The Polish Christmas 🎄

As I mentioned in my earlier post the Polish celebrate Christmas over three days staring on Christmas Eve, with the most important evening meal of the year held on that day, and ending on Boxing Day.

To the Polish the Christmas eve meal is traditional held after the sun has set, but the sun sets so early that this is not really a big challenge, and is usually only those of intermarriage family. Another tradition holds that an extra plate is laid for an unexpected guest, in this case I was the ‘unexpected’ expected guest at Erins host family’s meal.

What makes this upper so unique is that fact that 12 dishes, although usually more, are prepared. So the evening meal could take a couple of hours, which it sure did. It is only after all the dishes have been served that the exchanging of gifts can begin.

Here is an outline of the 12ish dishes that were eaten at our meal. This can differ from family to family, but the main traditions apply. Most of the recipes stay within the family and passed down from mother to daughter. It is expected that everyone tries everything. No meat is aloud to be eaten so fish is used instead, poor Erin.

1. Before anyone is allowed to be seated at the table everyone has to break Christmas wafers (“opłatek”) together and exchanged wishes for good health and prosperity. After this has been completed it is the children hold the wafers above a candle, where they be come crisper and taste better.
2. A shell salad with avocado and prawns.
3. Red borscht with ceps raviolis (uszka). This dish is a soup consisting of fermented red beetroot and uzuka, meaning little ears, little dumplings closly related to periogi.
4. Herring raw with onions
5. There were these bread rolls which were filled with mushrooms
6. Fried mushrooms were also served
7. Chicory Salad with mandarins and walnuts
8. Carp is usually served at this meal but the family really don’t like carp so a substitute was founded, I don’t know what type of fish it was.
9. Served with potatoes
10. Poppy seed cake (makowiec). The poppy seeds represents to the Polish proserpity and is included in many of the Christmas Eve meals around the the country. This was served with dried fruit and honey.
11. Nougat
12. Cranberry kisiel, I think that this was called. This a drink made from the juices of the berries and thickened with potato starch. This is a very popular drink with the children and can be topped with a lot of cream
13. Poppy seed and cream cake.