Christmas Eve is carp, herring, dumplings. You prepare them according to your home practice. At Kinga Błaszczyk-Wójcicka (a vegetarian, combining various traditions), the Christmas Eve table is dominated by dishes originating from the cuisine of the Borderlands. What is Borderland cuisine all about? How to prepare Christmas Eve dishes in borderland style?
Traditional Christmas Eve dishes , once served in Polish homesin the borderlands of the Republic of Poland , have a rich origin. You can find the influences of the Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Tatar traditions and even some Galician accents in them. This is due to the many centuries of coexistence of different nations on these lands. The culinary tradition of Polish noble mansions, rich peasants, as well as the inhabitants of Vilnius and Lviv also contributes to the cuisine of the Borderlands. Many popular and appreciated dishes come fromof borderland cuisinetoday, such as potato pancakes, stuffed cabbage rolls, dumplings, cold soups, sękacz or groats with cracklings - once millet, today buckwheat, usually served with the second course.
Borderland cuisine: simplicity and refinement
Due to the simplicity of the ingredients, the borderland cuisine is not a sophisticated one. Apart from groats, which are added to fillings and casseroles, potatoes occupy an important place in it. The most famous potato dishes today are:
- cake made of grated potatoes, smoked bacon and onions,
- sausage filled with potato mass,
- kartacze - dumplings made of cooked and raw grated potatoes stuffed with meat and onion,
- or cepeliny - potato dumplings stuffed with pork with marjoram, served with thick cream and fried sauerkraut.
Borderland cuisine: the taste of Christmas Kutia
Christmas EveKresowa is Vilnius style herring with boletus or bay boletus sauce, thick tomato puree and … smoked sprat in oil or herring in wine-raisin sauce. It is forszmak, i.e. herring and potato pancakes with the addition of apple and onion, formed in the shape of fish.
The carp baked in cream comes from the borderland cuisine and is found on many tables on Christmas Eve today. Just like kutia - a traditional Christmas Eve dish made of wheat, poppy seeds, honey and dried fruits.
The greatest art is cookingloose wheat. It is very important not only for culinary reasons. Kutia used to serve New Year's fortune-telling. If it was pressed against the ceiling and left no traces, it bode well for the house.
The Christmas Eve table at Kinga Błaszczyk-Wójcicka is dominated by vegetarian dishes taken from the cuisine of my grandmother's borderland, who comes from Dowgiałło. There are no herring or other fish among them, because her family does not eat them.
- Christmas Eve dishes: Polish traditions. What did Christmas Eve look like in the past?
- Holidays are a time of reflection, not an exam for the perfect housewife
- Preparing for Christmas: how to do it without going crazy? Christmas guide
"Zdrowie" monthly