Split Peas and Cabbage Recipe (Kapusta z Grochem)

 

Split Peas & Cabbage, or Kapusta z Grochem in Polish, is a traditional side dish at wigilia, Christmas Eve dinner. The meal is meatless but this dish, which is as much starch as vegetable, also can be served with a garnish of fried bacon if you're not fasting.

Szymon Niewrzoł

Christmas Cooked Wheat Pudding (Kutia)

 

Kutia Wigilijna, or Christmas Cooked Wheat Pudding, consisting of whole or cracked wheat (rice for the aristocracy!), honey and nuts (and sometimes raisins, poppyseeds and cream) is typically the first course served at the Christmas Eve dinner known as wigilia.

Agnieszka Baranowska

Red Borsch (or Clear Beet Soup)

 

“Barszcz” means "sour" in Polish and refers to any sour soup. Sour soups are sometimes made with a kwas or sour starter and are usually red (made with beets) or white (made with white kiełbasa cooking water, potatoes and sour cream, or other ingredients).
This clear red barszcz or barszcz czysty czerwony gets a desired hint of sourness from lemon juice or vinegar and is great eaten hot with boiled potatoes, little dumplings (“uszka”) or cold with rye bread.

Dawid Zawisz

Dried Fruit Compote

 

Polish dried fruit compote is a dessert of stewed fruit eaten year-round in Poland, but it is especially popular in the fall and winter. It uses summer's bounty that has been preserved by drying, and then reconstituted with sugar, water and spices.

It is a traditional Christmas Eve (Wigilia) dessert and originally was made with 12 dried fruits to represent the 12 apostles.

 Laura Biernat