Eating the Krakow Way.
Polish daily diet of choice has been traditionally rich in
proteins and even richer in starch. On the
Krakow tables the former usually materializes in red
meat, eggs, cheese, and sausages, whereas the latter as
bread, potatoes, and various noodles, pies and dumplings.
There are three main meals
in Poland: the morning sniadanie (a breakfast), the
early
afternoon obiad (a dinner/lunch), and the early evening kolacja
(a supper). In between they may be supplemented with a lighter
drugie sniadanie (the second breakfast) and a
podwieczorek
(tea).
Sniadanie
In Polish homes the first meal of the day usually proves
fairly substantial. Bread topped with slices of any kind of
sausage or cheese or ham, or spread with jam, is most
popular. But it can be as well scrambled or soft-boiled
eggs, oatmeal or hot frankfurters. Omelets, toasts and corn
flakes are also fairly common.
Obiad
Since most Poles work till 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. they
usually have their dinner next thing afterwards. On weekends
it customarily comes earlier, i.e. anywhere between noon and
2 p.m. Typical obiad is a two-course exercise, where
a soup precedes a meat dish with potatoes. Nowadays beef
and–even more readily–poultry tend to replace traditional
pork for the main course. Other vegetables besides potatoes
often accompany the meat–fresh lettuce, cucumber, carrots or
tomatoes, boiled cauliflower or carrots or cabbage, as well
as all kinds of pickles and sauerkraut. Dessert, if any, comes
habitually in the form of compote, often followed by a slice
of cake or ice-creams.
Kolacja
Polish everyday evening meal usually resembles the
morning one. When formal, it is simply a dinner party.
Krakow cuisine
Traditional Polish cuisine flows from the melting pot of diverse
influences as befits country at the world crossroads, inhabited
by traveled and novelty-happy entrepreneurs, merchants, soldiers
and worldly gentry. In the metropolitan Krakow considerable
contingents of immigrant Germans, Italians, Jews, Hungarians,
Scotsmen, Czechs, Austrians, etc. also left their mark on the
city’s menu over ages. Yet, in fact, sophisticated chefs at the
royal court and the courts of Poland’s fabulously rich and many
magnates seemed the true trendsetters, while Polish lesser
nobility, famed in Europe for their love of lavish parties with
plenty of best food and drink, followed suit. Anyway, medieval
German influences, 16th-century Italian imports, 17th-century
Oriental fads, 18th-century French vogues–all are traceable in
contemporary Krakow cuisine. In the 19th c Krakow belonged to
the Austrian Empire, thus heavy Vienna sways. And the last
half-century’s massive influx from the countryside popularized
folk cooking.
Traditional Polish cuisine at its best features abundance of
domestic herbs and exotic spices. As hunting was the Polish
favorite pastime, game dishes proved overly popular. The same
wild mushrooms. Freshwater fish and crayfish used to supersede
seafood in landlocked Krakow.
Dining out in Krakow.
The city is famous
for the profusion of eateries.
Restaurants in
Krakow cater to all tastes. Typically, they merge local
culinary traditions with foreign influences, Italian in the
first place. Although haute cuisine may be pricey, one may eat
in Krakow fairly cheaply and steer clear of fast foods at the
same time. On the other hand, lovers of hamburgers, pizzas, and
kebabs can easily find places serving their favorite fare
anywhere in the downtown.
|
Good
Krakow Restaurants
Krakow is Poland’s mecca of gourmets thanks to its
many excellent restaurants.
Krakow Fast Foods
The best of both worlds.
Popular Krakow
Dishes /Recipes/
Krupnik Barley Soup, Christmas Borsch, Krakow
Duck, Zrazy Beef Rashers,
Krakow Beverages
Everybody’s thirst to be satisfied.
Krakow Cafes
Krakow Foodstuffs
Basic Krakow info
for visitors
Hotels in Krakow
|
