We have always heard that "Poles can". Also in the times of the People's Republic of Poland, Poles were able to, for example, conjure up various dishes, even though there was always something missing in the shops. What are the most famous dishes that Poles prepared for parties? See what our compatriots ate in the People's Republic of Poland.
TOP 10 dishes prepared for events in the Polish People's Republic
1. Vegetable salad
The most important, of course, was the immortal queen of the table - vegetable salad, that is, vegetable salad. She was eaten at every party in the People's Republic of Poland. The vegetable salad consisted of vegetables immersed in mayonnaise - potatoes, carrots, celery, parsley, pickled cucumber, and pickled peas. Sometimes ham and egg were added to the vegetable salad. Of course, the more sliced ham in the salad, the more exquisite the vegetable salad became. Some in the times of the People's Republic of Poland also added an apple to a vegetable salad. In the People's Republic of Poland, it often accompanied many Polish dishes. There was never a shortage of apples in Poland.
2. Pork "cold legs" in jelly
They appeared especially at carnival parties. Poles used to talk about pork jelly "jellyfish", because due to its specific consistency it was a very… dancing dish. Polish pork was regularly exported from Poland to the Soviet Union, so it was rare to find pure pork in the store. But there was never a shortage of pork legs! It is very interesting that not only pork "cold legs" worked perfectly in jelly. They were also effectively replaced with chicken meat - using the meat on which the Sunday broth was cooked.
3. Cookies
They have survived almost unchanged until today. Little cakes were a must-have menu item in every communist party in the People's Republic of Poland. Formerly, they were prepared in various forms. Most often, however, the toothpicks were stuck to cheese, cold cuts, mushrooms, and cucumbers. It is true that sometimes the preparation of finger foods took a long time. However, the snack was a great variety to the vodka sipped during the event. It was only later that tartlets were forced out of the PRL fashion when tartinki appeared - the so-called mini sandwiches with all kinds of pastes applied to them.
4. Egg paste
The most famous paste for tartlets. The housewives prepared it with hard-boiled eggs, which were then crushed with chives, mayonnaise, and spices. Tartinki with egg paste to this day host, among others at Polish weddings. They have also become part of the daily menu of Poles, but in a varied form - not only with egg paste.
5. Breaded mortadella
Some people remember mortadella with great sentiment, others with disgust. Cold cuts were generally a rare delicacy in the People's Republic of Poland, so they were portioned and counted especially meticulously. Only mortadella was more available, often replacing meat for dinner. It was breaded in exactly the same way as pork chops are made today. In the People's Republic of Poland, such a cheated loin was called "a frog's eye". Especially since breaded slices of mortadella were served with fried eggs.
Dishes from the Polish People's Republic, which were most often served at parties
6. Tripe
In the Polish People's Republic, tripe soup was one of the warm dishes on the party menu. It was a soup that was easy and simple to prepare. Of course, the chicken was used to cook tripe, which was not difficult to find in Poland. Tripe was usually dipped in broth. In the past, many hours were spent just preparing the soup. You waited until the tripe softened and stopped smelling intense (or rather, it just smelled). Today, fortunately, tripe is bought already purified, so people are more likely to make it. The soup is also eaten with pleasure at traditional Polish weddings.
7. Herrings with onion
Herring dishes were an obligatory element of communist feasts. Pickled herring in vinegar and onion was served very often to the table, which went well with the vodka. Until today, Poles eat herring with onions also on Christmas Eve. There are also many of them on wedding tables. To make the herring look exquisite, it was often wrapped together with an onion on a toothpick. It was a snack that especially men could not refuse. Of course, not only because of the alcohol drunk in the meantime.
8. Lard with onion
No good party in the People's Republic of Poland could take place without the famous lard! Most often it was made with onions and apples. Country lard tasted best for people on sandwiches, eaten with pickled cucumbers. The snack can still be found at Polish weddings, when the bride and groom decide to stage the so-called country table. A piece of bread with lard and pickled cucumber (or low-salt) is often present also at Polish festivals.
9. Beef tartare with egg yolk
The tartare was nothing but steak tartare. In the People's Republic of Poland, it was one of the main dishes of culinary connoisseurs. Tatara was eaten with yolk, onion, and carefully diced gherkins. Our countrymen also added Maggi spice to beef tartare, which was found in practically every Polish cuisine. In the People's Republic of Poland, herring tartare was also prepared, especially when beef was scarce.
10. Chocolate block
One of the most popular sweets in the Polish People's Republic. It was a real sweet delicacy that perfectly matched the coffee. Very often, chocolate blocks were made not only for parties but also for Sunday afternoons with the family. You couldn't eat it much because it was so sweet.
For most people living in the 1980s, the chocolate block will always be associated with the times of the Polish People's Republic, when everything was missing. However, one thing was not missing then - time devoted to the family. Today we have that time for ourselves… much less.
Bibliography:
- Collective work: PRL backstage. Tasty and simple dishes, Wydawnictwo Olesiejuk, Ożarów Mazowiecki 2015
- Kienzler Iwona: Life in the People's Republic of Poland and Scary and Funny, Bellona Publishing House, Warsaw 2018
- Solska Joanna: 80th. How we really lived in the last decade of the Polish People's Republic, Wydawnictwo Czerwony i Czarne, Warsaw 2018
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