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When Queen Bona Sforza brought Italian vegetables to Poland during the Renaissance, she also changed the Polish language, adding pomidory—tomatoes—to the vocabulary. Italian flavors melded with Byzantine, Hungarian, Swedish, Turkish and Russian. The Polish kitchen uses oats, rye, wheat, lentils, barley, potatoes, cabbage, and beets, along with ingredients foraged from temperate forests and lakes: mushrooms, berries, and wild hawthorne fruits; venison, and crayfish. The cool climate means soups are always popular. Many Polish dishes-- kielbasa, pierogi, dill pickles, cabbage rolls, borscht, and kasha-- are loved in many countries, and some, like traditional fermented ryemeal soup, may only be found at home. Polish cooking celebrates the calendar, observing passages with food. Poles mark Fat Thursday with ponczki, fried doughnuts, and Ash Wednesday with herring. Horseradish is for Easter and Passover, rugelach for Hanukkah. July is for brining pickles. Some dishes, like carp, are eaten only once a year.

Featured Cook Marlenka Cooking Level: Expert Home Town: Krakow, Lesser Poland, Poland Living In: Belchertown, Massachusetts, USA

About me: well it always seems like I am Italian, i love to cook, A LOT! And people even say my name must be italian.. and to top it all of I look Italian! well I started cooking at about five, mixing cereals with butter and cream, making my own granola bars. My mom wasnt the cook of the family, it was my father, he was a chef for a little while, and taught me everything he knew! I love my kitchen, but my dad passed away, so cooking isnt the same as before. But, the "duo" as we were called, still exists, for he is always in my heart! My Profile | Reviews | Photos | Recipes | Menus Favorite Food Lists Create your own Cook's Profile | MORE Cooks »