Some cooking spices in Polish

For those of you looking to attempt translating a Polish recipe, these may help:

allspice: ziela angielskie
anise: anyżek. -anyżku
basil: bazylia. -bazylii
bay leaves: liście laurowe
camomile: rumianek. -rumianku
carraway seed: kminek. -kminku
chervil: trybulka. -trybulki
chicory: cykoria. -cyrkorii
chives: szczypiorek. -szczypiorku
cinnamon cynamon. -cynamonu
cloves: goździki
coriander: kolendra. -kolendry
cumin: kmin. -kminu
dill: koperek. koperku
fennel: koper. -kopru
fenugreek: kozieradka. -kozieradki
garlic: czosnek
ginger imbir. -imbiru
herb tea: herbata z ziółek
herb: ziele, zioło, ziółko
horseradish: chrzan
jasmine jaśmin. -jaśminu
mint: mięta. -mięty
mustard: musztarda. -musztardy
nutmeg: gałka muszkatołowe
paprika: paprika. -papriki
parsley: pietruszek
pepper: pierprz. -pieprzu
saffron: szafran. -szafranu
sage: szałwia. -szałwi
salt: sól
savory cząber. -cząbru
spice: przyprawa
tarragon: draganek. -draganku

mieta, man i don't have the polish keyboard turned on this comp.. but the "e" has the candy cane under it.


* pietruszka

I imagine only a few of these are really used in traditional Polish cooking.
I always think of caraway as a very central-eastern European spice.
I like the way many languages call Allspice things that translate as 'English Spice'.
It originates from the Caribbean.

Actually, a lot of them are used in PL recipes.

I was thinking of fenugreek, cumin, coriander, allspice.
But then, on closer inspection, there is a definite European look to many of these.
Even so, English food often uses exotic spices.
It is just a shame that English food lost so much after the two world wars.
Rationing and the age of austerity destroyed much English cuisine.
That is why it was opened up so easily to Italian and Indian dishes.
At least the cosmopolitan nature of our food encourages the foodies amongst us to try other stuff, such as Polish.
I am ignoring here the majority of British people who eat s***e.

What about Juniper berries?
These must be used in Polish food.
Great with venison.

Jałowiec?

Sure...sometimes


Pickles :)


parzybroda/ Cabbage soup


I've seen this added to Czarnina

I guess it all depends on what flavors the chef likes to add :)

I love all of the possibilities with PL cuisine.

That is fantastic news.
I have many herbs and spices in my cupboard that only get used in one recipe each.
I've not really had much of a go at cooking any Polish recipes.
I'd like to see something like recipe of the week/month on the forum,

That would be nice...or at lease we can compile the existing and put them in a sticky.

Great idea. Especially for food that is actually sticky!

ARE YOU SURE? DILL, YES BUT I HAVE NEVER SEEN CORRIANDER IN THE PICKLES BEFORE.. HMM.

cabbage soup = kapusniak?

No the soup I'm talking about is parzybroda :) (zupa z kapusty, przeważnie włoskiej)


As I've stated before, It all depends on the chef's taste.

ARE YOU HERE TO ARGUE WITH ME OR STH?

Not a bad idea. I cook from scratch roughly once in a blue moon but I would like to start cooking Polish foods (rather than have others cook it for me).


Not a bad idea. This is a good topic Z. Helpful.

nope, just conversing. never heard of either of those two instances but that means i actually learned something today. cool. :D

Almost every evening.
When I don't, it's leftovers.

I have a need for recipes.

Sadly, I don't have the time. Even when I'm at home, blethering here, I'm usually working on something in another window...

So this is why I would appreciate the recipes so that on my days off/holidays, I can get down and cook something from scratch.

It takes up a lot of my time and keeps me out of mischief!
When I say I want recipes, I always Osiolise everything,
so give me an Italian recipe, it will end up tasting unmistakably (to me) like something of my own.
Some of the things I ate in Poland but never learnt the names for would be good.

I was just yelling back ;)

parzybroda is Cabbage soup with milk.


If you can describe them, we may have the recipe or get it for you.

At the moment, there was a sort of savoury pancake thing I can think of that was very good.
There was a green soup served with a big pile of slightly crispy mashed potato is the middle of the table,
and this, I think:


There was more that I can't specifically remember.
I just remember that I didn't taste anything I didn't enjoy.

Recently I had something that was like minced beef (maybe another meat though) with mushrooms, saurkraut and maybe other stuff, wrapped in something pancake-like...any idea's what that was?

pierogi? uszka?

Not pierogi, maybe the other though. They were gorgeous though :) mmmm

uszka are little peirogis, normally served with red borscht

Then I don't think it was them either. Every time I desribe them I get an answer that sounds like kroquety (?)

krokiety....this is the pancake thingy.

crok et ee

hmmm.. have heard the name but i sure can't picture what they look like.

Looks like this:

It might also look like a 'spring roll'

CALZONE LIKE, EH? COOL, I DON'T KNOW IF I'VE EVER HAD THEM BUT THEY DO LOOK DELISH. :)

Crock yeti - a blend of crocodile and yeti - I'm just off to find a yeti.
It looks like that's what I was thinking of (the actual food product, not the product of my bizarre imagination).

Depends on who prepares it. The pancake starts off round, but then folded.