This is addressed only to those who cultivate the traditional Polish Wigilia, wherever in the world they may live. What are to typical dishes served at your home on Wigilia?
At my childhood Wiiglias at Babcia's home it was: creamed herring, clear mishroom soup & noodles, fried walleye, sauerkaut and mushrooms, dried-fruit compote, poppyseed noodles & poppysee-roll cake
My married Wigilia usually comprises: herring in oil, sometimes Polish vegetable salad (sałatka jarzynowa), clear beetroot soup with fried battered mushrooms, fried fish (pike, carp*, other), sauerkraut, peas & mushrooms, dried-fruit compote, poppyseed noodles & poppyseed-roll cake.
Carp does not seem to have a good press on PF, but years ago a black guy at a fish market on Detroit's Davison Ave (east side) told me the way to get rid of off-flavours in carp and other bottom-feeders after cleaning the fish and slicing into sgteak is to, salt it well and freeze it. After thawing it, rinsing off the salt and patting it dry with paper towels, the muddy flavor is less pronounced or non-existent.
A Mc Donalds fish sandwich(ha,ha,ha) . home cooked Orange roughy and mushroom soup. Hey, nobody around me does the tradition, so I get as close as possible. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I can't do without pierogi, however, it's the second dish I have, just after zupa grzybowa. I know that there are as many people who have zupa grzybowa (mushroom soup) on Wigilia as those who have barszcz czerwony (beetroot soup).
Herring variations (either in oil or cream, or I don't even know...) are a must, though I wouldn't touch it :) Ohh, and, of course, last but not least, cabbage with pea.
We have a tradional meatless supper with fish,pierogies,cheese etc .Then it's off we go to the Polish Church --St.Stanislaus Kostka--for the Wigilia. --------------------------- ----------- and yes I personally caught these fish in the fall of this year.
Can't wait for this evening; we usually start Wigilia at around 6pm.
We have variety of fish, pike in galaretka (jelly), carp, salmon, chopped herring with apple and we also introduced giant prawns for those who aren't too keen on the pike or carp. Polish bread is a must :o)
There is also zupa grzybowa (mushroom soup) with croutons and also czerwony barszcz (beetroot soup) with mushroom dumplings. There is a choice of pierogi, either stuffed with potato and cheese or with cabbage, accompanied either with sour cream or mushroom sauce.
We drink wine and vodka with the meal, but I know some Poles who say the meal should be alcohol-free.
On Christmas Day I love to have Wigilia left-overs for breakfast, especially the pike in galaretka with Polish bread and a nice glass of white wine.
At around 4pm we settle down to eat our traditional English Christmas Dinner, roast turkey with all the the trimmings, variety of stuffing (my favourite is sage/onion), mashed potatoes, chipolatas, chipolatas wrapped in bacon (pigs in blankets) brussel sprouts, carrots, roast parsnip, cranberry or apple sauce or gravy.
Best Wishes to Everyone on Polish Forums,
May You all have a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
I'm going to have a traditional Polish,without meat and alcohol Wigilia. We'll start with opłatek and then we'll have a soup barszcz z uszkami . Afterwards we'll eat anything what's on the table: śledzie w śmietanie, śledzie w oleju, ryba po grecku, pierogi z kapusta, sałatka warzywna and kompot wisniowy (cherry compote) .
At the end we'll have a coffee or tea and cakes as : rolada, sernik, makowiec. After Wigilia we are going to church to celebrate Pasterka at 10pm or 12am (didn't decided yet at what hour to go).
śledzie, sałatka, ryba w galarecie, ryba po grecku, barszcz z uszkami, pierogi. No desert yet. Szarlotka, probably. Oh, no carp though. Flounder and snook.
my duty for this year was to prepare zupa rybna and uszka for the beetroot soup. we will also have groch z kapustą i kapustę z grzybami. there has to be a lot of fried carp and different kinds of herring. we're having some chocolate cake this year, instead of poppy seed. we always try to go with 12 dishes and a free sit for a stranger.
for the other day's family dinner we're having roasted duck with red cabbage (made like in Śląsk) and pyzy and mięsne rolady. also for this meal I have prepared bigos. I've been cooking it for three days lat week, like it should be done.
Some of the Brits on board may come to beleive carp is only a Polish Wigilia speciality. In fact, it is eaten on Christmas Eve in Bavaria (Catholic Germany), the Czech Republic and Austria. Also in the Alsace-Lorraine reigon of France.
On my table was:zupa grzybowa,barszcz z uszkami,sledż,pierogi,sałatka ziemniaczana,karp,moczka i kompot:)It was so delicious:D It's weird that all this dishes taste so marvelous only on Wigilia:)
main meal was more Polish: Christmas eve 'barszcz' (kasza gryczana, dried mushrooms and żurek) Herring in oil and onions in a roll, Herring in sour cream with horseradish, Panga (breaded, fried) - can't stand muddy old carp, Cold sauerkraut with onions and apples, Dried fruit compote (figs, apples, raisins and plums) Hungarian semi-sweet white wine (tokaji harslevelu)
desert wasn't so Polish either, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
We have opwatek, herring, mushroom soup with ushka, cheese pierogi,flounder, peas, kapusta, potatoes with melted butter and onions. Over the years we have added a few other non traditional vegetable, like corn souffle and green beans. We have fruit compote with dessert.
Merged: Christmas Food - Your American family's Wigilia in comparison to Polish one?
What dishes are found on the tables of those of you whose families serve a traditonal Wigilia spread. Here are my entries: USA: herring in sour cream clear mushrooms soup with noodle squares (łazanki) fried walleye (pike-perch) pierogi filled with sauerkraut & mushrooms noodles & poppyseed dried-fruit compote poppyseed cake
