Did you know that Italian diplomats who spent time in Poland complained about Polish food as based mostly on meat? One Pole eats as much meat as 5 Italians, said one dimplomat.
But it changed with the arrival of a certain Italian princess in 16 century.....
1994 marked the 500th anniversary of the birth of a Polish Queen who, because of her love of fruits and vegetables, changed not only the Polish palate, but left a lasting influence on the language as well. We cannot relegate her to the kitchen, however, because she had a regal upbringing which predestined her to play a leading role in the politics of the Polish court.
Today, Bona is probably best remembered in the kitchen. Coming from sunny Italy she brought her own cooks, gardeners and horticulturalists. She introduced many foods, especially vegetables. The Polish language reflects this in the many terms for vegetables that it has assimilated from Italian.
Italian Polish English
cavolifiore kalafior cauliflower
insalata salata salad
fagioulo fasola bean
pomidori pomidory tomatoes
leguinini leguminy legumes
melone melon melon
limone limonia lemon
sciroppo syrup syrup
zucchero cukier sugar
confezzione konfekcje candy
torta tort cake
salciccia salceson headcheese
lasagna łazanki lasagna
maccheroni makaron macaroni
info-poland.buffalo.edu/classroom/Bona/Bona.html
Queen Bona Sforza, who was Italian royalty, married the widowed Polish King Sigismund (Zygmunt) I (the Old) in 1518. Vegetables other than cabbage and root vegetables were virtually unknown in Poland until Sforza introduced them. Many Polish words for vegetables, in fact, are taken directly from Italian -- kalafiory (cauliflower), pomidory (tomatoes) and sałata (lettuce), for example.
To this day, soup greens are known as włoszczyzna or "Italian stuff." Włoski is the Polish word for "Italian." Try using them in this Fresh Polish Mushroom Soup Recipe. The name for cucumbers in sour cream -- mizeria -- is attributed to Queen Sforza because she is said to have cried out of loneliness for Italy everytime she ate this salad.
easteuropeanfood.about.com/b/2010/10/01/queen-bona-sforza-brought -vegetables-to-poland.htm
But certain food historians claim that fruit and veg had been widely used in Poland before Bona`s arrival.:
Renaissance
Along with the Italian queen Bona Sforza (second wife of Sigismund I of Poland) many Italian cooks came to Poland after 1518. Although native vegetable foods were an ancient and intrinsic part of the cuisine, this began a period in which vegetables like lettuce, leeks, celeriac and cabbage were more widely used. Even today, some of those vegetables are referred to in Polish as włoszczyzna, a word derived from Włochy, the Polish name of Italy. During this period the use of spices, which arrived in Poland via west Asian trade routes, was common among those who could afford them, and dishes considered elegant could be very spicy. However, the idea that Queen Bona was the first to introduce vegetables to Poland is false. While her southern cooks may have helped elevate and expand the role of various vegetables in royal Polish cuisine, records show that the court of King Jagiello (who died in 1434, over 80 years before her reign) enjoyed a variety of vegetables including lettuce, beets, cabbage, turnip, carrots, peas and cauliflower.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_cuisine
Never mind the disputes.....
My family`s dishes in wonderful Polish Italian style - veg and meat:
Even nspaghetti has some veg!
Anyway, thank you, dear queen Bona!
But it changed with the arrival of a certain Italian princess in 16 century.....
1994 marked the 500th anniversary of the birth of a Polish Queen who, because of her love of fruits and vegetables, changed not only the Polish palate, but left a lasting influence on the language as well. We cannot relegate her to the kitchen, however, because she had a regal upbringing which predestined her to play a leading role in the politics of the Polish court.
Today, Bona is probably best remembered in the kitchen. Coming from sunny Italy she brought her own cooks, gardeners and horticulturalists. She introduced many foods, especially vegetables. The Polish language reflects this in the many terms for vegetables that it has assimilated from Italian.
Italian Polish English
cavolifiore kalafior cauliflower
insalata salata salad
fagioulo fasola bean
pomidori pomidory tomatoes
leguinini leguminy legumes
melone melon melon
limone limonia lemon
sciroppo syrup syrup
zucchero cukier sugar
confezzione konfekcje candy
torta tort cake
salciccia salceson headcheese
lasagna łazanki lasagna
maccheroni makaron macaroni
info-poland.buffalo.edu/classroom/Bona/Bona.html
Queen Bona Sforza, who was Italian royalty, married the widowed Polish King Sigismund (Zygmunt) I (the Old) in 1518. Vegetables other than cabbage and root vegetables were virtually unknown in Poland until Sforza introduced them. Many Polish words for vegetables, in fact, are taken directly from Italian -- kalafiory (cauliflower), pomidory (tomatoes) and sałata (lettuce), for example.
To this day, soup greens are known as włoszczyzna or "Italian stuff." Włoski is the Polish word for "Italian." Try using them in this Fresh Polish Mushroom Soup Recipe. The name for cucumbers in sour cream -- mizeria -- is attributed to Queen Sforza because she is said to have cried out of loneliness for Italy everytime she ate this salad.
easteuropeanfood.about.com/b/2010/10/01/queen-bona-sforza-brought -vegetables-to-poland.htm
But certain food historians claim that fruit and veg had been widely used in Poland before Bona`s arrival.:
Renaissance
Along with the Italian queen Bona Sforza (second wife of Sigismund I of Poland) many Italian cooks came to Poland after 1518. Although native vegetable foods were an ancient and intrinsic part of the cuisine, this began a period in which vegetables like lettuce, leeks, celeriac and cabbage were more widely used. Even today, some of those vegetables are referred to in Polish as włoszczyzna, a word derived from Włochy, the Polish name of Italy. During this period the use of spices, which arrived in Poland via west Asian trade routes, was common among those who could afford them, and dishes considered elegant could be very spicy. However, the idea that Queen Bona was the first to introduce vegetables to Poland is false. While her southern cooks may have helped elevate and expand the role of various vegetables in royal Polish cuisine, records show that the court of King Jagiello (who died in 1434, over 80 years before her reign) enjoyed a variety of vegetables including lettuce, beets, cabbage, turnip, carrots, peas and cauliflower.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_cuisine
Never mind the disputes.....
My family`s dishes in wonderful Polish Italian style - veg and meat:
Even nspaghetti has some veg!
Anyway, thank you, dear queen Bona!
