In Poland, Carnival (Karnawal) begins on Twelfth Night, better known as the Epiphany or Three Kings Day (Trzech Króli).  In days gone by, this period of balls and revelry was celebrated with a kulig or horsedrawn sleigh through the snow.

Today, even if the old traditions were still practiced, the lack of snow this year in much of the world would make sleigh rides out of the question. Instead, the younger generation contents itself with pub crawls and such.

Still, the wintertime tradition of ingesting bracing liquids, hearty, comfort food and warming soups holds sway.
Poles are famous for their soups, which often are served as the first or second course of a dinner that features meat and potatoes, and then dessert!

Polish soup (zupa) can be divided into the categories of rosól (generally a clear broth served with noodles),  polewka (a cross between porridge and creamed soup), barszcz (a sour soup), chłodnik  (cold creamed soup), krupnik (gruel
made with barley or beans not to be confused with the honey-spiced vodka of the same name), zupa owocowa (hot and cold fruit soups) and others.
And, as one might expect, there are no hard-and-fast rules as to their distinction since many soups fall into several categories.

Krupnik is guaranteed to warm your heart and tummy. Many frugal cooks who make their own curd cheese (twarog), use the whey (the liquid byproduct of the cheesemaking process) as the stock for krupnik. And making your own curd cheese is easier than you think and a fun
project with the kids. It only takes a few hours.

Recipes

Polish Barley Soup Recipe – Krupnik 

How to Make Dry Curd Cheese – Twarog

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My Polish family started baking for Christmas around St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 6. The tasty treats we made were so full of butter and sugar, they theoretically could last until the Feast of the Three Kings on Jan. 6. But we and our company gobbled them up so quickly, we invariably had to make more after Christmas to see us through Twelfth Night.

During Advent, Poles refrain from eating meat, or at least that’s how it used to be. Christmas Eve would be the last day of fasting before the feasting of Christmas, which usually began after Midnight Mass on Christmas Day. The meatless meal on Christmas Eve in Poland is known as the Star Supper or wigilia, which literally means “vigil,” and is a reference to watching for the first star to appear in the sky, indicating the impending birth of the Christ Child.

Despite the fasting that goes on during Advent and the, sometimes 12-course, meatless Christmas Eve meal, desserts still figure prominently -- cookies, kołaczki, makowiec all make an appearance, and the egg-twist bread known as chalka is always on the table, at least that’s how it is in my family.

I wish you a blessed Christmas -- Wesołych Świąt

Coming Up Next

In the next week, you can expect discussions of New Year’s Eve and Three King’s Day in Poland.

Recipes and More Information

Polish Christmas Traditions

Polish Christmas Dessert Recipes -  Świąteczne Desery

Polish Christmas Cookie Recipes - Ciasteczka na Święta

Polish Christmas Eve Supper Recipes - Wigilia

Christmas Bread Recipes Across Eastern Europe

Christmas Bread Recipes Around the World

How to Make a Gingerbread House

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