Preserving Our Heritage

Witamy!  Poles everywhere love to eat and traditional Polish cuisine is as rich in flavors as Poland’s history is rich in customs and traditions.  As in many cultures, Polish traditions most often involve food.  And as we move farther away generationally from our parents and grandparents who grew up with these traditions and foods, it is important to preserve what was left to us by those that came before us.   I remember as a kid spending an hour every morning with my Mom, studying Polish history, Polish literature, Polish traditions, and learning to read and write the language.  Frankly, I absolutely hated those lessons because at the age of ten, twelve or even sixteen, I did not want to be different in any way from my school friends and playmates.  Years later I started to appreciate those lessons more when I realized that others were envious of my ability to speak Polish, so that added to the four years of French and German I had taken in high school, I could get along pretty well just about anywhere in Europe.

It always seems to come back to the food.  Over the years we’ve met a lot people from every continent in the world, from many nations and countless cultures.  They all love the food they grew up with, but Poles are arguably more passionate about their food than most others...right up there with the Italians and French whose cuisines get so much attention.  That’s one reason why we wrote our book...to preserve the culinary culture for those who don’t have frequent opportunities to taste these heritage dishes.

As we thought about whom our book would appeal to most, three groups emerged:  1)  those who want to help their grown children to reconnect with their Polish roots;  2) those younger generations who want to relive the memories of the food from their childhoods;  3) others who experienced Polish culture and food through Polish friends and want to experience those fabulous tastes again.  If you see yourself in one of these groups, then our book is especially for you.  The holidays will be here before you know it and Polish Classic Recipes is a great gift.  Just click on the “buy" tab at the top and we’ll send you a personally signed and dedicated book right away.
Here is a classic recipe for a very old, traditional Christmas soup that is delicious any time of the year.

Almond SoupServes 8

5 cups milk (whole milk will give a richer flavor)
½ pound almonds, ground twice to a very fine consistency
1 teaspoon almond extract
2½ cups cooked rice
¼ cup sugar
½ cup small raisins
Heat the milk, add all the ingredients.  Serve after the meat or fish course.  Smacznego!