Polish Christmas
Poland is predominantly Catholic, and Christmas is very important to its people. More specifically, Christmas Eve, known as Wigilia (pronounced vee-GHEE-lee-uh). It is on that day that the families get together for the most important supper of the year, which is meatless. The meal doesn’t begin until the first star appears, and I still remember as a little girl watching the sky from the kitchen window to be the first one to see the first star.
At the beginning of the meal, the family shares opłatek (pronounced op-WA-tek), a piece of rice wafer, similar to the communion at the mass (see photo). You wish each person a happy holiday, break off a piece of their opłatek, and eat it. Typically the table has an extra setting, for an unexpected guest. Nobody should be hungry on that day, so should anyone knock on your door, you should invite them for the meal.
Traditionally, the Polish Christmas Eve supper would have 12 dishes, but my family only makes a few. There are variations in each region of Poland but some typical Wiligia dishes are:
Naturally fermented beetroot soup, accompanied by uszka (similar to tortellini, filled with mushrooms; see photo). Many families also make mushroom soup.
Fish: traditionally it is carp. Nowadays, you can buy carp fillets, but when I was young, there was more to it. You would stand in a line at the fish store for many hours to buy a live carp a few days before Christmas. Until the special supper, you would keep the fish in the bathtub at home (and take it out into a bucket when you wanted to take a bath or a shower). Basically, when it was time for the father to kill the fish, it would have become almost a family pet. But the delicate white flesh of carp is delicious. It can be breaded and fried, made with a sauce, or in gelatin.
Herring: as an appetizer, it could be served in oil, various sauces, or in cream. If you’d like to read more about herring, see one of my first blog entries.
Perogies with sauerkraut and mushrooms (see photo)
Kompot z suszu is a drink made from boiled dried fruits (prunes, dried apples and apricots). I usually add some honey, fresh lemon juice and a touch of holiday spices.
Traditional Christmas desserts contain poppy seeds and can come in various shapes and forms. Some families make kutia which is poppy seeds with dried fruits, honey, and cooked wheat grains. Gingerbread-like cakes and cookies are also common.
To conclude this brief summary, I would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year:
Wesołych Świąt Bożego Narodzenia i szczęśliwego Nowego Roku!