04/15/2022

How Your Favorite Polish Foods Originated

Polish food is extremely popular in NEPA, whether or not you have any Eastern European ancestry. You can find different clubs and organizations selling Polish food all year-round and you might even have some family recipes of your own. At Bank+Vine, we know Polish food is a favorite for many and you likely take any chance you can get to enjoy it. This is why we’ve created a special Polish Fest where you can order all your favorite traditional dishes, including the following.

Golabki

While some might be familiar with the polish word golabki, most people in the area will recognize this dish as pigs in a blanket or piggies. However, golabki can actually be translated as “little doves” or “little pigeons.” You can find similar stuffed cabbage dishes in various European countries, including Ukraine, where it’s believed this dish was enjoyed prior to coming to Poland. The Ukrainian variation of the dish was made of stuffed doves wrapped with cabbage and was made for aristocrats. When the dish came to Poland, it was recreated with more accessible meat and rice.

Pierogies

Pierogies have roots in many countries, including Poland. The exact history of pierogies is unknown, but it’s believed that they can be traced back as far as the 13th century, although recipes weren’t featured in writing until the 17th century. One possible theory is that similar recipes were brought to Eastern Europe from China through the Silk Road. Many also believe that Saint Hyacinth of Poland brought pierogies to Poland from Kievan Rus, now Ukraine. One legend claims that Saint Hyacinth helped bring back destroyed crops and pierogies were made in his honor, while another claims that he fed people pierogies during a famine. Saint Hyacinth is also the patron saint of pierogies. You can find many variations of pierogies, but at Bank+Vine, we’re serving classic potato-filled pierogies served with butter, onions, and chives.

Potato Pancakes

Like many popular Polish foods, potato pancakes are also found in cultures all over Eastern Europe. Potato pancakes were often made due to a scarcity of other foods as potatoes were a staple food planted in large quantities. These are also very similar to potato latkes. While earlier variations of latkes were made from cheese, potato latkes became popular in Eastern Europe as potatoes became more accessible. Depending on who you ask, potato pancakes can be sweet or savory, but at Bank+Vine, you can enjoy savory potato pancakes with the classic topping of sour cream and chives.

Haluski

While many people associate egg noodles with haluski, the dish was originally made with potato dumplings. Like many traditional Polish dishes, haluski consists of ingredients that would have been the easiest and most affordable to find. As this dish can easily be thrown together using simple ingredients, it’s difficult to trace back to one specific area and time period. Variations can be found all over Eastern Europe, especially in Slovakia. Here, a variation called bryndzové halušky, which is made with sheep cheese, is the country’s national dish. Our haluski is made using the egg noodles many are familiar with, along with caramelized cabbage and bacon.

Make Your Reservations for Bank+Vine’s Polish Fest

You can enjoy many of your favorite Polish dishes, including these, as well as gzik, chlodnik, and kielbasa, at Bank+Vine’s Polish Fest on April 20th and 21st. Whether you’ve been waiting for your next opportunity to enjoy these traditional dishes or you haven’t experienced them before, you don’t want to miss this event.

Make your reservations for our Polish Fest today!

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