Polish Christmas Cookbook
Christmas Eve is called Wigilia in Poland, held on December 24th. It encompasses the entire day, includes Christmas Eve feast and then extends to the midnight mass held at the Roman Catholic Church.
This Christmas Eve feast is often called wieczerza or wieczerza wigilijna which means "dinner" or "large supper." Around dusk of Christmas Eve, children will look for the first star in the sky. The feasting traditionally begins once the First Star has been sighted by children in the sky at dusk (around 5 p.m.) Therefore, Christmas is called "Gwiazdka" which means the little star, referring to the Star of Bethlehem.
Originally, people fasted the entire day before the feast, but that tradition has been abandoned. The feast includes foods from the four corners of the earth and originally did not include meat. Today, meat and fish are a big part of the festivities.
This cookbook contains some of the best loved recipes for the Christmas Eve and Christmas holiday season in Poland.
Recipes Include:
Polish Mushroom Soup - Zupa Grzybowa
Polish Beet Soup - Barszcz
Polish Mushroom Dumplings - Uszka
Fish in Aspic - Ryba w Galarecie
Polish Rolled Herring - Rolmops
Pike Polish Style - Szczupak po Polsku
Sauerkraut with Mushrooms - Kapusta z Grzybami
Noodles with Cabbage - Kluski z kapusta
Mushroom Cabbage Rolls - Golabki z Grzybami
Polish Dumplings - Pierogi
Sauerkraut and Mushroom Filling
Potato and Cheese Filling
Noodles with Poppy Seeds - Kluski z Makiem
Dried Fruit Compote - Kompot z Owocow Suszonych
Christmas Wheat Berry Pudding - Kutia
Polish Almond Soup - Zupa migdalowa
Polish Honey Spice Cookies - Pierniczki
Polish Kolaczki Cookies - Kolaczki
Polish Dried Mushroom Soup - Zupa Grzybowa
Polish Pickle Soup - Zupa Ogórkowa
Polish Potato Soup - Zupa Ziemniaczana
Polish Tomato-Rice Soup - Zupa Pomidorowa Ryzu
Polish Barley Soup - Krupnik
Polish Split Pea Soup - Zupa Grochowka
Polish Beets with Sour Cream - Buraczki ze Smietana
Polish Cucumbers in Sour Cream
Polish Creamed Beet Barszcz Soup - Barszcz Zabielany
Polish Light Rye Bread with Caraway Seeds
Split Peas and Cabbage - Kapusta z Grochem
Polish Sweet-Sour Red Cabbage - Czerwona Kapusta Zasmażana
Sausage and Noodle Casserole
Polish Cabbage Potato Casserole
Polish Haluski - Noodles, Onion and Cabbage
Polish Sausage Casserole
Polish Nalesniki
Polish Sweet Bread
Polish Sourdough Rye Bread
Polish Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Polish Noodles and Cottage Cheese
Polish Galicyjskie Cookies
Polish Christmas Cookies
Sweet Polish Cherry Cake
Polish Yeast Plum Cake - Drozdzowka
Polish Apple Pancakes - Racuchy z Jablkami