Be wowed by Polish food

Polish food is more than dumplings and stuffed cabbage, and the usual dinner is neither dull nor predictable. In the last half-century, the world has opened up to Poland, and Polish chefs have challenged themselves to adapt classic dishes using novel ingredient combinations and techniques of preparation.

The charm of Polish food typically rests in the unique combinations, side dishes, and spices accompanying the main hero, such as beetroot and buckwheat, apples, onions, and mushrooms plucked fresh from the forest. Soups like zurec (rye sour soup) and barszcz (borscht) are popular, as are dumplings (pierogi), which are eaten boiled or fried with contents ranging from basic cheese to duck meat. If robust beef and goose meals with sauerkraut and gherkins don't appeal to you, there are a surprising number of foreign alternatives, as well as special dietary cafés in major cities. The selection of fresh and tasty salads is arguably most striking, but don't leave without sampling zapiekanki — an open-faced sandwich and popular street cuisine.