Polish Cuisine Research Articles

Turmeric and Cumin Instead of Stock Cubes: An Internet Survey of Spices and Culinary Herbs Used in Poland Compared with Historical Cookbooks and Herbals.

(Background) Culinary cultures undergo dramatic changes due to globalization; however, the shift in the use of culinary spices and herbs is little documented. We aimed to list seasoning products used in contemporary Polish cuisine and assess whether they have roots in historic recipes. (Methods) Via an online questionnaire distributed via social media, we gathered data from 916 respondents from all over Poland. (Results) Altogether 132 single-ingredient taxa of plant or fungi species were mentioned in the questionnaire. Capsicums, black pepper, turmeric, oregano, cinnamon, marjoram, ginger, basil, thyme, and bay leaf were the 10 most quoted seasonings throughout the year. While local herbs are likely to have been long used in local cooking, the most commonly used spices have been known in Poland since at least 17-18th c. However, a few Asian, mainly Indian spices have become mainstream in the last few years. In particular, these are turmeric, cumin, and fenugreek. The seasonings which decreased the most are various seasoning mixes and stock cubes, unpopular due to the large amount of monosodium glutamate and salt. (Conclusions) Polish cuisine is undergoing a strong process of globalization, and curry spices have become standard cooking ingredients.

The Content of Cd and Pb in Herbs and Single-Component Spices Used in Polish Cuisine

Spices and herbs play an important role in the human diet, mostly due to the presence of essential oils and high antioxidant activity. Therefore, the toxicity of metals raises concerns about the safety of consumption of spices and herbs. This paper examines the content of Cd and Pb in fresh and dried herbs and single-component spices that are the most popular in Polish cuisine: 100 samples of nine kinds of dried herbs, 184 samples of 15 kinds of fresh herbs and 148 samples of 14 kinds of loose single-component spices. The level of Cd and Pb was determined using the GF AAS method. The safety of herbs and spices for consumption was estimated based on the percentage intake of Cd and Pb compared with the tolerable intake (% TWI, % BMDL), chronic daily intake (CDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), hazard index (HI) and comparisons of the results of chemical analyses with the maximum admissible levels of Cd and Pb in Poland and in the European Union. Calculated per fresh weight of the product, dried herbs on average contained 0.134 ± 0.168 mg of Cd and 0.548 ± 0.161 mg of Pb per kg−1, fresh herbs on average contained 0.004 ± 0.007 mg of Cd and 0.039 ± 0.033 mg of Pb per kg−1, and the mean content of Cd in spices was 0.017 ± 0.019 mg per kg−1 and 0.064 ± 0.050 mg of Pb. The % TWI, % BMDL, CDI, THQ and HI (Cd + Pb) for all the analysed products were lower than 1. The results do not imply a risk due to the supply of Cd and Pb with the diet to the human body, primarily due to the small intake of these products. However, it should be highlighted that the content of Cd in dried coriander and estragon and that of Pb in watercress, jiaogulan, celery, basil and dill exceeded the acceptable limit. Thus, their consumption for people from particularly sensitive groups such as babies, pregnant and breastfeeding women and people should be carefully limited.

Designing the Future of Polish Food

This article explores the cultural work behind the newly emerging interest in Polish cuisine, culinary traditions, and local ingredients among urban, educated, upwardly mobile middle-class foodies who a decade earlier would distinguish themselves by conspicuously consuming foreign fare. Cultural intermediaries, or tastemakers, have been central to this process of creating new forms of value and meaning in Polish food. Given their reflexivity, the iterative and collaborative character of their modus operandi, and their focus on the future, we frame their practices in the analytic language of design. They redesign Polish food in terms of space—through the rearticulations and new embodiments of the categories of “local,” “regional,” and “national”—and time, through materializations of history, tradition, and aspiration.

Promotion of cultural heritage — regional and traditional Polish meat products

The diverse culinary heritage of various countries in the European Union (EU) has been attracting attention for a very long time. This type of high-quality traditional food should be fully exploited and promoted as a common good that is part of the history of given countries. In order to distinguish individual products and their value (not only cultural, but also qualitative), the EU created special awarding signs (quality schemes) that conform to the quality of traditional products: Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), or Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG). One of the first associations with Polish cuisine would undoubtedly be meat dishes, which play an important role in preserving the tradition. The most popular types of meat in Poland are pork, beef, and then poultry. In addition, game animals are very popular, including wild birds (black grouse and larks). This type of dishes is prepared according to traditional recipes handed down from generation to generation. Products typical of the region obtained from local crops and animal breeding are used in their preparation. Thanks to this, traditional dishes acquire specific taste values, which cannot be recreated in other parts of the country.

The Influence of Mediterranean Culture on Polish Cuisine in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Era

The article explores the Mediterranean influences on Polish cuisine in the centuries that followed the adoption of Christianity at the end of the 10th cen­tury. This memorable act brought Poland into the circle of Western culture anchored in the Greco-Roman tradition, which also heavily impacted the eve­ryday life of representatives of all strata of Polish society. The author draws attention to the variety of such contact, which includes the journeys of cler­gymen, diplomatic missions, and trips of young people to universities. Trade and economic exchange, as well as the activity of Italian merchants and crafts­men on the Vistula, also had a strong bearing on the refashioning of the culi­nary culture. The breakthrough moment was the arrival in Krakow in 1518 of Bona Sforza—who became the wife of the Polish king Sigismund I—and her many courtiers.

ГАСТРОНОМІЧНІ СЕКРЕТИ КОРОЛІВСЬКОГО КОМІСАРА ОЛЕКСАНДРА ГУСАРЖЕВСЬКОГО (1714–1782)

The concludes of the article is based on the research of the documents from the Central Historical Archives of Ukraine in Lviv, recipes for the preparation of various dishes belonging to the royal tax officer (shambelan) in the city of Gdansk, Alexander Gusarzhevsky. Active in public life, he left behind many documents stored in the archives of Gdansk and Krakow. However, the largest collection of documents stored in the Lviv archive. Chronologically, all the recipes attributed to the second half of the 18 century. All of the materials were first publication. These are four recipes for the preparation of several types of ice cream, gross roast – «pekelflajsz», traditional for Polish cuisine of pork sausage, description of the technology of making cherry juice. After the death of O. Husarzhevsky in 1782, part of his archive became the property of his granddaughter, Princess Eleonora Lyubomirska, and thus ended up in Lviv. All published recipes have applied to comparative, chronological, and prosopographic methods of analysis. It made it possible to trace their differences and similarities with the known analogs published in the French, Polish, Ukrainian cookbooks of the 16–20th centuries. Studied the problem of knowledge of the recipes and consumption of ice cream in city Lviv in the 16–18 centuries are considered. The results of the study are of considerable scientific and practical value and will be of use to anyone interested in the history of food, every day, or cultural anthropology. Their analysis, in comparison with similar documents published previously, allows us to improve our understanding of how gastronomic trends and influences spread between Western and Central-Eastern Europe in the second half of the eighteenth century.

Śniadanie u prezydenta Ratajskiego, czyli co i gdzie jadano w czasie Powszechnej Wystawy Krajowej w Poznaniu

In 1929, the Universal National Exhibition was organized in Poznan, which was to show the achievements of reborn Poland. For over four months of the exhibition, Poznan was visited by numerous domestic and foreign groups of people and held numerous congresses and conventions. The presence of so many guests required adequate provisioning. Poznan Mayor Cyryl Ratajski also hosted official receptions. Their purpose was to bring guests closer together and show Poland and Poznan from the best side. The preserved menu from these parties presents the Polish cuisine of the time.

From rediscovered “niche” to “mainstream” – Glyceria fluitans as a candidate grain for manufacturing premium food products

From rediscovered “niche” to “mainstream” – <i>Glyceria fluitans</i> as a candidate grain for manufacturing premium food products

A Survey of the Knowledge of Truffles among Polish Foresters and Implications for Environmental Education

While the use of truffles in Poland has a long tradition, for historical reasons this knowledge was almost lost. Currently, truffles and truffle orchards are again receiving public attention. For example, the Polish State Forests supported the establishment of truffle orchards by the Forestry Research Institute. In recent years, knowledge concerning these unique hypogeous fungi has been disseminated systematically through scientific and popular publications, films, and electronic media. This study investigates the awareness of economically and culinary valued truffle fungi (Tuber spp.) among more than 1400 Polish foresters. The results show that 70% of interviewees were familiar with historical and contemporary information about growing and using truffles in Poland. Based on respondents’ age, education, type of work, and gender we attempted to identify whether these elements were associated with the state of knowledge about truffles. The results indicated that younger foresters were better informed about the presence of truffles in Poland and also about their use in the past in Polish cuisine. Environmental education was an important source of knowledge about truffle harvesting and the soils that are conducive to truffle development. Foresters who have provided forest ecology education and who are 36–65 years of age generally possessed better knowledge about truffles than other age cohorts. More than 30% of respondents expressed interest in educational courses to improve their knowledge of truffles. The results point to the need for forestry education concerning truffles and indicate the need for fostering sustainable agroforestry-centered initiatives disseminating this knowledge to the public.

Przy wspólnym stole. Serialowa kulinarna „polskość” w kontekście kulturowym i medialnym

In hereby article I will wonder about the food in TV series, and try to answer the question of what Polish cuisine looks like from the perspective of TV series. For this purpose I will take a look at what and how is eaten by characters in Polish drama TV series in 21st century, particularly the most popular ones, which are family telesagas. This will allow me to form a reflection on Polish culinary patterns and the role of television in creating them.

Assessment of the recognisability and attractiveness of regional kinds of Polish cuisine in the context of culinary tourism

Assessment of the recognisability and attractiveness of regional kinds of Polish cuisine in the context of culinary tourism

Evaluation of the activity concentrations of (137) Cs and (40)K in some Chanterelle mushrooms from Poland and China.

The activity concentrations of (137)Cs and (40)K in mushrooms of the genus Cantharellus (Cantharellus cibarius, Cantharellus tubaeformis, and Cantharellus minor) collected across Poland from 1997 to 2013 and in Yunnan province of China in 2013 were determined using gamma spectrometry with an HPGe detector, respectively. Activity concentrations of (137)Cs in C. cibarius from the places in Poland varied from 64 ± 3 to 1600 ± 47Bqkg(-1)db in 1997-2004 and 4.2 ± 1.2 to 1400 ± 15Bqkg(-1)db in 2006-2013. In the Chinese Cantharellus mushrooms, the activity level of (137)Cs was very low, i.e., at a range <1.2 to 1.2 ± 0.6Bqkg(-1) dry biomass. The natural radionuclide (40)K was at similar activity level in C. cibarius collected across Poland and in China, and fluctuations in levels of (40)K over the years and locations in Poland were small. In C. cibarius from diverse sites in Poland, content of (137)Cs highly fluctuated in 1998-2013 but no clear downward trend was visible (Fig. 1). Published activity levels of (137)Cs in fruitbodies of Cantharellus such Cantharellus californicus, Cantharellus cascadensis, C. cibarius, Cantharellus cinnabarius, Cantharellus formosus, Cantharellus iuteocomus, Cantharellus lutescens, Cantharellus minor, Cantharellus pallens [current name C. cibarius], Cantharellus subalbidus, Cantharellus subpruinosus, and C. tubaeformis collected worldwide were compared. In the Polish cuisine, mushrooms of the genus Cantharellus are blanched before frying or pickling, and this kind of treatment, and additionally also pickling, both very efficiently remove alkali elements (and radioactivity from (134/137)Cs) from flesh of the species.

Traditional Kitchen as a factor in the development of tourism in the region as an example Krajna

Traditional Kitchen as a factor in the development of tourism in the region as an example Krajna

Influence of Origin of Laying Hens on the Quality of Their Carcasses and Meat After the First Laying Period

Abstract The aim of the study was to assess the quality of carcasses and meat from selected native breeds and breeding lines of hens after using them for laying eggs in terms of their usefulness as raw material in traditional old polish cuisine. hens included in the programme for the protection of genetic resources were the object of this study. they belonged to the following breeds/breeding lines: greenleg partridge (Z-11), rhode Island red (r-11), new hampshire (n-11) and Barred rock (WJ-44) – 30 hens from each line. the hens were kept in a closed hen house under standard raising conditions. eight hens were selected from 56-week-old hens of each line which were subjected to analysis after being slaughtered. as a result of the research conducted, it was found that: – Among the hens under study, heavier layers, i.e. Barred rock (WJ-44), new hampshire (n-11) and rhode Island red (r-11), which are characterized by good muscling and dressing percentage similar to that of broiler chickens, proved to be most suitable for use as meat. – The meat from WJ-44 hens contained most cholesterol and least protein, and the meat from Z-11 birds had the least fat compared to the other lines. – At the end of the laying period, meat and broth from WJ-44, n-11 and r-11 hens obtained better sensory scores than those from the carcasses of Z-11 hens, which makes them an attractive raw material for traditional polish cuisine.

THE INFLUENCE OF RAW MATERIAL STABILIZATION ON THE QUALITY OF CELERY (APIUM GRAVEOLENS L.) LEAVES

Celery (Apium graveolens L.) is a perennial vegetable plant. Due to its taste, odour and dietetic values, leaves and roots have been used in Polish cuisine for a long time. Lately, owing to a growth of popularity of green spices, high attention is paid to above-ground celery organs. The objects of the presented investigations were leaves from two cultivar varieties of celery: 'Safir' - a leaf variety and 'Jablkowy' - a celeriac variety. Leaves were collected in two terms: at the beginning of August and the end of September. Fresh leaves contained on average: 6.67 mg·g -1 chlorophyll, 2.60 mg·100 g -1 carotenoids, 104.90 mg% vitamin C, 0.015% polyphenolic acids, 0.085% flavonoids and 0.49 ml·100 g -1 essential oil. Freezing and drying caused decreasing content of both assimilation pigments and vitamin C in investigated raw material, and increasing content of polyphenolic acids. Freezing decreased the content of essential oil and flavonoids while drying increased the content of these compounds in comparison with fresh raw material.