Polish Pierogies (Blog 9)


Just this past weekend I got the opportunity to travel to Poland. As I have been eager to see as many European countries as possible while I am here, I never had Poland in mind as a country I would visit. I really didn't know much about many of the Eastern European countries until arriving here. I have a friend whose family lives there and I knew that there was a lot of history that I was interested in learning about. 

When I arrived in Poland, the only thing I could think about was food. I had two connecting flights plus travel time to get from the airport to the hostel. I could feel the knot in my stomach when we had gotten off the train in Krakow. Krakow is one of Poland's larger cities besides Warsaw. "How about we try Polish food, for our first meal in Poland. They are known for pierogies." my friend exclaimed. I agreed and nodded as my stomach was making growling noises just thinking of eating. 

I followed as my friend led the way to a tiny little restaurant with a wooden sign out front that read "Pierogarnia Krakowiacy". As the door creaked open, we were immediately welcomed by three women behind the counter that was dressed in traditional Polish clothing. The women were wearing a white frilly dress with large multi-colored flowers, along with their hair in double French braids and a flower crown headband. The restaurant was cozy and the air was filled with so many kinds of smells. 

The menu had over 30 different traditional polish foods on it. I had never had Polish food before but was eager to try it. Pierogies are similar to a dumpling with a doughy outside and a variety of fillings on the inside. My eye was immediately drawn to the pierogi that was filled with potato, cheese, and bacon; my three favorite things. The traditional Polish pierogi is potato and cheese and its proper name is "Ruskie". 

My mouth was salivating as the smell of the steaming hot pierogies filled my nose. I was eager to take a bite. My friend mentioned that eating pierogies with sour cream is typical, and my eyes opened wide. Sour cream is by far my favorite condiment and unlike the United States, it is used in a lot of meals here in Eastern Europe. I rushed up to the counter to ask for some sour cream and then I dug into my meal. 

The bacon and dough had such a strong smell when they were brought to the table. There were eight pierogies on my plate, topped with small pieces of bacon and chives. As I took the first bite, all the flavors melted in my mouth. My stomach was happy. All of us spent five minutes in complete silence as we enjoyed the amazing taste of the pirogies. The pierogi was flavorful and savory. With each bite, my stomach became more and more stuffed. Despite the carb-loading meal, I was very satisfied and full. It was a comfort meal, it made me feel at peace 

After my first experience trying pierogies, I was eager to try different kinds. On the third day of the trip, we left Krakow and headed to Warsaw, another large city in Poland. Directly next to our hostel was another traditional Polish restaurant and similarly to the last time we were very hungry and were excited to try more pierogies. This menu was separated into fried and boiled options. Unsure of what kind I had last time, I decided to try the feta and spinach boiled pierogi. 

These pierogies were served in a hot black dish and steam was rising from them. The smell was not as strong this time as the pierogies were boiled and not fried. The dough was a bit moister and had almost a slimy coating. There was a lot of oil on the inside and outside. The spinach made the instead almost run out when I cut into it. In the other pierogies, I had the potato kept the center much firmer. 

I am looking forward to trying Polish restaurants in Budapest and also when I return back home to the United States. There are not only savory pierogies but also ones that have a sweet filling such as strawberry, blueberry, and sweet cheese. My goal when traveling and visiting a new country is to try traditional food to try and immerse myself in their culture. 

Krakow (Bacon, potato, and cheese)

Warsaw (Feta and spinach 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pastries and Meat compete for the Air -(Blog #12)

Image
The city of Budapest has many different districts, each with its own culture. Similarly to New York City; Times Square, Central Park, Broadway, and Fifth Avenue are just some examples. In Budapest, there is more of a shopping district located in  Deák Ferenc tér, this is where many of the delicious upscale restaurants are located. This area is more touristy for sure as there are many name brands. I focus on this part of Budapest first because as the weather is warming up there are a lot of outdoor food venues that really attract people because of all the amazing smells.  Deák Ferenc tér has an open-air market or area with stands selling all kinds of foods. When you walk up the smoke-smelling stairs of the metro, you are hit with a wave of hot dogs and other strong sausage-like smells. The first stand catches your attention  because  of the smoke of the meat being grilled. The Langosh also has a strong smell from the dough ...
Read more

Is There Much to Miss? (Blog #11)

New Jersey is located in a prime location along the Atlantic Ocean and close to New York City. Where I live in Monmouth County, New Jersey, there is a mix of all types of foods. Growing up in an area where I would visit New York City often, I was an adventurous eater at a young age. I grew up trying all kinds of foods and one of my favorites by far was seafood. The Atlantic Ocean provides Bluefin and Yellowfin tuna, different types of bass, and crabs. I grew up crabbing in the rivers and then going home and cooking the crabs that we would eat for dinner.  There are so many amazing  restaurants that have high-quality fish. In addition to seafood,  New York City has a vast range of quality/high-end restaurants from every culture. One thing that I love when I go to the city is a huge burger. In addition, the glamorous steakhouses are beyond incredible and are a very nice treat. As there are many stereotypes around the portion size in A...
Read more

Hungarian Goulash (Blog #10)

Image
Hungarian has a variety of traditional/local food. The majority of these plates contain some type of meat such as sausage, pork, or chicken. One of the main traditional Hungarian dishes that you can find in many different locations is goulash. I would compare Goulash to a beef stew of some type. There is a dark beef broth seasoned with a lot of paprika. There are large chunks of beef and then sometimes, carrots, peas, onions, and celery.  This local favorite is served at all kinds of restaurants, not just Hungarian ones. I have been to a variety of restaurants that serve sandwiches, pasta, salads, and then goulash. The size of the goulash varies depending on the restaurant. Some goulash comes served in a large size soup bowl and then others come in a smaller stew-like pot.  I am confident when I say that I truly am open to trying any kind of food no matter what. There is nothing that I won't try and there is little to nothing that I...
Read more