Some people may get the impression that Poles eat nothing but pork and drink only vodka because both are plentiful, but the reality is very different. One thing is certain, you will eat very well in Poland and cheaply by UK standards. The food in restaurants and cafes is prepared from fresh and natural ingredients - you'll notice and appreciate the difference.
Poles produce some of the best soups in the world. Borsch or beetroot soup is one of the most famous but try Grochowka, which is a pea soup, Goulash soup, mushroom, or any of the vegetable soups. You will not find any spicy foods but extensive use is made of herbs.
Pork and chicken escalopes are present on most menus, as are sirloin steaks, trout, salmon and roast lamb. You can then select vegetable accompaniments to go with your meat.
The preparation of vegetables is slightly different from that in England. Carrots, cabbage and other vegetables tend to be served grated, whether cooked with a hot meal or uncooked in a salad. Potatoes in all their forms; chips (frytki), roast potatoes, mashed potato and potato pancakes (placki) are commonly available.
Vegetarians may find that they have to be a little inventive in Poland - the idea of vegetarianism hasn't caught on strongly yet, but you will find cheese, egg, potato and other vegetable dishes. Cheese filled pancakes (nalesniki) are particularly good as are most mushroom dishes.
Traditional foods are:
In Zakopane you will come across people selling what looks like small carved wooden objects. These are actually the local smoked cheese.
There's much more importance attached to savoury food than sweet, and it's likely that you will find only a limited choice of desserts; cake (Poles make excellent cakes, less sweet than ours), fruit, ice cream, or apple pie cake (Szarlotka).
Do try the doughnuts if you get the opportunity. Buy them in the local bakers. They're light, with a 'real' sugar syrup coating and a rose water flavoured jam filling. Also try the local gofry light waffle covered in a sauce of your choice with lashings of cream.
Coffee and tea with lemon are available everywhere. If you want milk with your tea, you will have to ask for it especially. Lipton's tea seems to have cornered the tea market in Europe. You will also be able to buy fruit juice, black currant is common here which makes a pleasant change.
Alcohol is sold in many general stores. The Poles make their own excellent beers which are much cheaper than western beers. Try Zywiec, Tyskie or Harnas.
There are also over one hundred and fifty different varieties of vodka that you can sample to find your favourite, and in the winter, mulled wine (grzane wino) is available. Krupnik, a honey liqueur is equally good for a warm feeling on cold days.
If you're going to drink wine with your meals, we suggest that you stick to Eastern European wines. Imported wines, like French tend to be very expensive - drink those when you get home. There is some very pleasant Bulgarian wine, and Russian champagne at about 14 zlotys a bottle in the shops.
A 10% service charge is added to bills in restaurants, but waiters still appreciate a small tip. Don’t be afraid to try the restaurants even the most expensive looking are still cheap by western European standards.
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