The Polish calendar celebrates two things on November 11: Independence Day ( Dzien niepodległosci)   and Dzien  Św. Marcina, (Feast of St. Martin of Tours). On November 13, Poland celebrates the Day of Potato Pancakes, i.e., Dzien placki ziemniaczane.

Photo from Wikimedia commons.

According to official sources, the cultivation of potatoes had its first beginnings in Poland as an ornamental plant when King Jan III Sobieski (1674-1696) sent seedlings to his gardener in Warsaw from Vienna, where he had won a smashing victory over the Turks. Initially enjoyed for their flowers, the tubers gained popularity as a food very slowly, replacing parsnips, turnips and rutabaga which had served as primary foodstuff for the common people. By the 1700’s, all of Poland and Lithuania, rich and poor alike were eating potatoes every day.  It became the salvation of the poorest peasant. When flour was unavailable to bake bread, potatoes were a valuable substitute to fill the belly with its numerous possibilities and variations as a soup, boiled, or fried. 

​According to Polish sources, one of the first recipes for fried potato pancakes comes from the 17th century Stoczek Warmiński, a monastery in Warmia, in northern Poland that served it to the monks. The pancakes of that time, like the ones we have today, were made of grated potatoes, eggs, onion and flour in the proportion of a spoonful for every kilogram of potatoes. They were served only with salt and pepper. Today's popular additions come from the time of the partitions of Poland with influences coming from Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia.  They were eaten alone, that is, plain, or with sour cream or pork cracklings. Sugar was a rarity for the poor but sour cream obtained from milk from a cow, was more readily available. Versions with goulash also called  placki po węgiersku, that is Hungarian pancakes, were the fare of the rich and noble. It is still found in restaurants all over Poland.

Photo: Wikipedia. Pancakes with goulash

An interesting note is how the pancakes were fried in the past. In today’s times we think of a frying pan and oil.  In some regions of Poland, specifically the Kujawy region, the pancakes were called klepacz and fried directly on the top of the black coal stoves, called fajerki, that were traditionally found in old Polish kitchens. The top of it was thoroughly cleaned. More flour (rye, wheat, white) was added to the grated potato mass to make a stiffer dough which allowed the pancake to be turned over without falling apart.

The above photo is from my cousin Zbyszek's kitchen in Poland where he installed the old fashioned Polish kitchen along with his new one.

Potato pancakes are a dish as traditional as pierogi but much easier to make, tasty, filling and can be served for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack
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Here is a recipe from my cookbook titled Polish Country Kitchen Cookbook published by Hippocrene Books, 2012.  My mother called them placki kartoflane, just another, old-fashioned name for potatoes - kartofle. Fresh chives in the batter adds adds another note of flavor.


Smacznego! May it be tasty!

​In the Polish language, chłodnik is a term used to denote a cold soup. It’s derived from the word chłód meaning “chill” or “cooling” and is generally used to describe any cold soup made from a variety of fruits and vegetables. For instance, there is chłodnik szczawowy (cold sorrel soup) and chłodnik jabłkowy (chilled apple soup).  The most popular and well known “chłodnik” is made from beets and called chłodnik litewski (Lithuanian cold soup).

As the name implies, cold beet soup came to Poland from Lithuania. Ethnographer Oskar Kolberg in his volume on Lithuania writes: “…. in addition to the foods generally used by all European peoples, there are also dishes specific to this country, popular not only among peasants, but also among nobles. These dishes are the following: 1. cold soup, usually made of finely chopped beets (...) and pieces of ice thrown into the soup. When Władysław Jagiełło married Polish monarch Jadwiga Andegaweńska in the 14th century and untied Poland with Lithuania, the culture, customs and cuisine of both nations became intertwined. It remains a perennial favorite in Poland and among Polish immigrants that crossed oceans to live all over the world.

​The dish has its origins in the peasant population of Lithuania, made of simple ingredients that could be sown and grown by the majority of the peasant population in their gardens: beets, cucumbers, radishes, dill, chives.  In the past, the base of the cold soup was a natural acid, i.e. sour rye or beetroot kvass, a sour liquid made by fermenting rye flour or beets in water. The base could also be obtained by fermenting cucumbers into pickle brine. 

The fermentation gave the soup a sour taste and at the same time made it thirst quenching – a boon when laboring in the hot sun during haying and reaping grain.  Over time, the sour liquid base came from the dairy. Fresh milk was curdled or soured in clay pots. The classic tang of chłodnik could also come from sour cream, buttermilk or whey… quite a versatile dish, really. In today’s times kefir and yogurt have also taken their place in making this dish. 

The vegetables and sour base were mixed together and kept cool in a root cellar or immersed in a running steam to keep cold. In July and August when work was from sunup to sundown and everyone was in the fields, a housewife had short time to prepare something to take for the midday meal or to pull something together for a late supper. The chłodnik could be quickly prepared. If something more substantial was needed at the end of the work day, the cold soup was poured over hot boiled potatoes or topped with hard boiled eggs, both items also at hand. 

Centuries have passed and as happens in the history of food and cooking, recipes were not only exchanged but also adapted to suit a locality, personal needs and tastes, undergoing changes and revisions. Another variation is chłodnik Litewski z boćwina, Lithuanian cold soup with beet greens. It is sometimes simply called botwinka, highlighting the beet greens. In this form raw the beets and the beet greens are chopped and diced, cooked either on water or a light chicken stock, cooled completely and the rest of the ingredients added. I’ve read old cookbooks and recipes that call for the inclusion of rice, cold cuts, diced veal roast, deer meat, and crayfish necks, just to name a few items. Clearly, these recipes were written at a time when meat and special ingredients was more readily available to everyone and not just seen on very high holidays... if at all.

The basic recipe is a refreshing, vibrant pink vegetable soup. We most likely haven’t spent the day out in the field haying but it can be a real bonus after numerous hours in the garden on a hot day or even after laying about on the beach for an afternoon. Or just because you want to make something connected to Poland.

Here is my recipe:

Sources: Kolberg, Oskar. Dziela Wszystkie, Litwa. Tom 53 Reprint 1960.

               Zawadzka, Wincenta. Kucharka Litewska. Wilno. Drukiem Joźefa Zawadzkiego. 1874

​Photos by author.

     Not to confused with the barley soup that uses the same name, krupnik was (and still is) a popular alcoholic drink prepared in homes throughout Poland and Lithuania from the time of the Middle Ages. Vodka began to appear in Poland in the 16th century and commonly available by the 1800s. Sugar, however was a more rare commodity - too expensive to be used as a sweetener- people reached for the more readily available honey that often came from their own beehives to make their liqueurs. 

   Krupnik is made from easily available ingredients but there are as many recipes for krupnik as there are individuals who like to make their own spirits. Some may have an old family recipe or preferences for a particular spice or ingredient such as cardamom or anise or seek a more intense ginger flavor.

Author photo.

     The two mandatory ingredients to make krupnik are (1) vodka which comes in a range of proofs such as 80 or 100 or the very potent spirytus at 192 proof; and (2) honey. The type of honey (buckwheat, wild flower, orange blossom, linden flower, etc.) will make a difference in shaping the color, taste and final aroma of the drink so that, too, is personal preference.

The beautiful amber color, the final sweet and aromatic aroma with hints of cinnamon, ginger and cloves is worth making in autumn or winter or for the Easter holidays. It can be served in small glasses at room temperature or, for those cold nights, heated in a pot over low heat and served in tiny cups. 

 It also goes great with chocolate!

Woodcut of beehive from 16th c. Polish text.

Here is a recipe from  Polish Country Kitchen Cookbook p.201  Smacznego! (May it be tasty!)

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