I enjoy all of the foods that I have ever had in European countries. I'm very open to trying new foods. I'm not sure about many of the foods in Asian countries, but I do like Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese. I'm sure there are many things I would be hard pressed to taste. This blog is about European cuisine, specifically Poland! In my refrigerator I have no less than 10 different picked items; three kinds of Greek olives, California olives, pickled vegetables, etc... Imagine my surprise when I found a Polish market!! There were so many varieties of pickled salads, cucumbers, and of course the infamous Polish dill pickle.
I purchased the pickled cabbage and dill pickles with peppers. I can't wait to try them. I may have kielbasa sausage tonight with a nice potato salad and my pickled vegetables. Since I was not heading home, the pierogi and salamis will have to wait until next time, as will the frozen stews. Her favorite was a bean stew which sounded very much like the Greek fasolatha (beans, tomato, onion, etc...). I was talking with a customer from Poland asking her about her favorite items, and watching what she put in her basket. She was more than thrilled to tell me about the items and her children quickly pointed out their favorite cookie. I happen to love hazelnuts too, so I purchased two packs of cookies. The raspberry syrup will be on my next shopping list too. I bet it makes a very refreshing summer drink with sparkling water.
As Easter season is just around the corner, they had beautiful painted Easter eggs. I had to purchase some of them. I remember my mom making beautiful Ukranian eggs with melted wax and paint. Mom used real eggs, and I'm not sure where they can be found since her passing several years ago. I'm sure they are at the house somewhere. The Polish eggs are painted on wood with a very high gloss paint. It has given me incentive to try yet another art project too.
They also had butter that was in the shape of a lamb for the Easter table as well as little candy filled Easter Baskets and dried flowers. These items all brought a smile to my face and seeing the little children get excited, even brought more joy!!
I don't really have a recipe to post as I will probably grill some sausage tonight and serve with steamed red potatoes served with butter and fresh dill.
The poppy seed cake, the herbal teas, the syrups, and the pierogis will call me back to this wonderful, friendly place. I even learned how to say "thank you" and "yes" in Polish. Why not thank the cashier in her native language. It's the least I can do for her kindness and willingness to help me and teach me about her beloved country!! Will Polish be my next language in which I learn some common polite phrases? Just to learn "thank you", "please", "how are you", etc.... will get one a smile. If you have a favorite Polish item for me to try, please let me know.
I thank you for reading this blog... or better yet: dzienkuje pronunctiuation is (jenn-koo-yeh) THANK YOU!!
