Poland

Blog Post No. 1

2015-4-14

By Daniel Wojcik

 

          I chose to write about Polish food primarily based on my heritage.  My father's side of my family is all 100% Polish.  Only a few generations ago my ancestors emigrated from Poland to the United States.  While I am pretty much completely disconnected from Polish culture in general, my family does occasionally dine at a Polish restaurant on special occasions in northern Indiana near where my grandmother lived.  It's a pretty long drive just for lunch, but it's worth the trip.  Polish food is delicious.  As a matter of fact it is so good that American fast-food chains in Poland are on the decline since Polish people prefer their own food.  American-style fast-food restaurants are facing tough competition from Polish-style fast-food restaurants as well as a growing slow-food movement.

          Polish food has been shaped my a variety of events over the history of the country.  During the middle ages most food was based on cereal crops, local spices and fruit, and meat from both hunted and farmed animals.  However around the time of the Renaissance many Italian cooks moved to Poland and popularized the use of more vegetables such as cabbage, beets, carrots, and lettuce.  In addition, trade routes between Europe and Asia opened up, allowing for greater variety in the spices used in dishes.  Unfortunately, less than two centuries later, Poland fell on hard times.  While it had been one of the largest and most important countries in Europe, Prussia, Russia, and Austria took the spotlight and Poland lost much of its land.  This led to a grain production crisis and forced the introduction of potatoes to supplement cereal crops in the Polish diet.  Eventually Poland's decline culminated in its dismantling by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.  Following the close of World War II, Poland was resurrected as a Soviet satellite state, which resulted in a lot of restaurants being nationalized as well as limits being placed on food imports.  Meat, coffee, tea, and sugar were in short supply and had to be rationed, so people had to make do with domestic food.  This led to a replacement of traditional meals with just whatever could be obtained.  Thankfully, with the fall of communism in Poland in 1989, the food situation has returned to its pre-war state.

 

Poland is in dark green.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_cuisine