This is not a post about cabbage rolls, hunter’s stew, and barszcz. Nor is it a restaurant review. The title of this blog entry is the name of the event that B[ZU] attended today.
The event was hosted in a venue called “Nowa Jerozolima,” meaning “New Jerusalem” on the Al. Jerozolimska (street), right across from the Palace of Culture. This is probably the ugliest and grungiest building on the block and the only part of it that looks like it’s from this century is the blue neon sign marking its name. We enter into a seriously graffiti-ed atrium and follow the people in front of us past a black curtain into a dark, narrow hallway, illuminated only by a red light. The people selling their fares did not match this gloomy mood though, as they were happy, cheerful, and busy answering questions and handing out samples. The hallway opened up into a series of rooms and open spaces where more vendors were set up, with the majority of them being on the 2nd floor, reachable by a winding, once again, dark and graffiti-ed, staircase. What I am trying to say here, is that the venue, even though it is central in location and one would think would be beautifully restored, looked like an abandoned rich house, the kind that would have had servant’s staircases, 3 living rooms and a library, but in its present state gave off the air of a dungeon.
And in this dungeon, B and I became entrapped in the magic of Polish food, a cuisine that we tend to write off because of our association with bland, boiled, greasy meats and its love affair with cabbage. This event truly turned our biases on their heads. We found an enclave of Polish specialities that are not world-known, though they should be.
Now where to begin to describe all that we saw and tasted?
I think I will just start with writing about what we actually purchased, and then make some honourable mentions at the end that we wanted to buy but that didn’t fit our needs or budget.
Honourable Mentions:
Something that I think is very Polish that only Polish people really appreciate is the variety of craft fruit liqueurs that this country produces. Here they are known as “nalewki” and they come in hundreds of flavours. We tried a grapefruit one that was delicious and regretted not trying more of what the vendor had in stock.
Rajman- an exhibitor that I met before at the Apple Festival, was here selling his jams, fruit butters, and his new product- fruit crème. All the flavours are really intense and he doesn’t use any preservatives- much like the majority if not all the vendors present. He has beautiful packaging, branding, and business cards but his prices are a bit high for us.
There were some really interesting new fusions that were showing up, with baklava and hummus entering the scene along with an oriental street food presence. I think that this is a representation of the openness that Poles have for the integration of cultures and their acceptance of their new residents that were so uncommon even 15 years ago which have become part of Varsoviens’ everyday reality.
I was lucky enough to pick up a copy of smak!, a culinary magazine that I prize for both the recipes and the pictures, as well as for the interesting themes and articles that they present. I would describe it as a Polish “Kinfolk” magazine with a bit less lifestyle and more food.
I hope that B and I can continue to discover cool, new things about a culture that we thought that we already knew.
Cheers to that!!!! (whilst raising a spinach pierogi)
Bisouxxx
B[ZU]
The event was hosted in a venue called “Nowa Jerozolima,” meaning “New Jerusalem” on the Al. Jerozolimska (street), right across from the Palace of Culture. This is probably the ugliest and grungiest building on the block and the only part of it that looks like it’s from this century is the blue neon sign marking its name. We enter into a seriously graffiti-ed atrium and follow the people in front of us past a black curtain into a dark, narrow hallway, illuminated only by a red light. The people selling their fares did not match this gloomy mood though, as they were happy, cheerful, and busy answering questions and handing out samples. The hallway opened up into a series of rooms and open spaces where more vendors were set up, with the majority of them being on the 2nd floor, reachable by a winding, once again, dark and graffiti-ed, staircase. What I am trying to say here, is that the venue, even though it is central in location and one would think would be beautifully restored, looked like an abandoned rich house, the kind that would have had servant’s staircases, 3 living rooms and a library, but in its present state gave off the air of a dungeon.
And in this dungeon, B and I became entrapped in the magic of Polish food, a cuisine that we tend to write off because of our association with bland, boiled, greasy meats and its love affair with cabbage. This event truly turned our biases on their heads. We found an enclave of Polish specialities that are not world-known, though they should be.
Now where to begin to describe all that we saw and tasted?
I think I will just start with writing about what we actually purchased, and then make some honourable mentions at the end that we wanted to buy but that didn’t fit our needs or budget.
- Pigwa Syrup
- Boar sausage
- Figi z makiem (Figs with poppy seed)
- Chrzan z miodem ( Horseradish with Honey)
- Pierogi szpinakowe ( Spinach Pierogi)
- Honey vinaigrette
Honourable Mentions:
Something that I think is very Polish that only Polish people really appreciate is the variety of craft fruit liqueurs that this country produces. Here they are known as “nalewki” and they come in hundreds of flavours. We tried a grapefruit one that was delicious and regretted not trying more of what the vendor had in stock.
Rajman- an exhibitor that I met before at the Apple Festival, was here selling his jams, fruit butters, and his new product- fruit crème. All the flavours are really intense and he doesn’t use any preservatives- much like the majority if not all the vendors present. He has beautiful packaging, branding, and business cards but his prices are a bit high for us.
There were some really interesting new fusions that were showing up, with baklava and hummus entering the scene along with an oriental street food presence. I think that this is a representation of the openness that Poles have for the integration of cultures and their acceptance of their new residents that were so uncommon even 15 years ago which have become part of Varsoviens’ everyday reality.
I was lucky enough to pick up a copy of smak!, a culinary magazine that I prize for both the recipes and the pictures, as well as for the interesting themes and articles that they present. I would describe it as a Polish “Kinfolk” magazine with a bit less lifestyle and more food.
I hope that B and I can continue to discover cool, new things about a culture that we thought that we already knew.
Cheers to that!!!! (whilst raising a spinach pierogi)
Bisouxxx
B[ZU]