Manufacturer item number H8317K. The dinner starts with a soup. In a large frying pan, heat oil and butter. There is a bit of controversy surrounding the humanity of how the fish is sold and delivered to the customers these days in Poland, but I think a lot of Poles are still very committed to this one-time-a-year treat and continue with the old tradition. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! © 2021 - Polish Your Kitchen. If you ask a Polish person what they like the most about Christmas they may say family time, being off or Christmas atmosphere, but the truth is that is all about food. … 7 & 8 Herring in Sour Cream {Śledź w śmietanie} A mixture of salted herring, shredded apple and onion, with sour cream, served over hot … It is related to the … Join my network of friends and stay in touch with your roots through my stories. Although there are some traditions that developed just in Poland and have nothing to do with religion. Required fields are marked *. It’s a specific tasting oily fish, lightly floured and pan fried ‘till golden brown. As with many other dishes on this list, every family has its own special recipe, but you can be sure one thing. No votes so far! In Poland, the 24th of December is probably the most important day of Christmas and therefore the most effort goes into the preparation of the Christmas Eve dinner. Add fish pieces to lightly cover. Fish in any shape or form is Polish Christmas classic Last but not least white fish like cod or hake is very often fried or roasted and served as another choice. We are sorry that this post was not useful for you! Shake off any access flour. I have prepared mahi mahi tuna this way before, and one, it tasted delicious and two, it very much reminded me of the carp prepared at home. The Wigilia feast begins at the appearance of the first star. Cut fish into stakes, as shown on photo below. I usually leave it as the very last thing to prepare before sitting down for this complex meal, and keep it warm in the oven, until after beetroot broth with wild mushrooms, sauerkraut and mushroom pierogi are consumed as the opening dishes. I’m calling this dish Ryba Wigilijna [ryh-bah vee-gee-leey-nah], which means “Christmas Eve fish” but in most cases it will be a carp {Karp Wigilijny}. Dishes served on the 24th are made only once a year and the recipes used to make them are often family secrets that are passed down from generation to generation. If stakes are thick, finish in a 350 F / 180 C oven for a few minutes to cook through. The fish itself, which has been preserved in salt, must be soaked in milk or water … In Poland, the Christmas Eve supper, Wigilia, begins after the first star appears in the sky and often goes on late into the night. A twelve-dish Christmas Eve supper is traditionally prepared to commemorate Jesus' twelve disciples in Central, Northern and Eastern European cultures, especially those that were formerly part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and neighbouring countries. Why carp? The way this traditional dish comes to fruition is a bit unconventional, to say the least. pickling juices from jar … Since meat is not allowed, fish is favored during Christmas Eve in Poland. If you want to watch something quite disturbing you can google how people used to keep live carps in their bathtubs and kill them just before the Christmas dinner. It is followed by the exchange of gifts. This custom died out with the end of communism and thankfully now carps are sold dead and even filleted. It’s a lovely sweet dish that can give you a break from other quite heavy dishes. "Even the 'heaviest' course is pretty light," explains Fougere. | Szczecin | Poland, Christmas Market Treats | Szczecin | Poland, 2 lbs of a large whole fish (I'm using stripped bass). 11 Quirks Polish people don’t realise are super weird, How to legally stay in Poland – guide for non EU citizens, ZUS – The Polish Social Insurance Institution, Guide to the child benefit ‘Rodzina 500 plus’, Basic information about studying in Poland, Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot (Trojmiasto – Tricity), Top 10 Luxury hotels in Poland that won’t break the bank, 5 not so obvious places to discover in Poland, 12 things to do in Poland before you leave – Poland bucket list, 11 places in Poland you might have never heard about, The 7 best Polish cities to live and work, Mazury – magnificent Polish Lake District, Guide to finding & renting accommodation in Poland. It is 2¾" high and measures 14" by 6¼". Drain. Polish Gingerbread, or, 'Pierniki' is one of the serious highlights of the … Carp is an oily fresh water fish that tastes briny and mildly fishy, with a flaky and soft flesh. This sweet water fish is largely sold around Christmas time and rarely eaten otherwise. For a light, bright starter, pickle oysters with lemon juice and Champagne vinegar and serve … Designed & Developed by PixelBoom. In Poland, Christmas Eve is a day first of fasting, then of feasting. Be the first to rate this post. * save head and tail for fish soup or fish broth for fish in gelatin. These dishes are usually meatless, though this restriction does not exclude the preparation of fish, as carp is one of the most traditional items served. It … This is the most influential seaport in the nation and its architecture is just awe-inspiring. In the old days, people fasted for Advent, homes were cleaned from top to bottom, grudges were forgotten and the birth of the Christ Child was eagerly anticipated. The supper, which includes many traditional dishes and desserts can sometimes last for over two hours. Thankfully for people who don’t like fish, there are other specialities. The practice has as much to do with proximity to good fishing as with faith and tradition. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. This fresh water fish will live in your tub for a few hours to finally sacrifice itself in the name of a delicious and irresistible Christmas Eve dish, served only one time in a year. Let’s face it, you need to eat 11 more dishes that evening! Many traditions and customs originate from Christianity. Welcome to my Polish food blog! Traditionally we do not eat meat on the Christmas Eve therefore we eat a lot of fish, cabbage and mushrooms. One of the most favored, at any time of the year, are herrings. ps. While its Soviet … A traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner boasts twelve dishes, one for each month of the year, and this feast generally starts with some kind of fish in horseradish sauce. The tradition says that there must be exactly 12 dishes (including desserts) on the table and everyone has to try every each of them. Poland has some funny communistic dishes that became part of the tradition and one of them is Greek … To accompany our fried fish, I mixed up a tartare sauce. Christmas in Poland. In my country of origin – Mexico – there is a different way of celebrating Christmas than in here, for example we have to break a piñata! In different regions cabbage is cooked with peas. Press Esc to cancel. Oysters. There were no leftovers, so this is a recipe you might consider for a Lenten supper of Christmas Eve when you’re going meatless. Pickled and prepared with onion or plums it’s a quite popular choice for busy people who can buy it prepared and ready to be eaten. Don't mistake this soup for Russian beet borscht. Dried salt cod, or Baccalà, is a practically required part of the Feast of Seven Fishes. If you fancy something a bit sweeter you should try Kutia. The next day, the Christmas Day, is often spent visiting friends. Serve immediately or keep in a warm oven until ready to serve. The preparation of the Christmas Eve feast can take days. The Polish Christmas Eve dinner consists of 12 dishes, one for each of the 12 apostles. 2 Pizza Week – Polish Pizza & Zapiekanki, New Post: 10 Most Popular Polish Recipes of 2020, What is hot chocolate in Poland like? Here, I share memories of growing up in Poland in the 80s and 90s, and Polish food and customs patiently kept alive at my Polish-American home. Herring is very popular in Poland at any time of year, but it's also served at Christmas Eve. There couldn’t be a Christmas Eve dinner without a big portion of a Christmas cheesecake or a poppy seed cake. I used cod for our Polish Fried Fish (Ryba Smażona), but any mild white fish would work perfectly. The biggest star of the evening, and that can surprise many people, is carp. The most classic is the Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes, which—as the name suggests—involves a spread of seven seafood dishes.. Carp is a traditional Christmas Eve fish. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window). "Rolmops" 4 pickled herring filets, each cut into 3 thin pieces. Old Polish cuisine is well-known for its abundance of fish dishes, and foreign visitors have long observed that the art of preparing the little fellows was at a very high level of sophistication in Poland. Clean and wash fish. Herring. The latter method is a tradition surrounding Christmas Eve carp in Slovakia, Poland, and Czechia. Until the midnight mass, the lent is still on so Christmas Eve dinner is all about fish, winter vegetables, and wild mushrooms. Christmas Holidays commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. There is no red meat served but fish, usually carp. The night before is called ‘Wigilia’ and the three week period prior to the Christmas celebrations is called Advent. This Polish pottery Fish Shaped Platter is made in Boleslawiec, Poland. Tradition Kutia is made of wheat berries, poppy seeds and honey, but very often walnuts, raisins, almonds and other dry fruits are added. Poland has some funny communistic dishes that became part of the tradition and one of them is Greek style fish dish that has nothing to do with Greece. FREE GROUND SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER $100* Last but not least white fish like cod or hake is very often fried or roasted and served as another choice. Rinse well and place in pot, add 6-8 c water and 1 t salt and cook 1 hr. What you can be sure of is that there will be no meat on the table. Your email address will not be published. You buy a few pounds worth of fresh (still alive) carp, bring it home (still alive) and put it in your bath tub filled with cold water. This is going to be one epic cake. Thanks to that the whole year (12 months) is going to be happy and successful. Remove and place on a pepper towel to soak up extra fat. It … Hay under the tablecloth: The hay is put on the table and covered by a tablecloth. Let Culture.pl guide you through some of these fish recipe secrets. Your email address will not be published. It will be lightly sautéed in an oil and butter mixture for a thin golden brown crust and served as one of the 12 dishes presented during Christmas Eve dinner. Place fish in a bowl, add 2 tbs of salt, cover with cold water and refrigerate for 2 hours. Communist authorities ordered breeding the carp (it was cheap and easy to breed) and were promoting eating it during the holidays. It’s served cold and helps with digestion. It is usually served fried in batter, cold in jelly, or Jewish-style. Type above and press Enter to search. Pierogi stuffed with wild mushroom or cabbage (or a mix of both), fried with onion can please even the most sublime palate. And the most exciting of all is the Christmas Eve meal. Cut head and tail off *. Carps are prepared in many different ways: fried, roasted, in gelly (yes, you read it correctly) as a soup or in the traditional Jewish way. Last on the list is Christmas compote, a non-alcoholic drink made of dry fruits (plums, apricots, and apples) cooked in a water with sugar. Both quite light and clear. Sprinkle with pepper. In Polish tradition, people combine religion and family closeness at Christmas. In many parts of the world, it's a tradition to serve seafood at Christmas. To prepare your fish, you will cut the fish’s head and tail off *, and then slice into steaks, keeping the fish bones in, like this: It will soak in a salt water brine for a bit before sautéing, and after it’s done, it will be deliciously flaky, salty with crunchy edges. White fish is fried and then roasted with grated rooted vegetables like carrot and parsley and tomato concentrate (all those things were available during communism) and served proudly on the Christmas table. Going with the cabbage theme, lots of families prepare cabbage cooked for hours with wild mushroom and a bit of sauerkraut for the right balance of flavours. But a great fish option is the pierog z łososiem.These are the finest seafood-based pierogi around, jammed with fresh salmon, caught straight from the Masuria Lakes or the gorgeous Polish north coast on the Baltic Sea. Polish Christmas Fish {Ryba Wigilijna} - Polish Your Kitchen “Fish became popular for Christmas Eve dinner during the 13th century, because Catholics considered fish as a fasting food, and Christmas Eve was the last day of the Advent fast,” explains Jozefina Babicova, an English teacher in the Podpolanie region of central Slovakia, an area where Slovak traditions are celebrated and maintained. What is served that evening depends very much on the region, but there are also a lot of similarities. HELP KEEP THIS PAGE ALIVE DONATE VIA PAYPAL, Authentic Polish-style home-made Sauerkraut {Kapusta Kiszona}, Video Recipe: Polish Bacon Spread {Smalec}, WPNA.FM Ep. POLISH FISH CHOWDER (zupa rybna): Clean and behead ˝ - 1 lb small panfish (perch, bluegills, chubs, crappies, bullheads) or use 1 or 2 heads (with eyes and gills removed) of a larger fish (carp, pike, walleye, whitefish, e tc.). If you are spending your next Christmas with a Polish family or you want to cook something different this year this ultimate guide to Polish Christmas food is for you. Traditional Polish Christmas Dish: Fish with Carrots By Marta January 11, 2015. Place pieces of fish and sauté for a few minutes on each side on medium heat. That's the virtue … (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
. The menu might have included items such as pea soup, boiled potatoes, fried fish and stewed fruits, Knab notes in The Polish Country Kitchen Cookbook. Another really important fish on the Christmas Eve table is herring. Manufacturer item number H1048E. The most common choice is clear, bullion style beetroot soup served with small dumplings stuffed with cabbage and mushroom (here is the recipe if you fancy trying making it yourself).
This will work! It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed. The famous Polish pierogi are dumplings made from dough with various fillings, ranging from vegetables to meat to fruit. Rolled Herring. Christmas is one of the most important religious holidays in Poland, with Christmas Eve taking precedence over Christmas Day.But Christmas preparations begin four weeks before Dec. 24 with the start of Advent. Place flour in a shallow dish or a plastic bag. But here in Poland, it’s another story; One of the most characteristic things about this day is the Traditional Polish Christmas Food. 0 . Bathtub carp is one of several traditions tied to Christmas Eve — a day that is the centerpiece of holiday celebrations for Slovaks and some others in central Europe. It may not be Greek, but it is delicious so don’t be shy to try it. Christmas Day is a public holiday. Christmas Polish food is festive, very traditional and exceptionally good. All Rights Reserved. Imagine going to the local grocery store on the eve of Christmas Eve to purchase a beautiful delicacy in the form of a fresh fish, no big deal right? Shop Polish Glass Ornaments - JingleNog's exclusive collectible mouth blown European glass Christmas ornaments. The main purpose of the soup is to start the digestion process and allow you to eat more later. Although gift-giving plays a major role in th… Handcrafted in Poland. This meat-free meal usually includes a spread of beetroot soup, pickled herrings and pierogi (traditional dumplings stuffed with potato and cheese). I’m not a professional chef, just a home cook influenced by years of listening, watching and tasting, who's constantly craving flavors and smells of home. The main part of Wigilia is a solemn, family sup… Polish Beet Soup. A Hearty Seafood Stew. Other families prefer it in cream or as a part of a potato salad. There are quite a number of recipes for herrings since Poles from Scandinavian and Baltic nations have knowledge in preparing the dish. This custom has stayed and the carp is present nowadays on the Polish Christmas table. As you might know, Poland is a very religious country. This Polish pottery Christmas Tree Candle Holder is made in Boleslawiec, Poland. Rules are strict, the workload is high, but the reward is absolutely worth it. It will be accompanied by array of other fish and meatless dishes, like ryba po grecku or śledź w śmietanie. Pierniki // Polish Gingerbread. It is 6½" high and measures 5¾" by 5¾". Thats another dish (out of 12) that we Poles put on the Christmas table. And if you are lucky you may even have a chance to try both. Other options are fish soup or wild mushroom soup. This time, I’ve tried stripped bass and I almost can’t tell the difference between it and carp. Gdańsk. 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