YUMMY CHRISTMAS

Christmas, Christmas and it’s already after Christmas – that’s what we say in Polish when these long- awaited holidays finish. I hope you had a wonderful time. What makes it so nice is undoubtedly the special yummy food we eat during Christmas. To prolong the festive atmosphere let me recall the delicious food we ate during Christmas  Eve Supper in my family. Most of the stuff is eaten only once a year – just on that special evening.  The absolute hit and the first thing to indulge in is the beetroot soup eaten with little mushroom dumplings called ‘little ears’. It can be replaced by a mushroom or fish soup.  Then the second course is served – in my home it is fried carp with mushrooms, pierogi (special Polish dumplings) with cabbage and mushroom filling, cabbage with mushrooms, herbs and spices boiled for a few days and boiled cabbage with peas. The other things include all sorts of fish – usually herring prepared in different ways - under the ‘duvet’ of  grated apples, onion and cream, marinated one, with walnuts and prunes  or fried fish with vegetables called Fish a la Greek (!).  There is also a tartar sauce and grated cold beetroot, usually prepared with horseradish.  If we add a special compote made of smoked dried fruit there will be 12 obligatory dishes. 12 like 12 months of the year or 12 days of Christmas;-). For dessert you can choose from pasta with poppy seeds and walnuts,  poppy-seed cake, various types of gingerbread and nicely-decorated cookies. One very important traditional Christmas Eve dish in Poland is sweet kutia - boiled wheat with poppy seeds and honey , which, shame to say, I have only eaten once or twice in my life.  The dishes differ a little depending on the region of the country, but main principles are observed everywhere – no meat on that day and a lot of fish, cabbage, poppy seeds and gingerbread.

Mmm…. Yummy….. It’s so sad that I’ll have to wait another year for all these delicacies…