Polish cuisine

Polish cuisine (Polish: kuchnia polska, pronounced [ˈkux.ɲa ˈpɔl.ska]) is a style of food preparation from Poland. Cooking in Polish fashion is denoted by the term à la polonaise. It evolved over the centuries to be eclectic, shaped by ten centuries of regional agricultural practices, historical trade routes, religious observance, and cultural exchange. It is rich in meat, especially pork, chicken and game, in addition to a wide range of vegetables, legume, grains, mushrooms as well as herbs, and makes extensive use of butter, cream, eggs, and seasoning.

Among popular Polish national dishes are bigos [ˈbiɡɔs] , pierogi [pʲɛˈrɔɡʲi] , kiełbasa, kotlet schabowy [ˈkɔtlɛt sxaˈbɔvɨ] (pork loin breaded cutlet), gołąbki [ɡɔˈwɔ̃pkʲi] (stuffed cabbage leaves), zrazy [ˈzrazɨ] (roulade), zupa ogórkowa [ˈzupa ɔɡurˈkɔva] (sour cucumber soup), zupa grzybowa [ˈzupa ɡʐɨˈbɔva] (mushroom soup), zupa pomidorowa [ˈzupa pɔmidɔˈrɔva] (tomato soup), rosół [ˈrɔsuw] (meat broth), żurek [ˈʐurɛk] (sour rye soup), flaki [ˈflakʲi] (tripe soup), and red beetroot soup barszcz [barʂt͡ʂ] . Traditional dishes often demand lengthy preparation. Many Poles take time to serve and enjoy their festive meals, especially Christmas Eve dinner (Wigilia) on December 24, or Easter breakfast, both of which could take several days to prepare.