Poland, is a country in Central Europe. The history of Polish goes back thousands of years. Throughout the late antiquity period it became extensively diverse, with various cultures and tribes settling on the vast Central European Plain. Amongst these cultures, the Polans dominated the region and therefore gave Poland its name.Because of this vast history, Polish cuisine is highly eclectic. Polish cuisine shares many similarities with other Central European cuisines, including German, Austrian, Jewish, French, Italian and Turkish.Poland is bordered by seven neighbors: Germany, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and Russian Kaliningrad.Polish dishes are usually rich in meat, such as pork, chicken and beef. Also included are winter vegetables (sauerkraut cabbage in bigos), and spices. It is also characteristic in its use of various kinds of noodles, the most notable of which are kluski, as well as cereals such as kasha (from the Polish word kasza) and a variety of breads like the very popular bagel.Polish cuisine is hearty and uses a lot of cream and eggs. Festive meals such as the meatless Christmas Eve dinner (Wigilia) or Easter breakfast could take days to prepare in their entirety.A Polish main course usually includes a serving of meat, such as roast, chicken, or kotlet schabowy (breaded pork cutlet), vegetables, side dishes and salads, including surówka – shredded root vegetables with lemon and sugar (carrot, celeriac, seared beetroot) or sauerkraut.The side dishes are usually potatoes, rice or cereal. Meals conclude with a dessert such as sernik (cheesecake), makowiec (poppy seed pastry), or napoleonka (cream pie).Some of the Polish national dishes include bigos, pierogi, kielbasa, kotlet schabowy (breaded cutlet); gołąbki (cabbage rolls); zrazy (roulade); pieczeń (roast); sour cucumber soup; mushroom soup; zupa pomidorowa tomato soup; rosół (a variety of meat broth); żurek (sour rye soup); flaki (tripe soup); barszcz and chłodnik.This cookbook contains some of the best loved recipes from Poland.
