce, anyone? Anyone? Zuza’s recipe uses ricotta and has a very dreamy melt-in-your-mouth texture.
"No pierogi dough is better than another.”
The beauty of the pierogis and all of Zuza’s recipes is that she shares the trials and triumphs behind her cooking and reassures us that the dishes don’t have to have perfectly manicured edges and for that I salute her.
The Poles got game...
“To understand a cuisine is to understand a culture.”
The lavishly photographed recipes are divided up into very easily navigated categories – from breakfast & bread, soups, fish, vegetables (yes, there are vegetarian-friendly options if you need) and of course, all things meat (it is not unfounded to see Poland as a pork and game-loving country) to dumplings, party food, cakes & desserts and a small selection of cocktail concoctions. Vodka and martini drinkers rejoice there is a that’ll get you spicing your own vodka.
This book encourages you to cook something not necessarily familiar in an easy way. While some ingredients and combos might not be your norm – but even those ingredients shouldn’t be too hard to track down – most of the recipes use everyday ingredients.
There is much more to this book than its recipes. Through Zuza’s eyes, this book tells a delicious story about why Polish food is what it is and what it means and how it differs within itself. This book uncovers Poland through the heart-warming recipes. This is for the home cook; someone who wants to try something a little different; and for those who love to put on a spread and share their food amongst many – in true Slavic style.
By the end, I just wanted to throw a Polish-themed party for all my loved ones. Lucky I bookmarked my recipes along the way.
Cook the book
