'Wigilia', the traditional Christmas Eve supper in Poland

The 12-dish option is not unversal. In some families it must be an odd number of dishes, usually 5, 7, 9 or 11. But an even number of people at table. If there is an odd number, according to tradiotnal lore, one person will not live to see the next Wigilia. In Reymont's 'Peasants' the main character invites a beggar in to assure an even number.

of course, opłatek. Lets not count it as 1st dish..
sledzie
barszcz

Another question: różne sałatki warzywne/rybne - before or after soup?

Main course - fried fish, potatoes, buraki?

In my family the salatki serve as side dishes to the baked carp.
There are also many other side dishes like wegorz(delicious), shrimps, prawns(i guess not very traditional) etc..

In my family
1. Karp w galarecie and (if is) herring in cream
2. soup
3. Gołąbki
4. Pierogi

WE don't have salads or fried fish, but those would go before soup.

what kind of gołąbki can you make without meat?

the ones with rice and mushrooms.

You could also do potato ones (never heard of it as Chrismas Eve dish, but no meat in them)
or as google suggests just mushrooms or with kasza and mushrooms

thanks! I have to try the ones with mushrooms

I have never heard about other number than 12 traditional dishes at the Christmas Eve in Poland, that's why I'm very surprised with your question.. I think that 12 is everywhere as the symbol of 12 apostoles, but at every home you can meet other 12 dishes. In one region as the main soup they used to serve mushroom soup in another beetroot soup with ears, as at one home you can meet with traditional carp but for example at my house (and many others) we have never had it, because noone likes it.

For sure a wafer cannot be counted as a dish.

Of course 12 dishes are many, and maybe it is too many for smaller families but we prepare very a little but from all what should be this day and "kompot z suszu" we count as one of dishes.

And I used to do "gołąbki" as Marysienka writes only with rise, mushrooms and spices! It just must be this day! :)

It varies from family to family. Very often it isn't the same from tear to year - people do sometimes like a change.

Prof. Ogrodowska, a respected ethnographer said both traditions are encountered in Poland: bankier.pl/wiadomosc/Parzysta-czy-nieparzysta-liczba-dan-na -stole-wigilijnym-1375716.html

The third dish, 'uszka z grzybami' - 'ears' with forest mushrooms.

Just finished cooking uszka with my mum, we mince mushrooms, and don't add cabbage (that is for cabbage and mushrooms pierogi) and as many recipes suggest we add egg to filling, that way it's easier to make and more survive boiling.

Alo although most people use uszka to barszcz, some add them to other soups, we used to make kwasówka, a soup made with sour cabbage , my friend has żurek with uszka.

Everybody knows you need egg halves and sausage for a good zurek. Heresy! ;)

The fourth dish - pierogi ruskie, 'Russian' pierogi. the-twelve-polish-wigilia-dishes-4-pierogi-ruskie-russian-pierogi/

only when my aunt makes them.... this year it's her turn! Yummy! :)

1-mushroom soup
2-barszcz/beetroot soup
And then all other dishes.You eat it when you like it.I usually start with the dishes I don't like (in my family you must try everything) and then eat my favourite dishes.

Mushroom & rice or mushroom & barley gołąbki are very nice indeed, for Wigilia or anytime. They are slatehred with a creamy mushroom gravy made from the stock in which the dired mushrooms were cooked. You can also cheat a bit with a mushroom bouillon cube.

The fifth dish, dried forest mushroom soup with pasta - 'zupa z suszonych grzybów z makaronem'.

This is only loosely related, but too good not to share: Hipster's Eating Code: herculodge.typepad.com/herculodge/2008/11/the-hipster-eating-code.html

No 6. the-twelve-polish-wigilia-dishes-6-croquettes-with-cabbage-and-forest-mushrooms/

A little more discussion (on this forum) would be nice

You mean that families who serve 2, 3 or let's say 1 dish are not Polish? Why are you surprised by this question?
My Polish (from my partner's side) family serves every year a different number of dishes. Do not panic, no meat involved :)
But they do not put straw on the table, they do not leave a plate for an unexpected guest.
Poland moves on.
Today, PIS's "civilized" mouthpiece "Rz" was telling that Poles will be eating salmon instead of karp....it sounded as a "dramat narodowy" :)

Where I come from, there is no commandment set into reinforced concrete...what you can do and cannot do on Christmas time. My parents gather all children (and grandchildren) around them with good food, lots of laughter and joy, watching the King's Christmas Eve Speech together...

And hey, whether there is one dish...or 220...being together as a family...that is what counts.s

Point taken.

It's the first time I've seen or heard of croquettes at the 12 dishes list. Maybe it's because the are so usual , nobody thinks about them as something special, while not as traditional as pierogi. And not healthy like "ryba po grecku"- that I've seen on the diet 12 dishes lists.

This is what my mother still makes for that day: herring, barszcz, uszka, fish po grecku, fish w galarecie, sałatka warzywna, pierogi z grzybami, sauteed fish, potatoes, buraczki, kompot, makowiec. And tea, of course.

I am a young girl, I like traveling and meeting friends, HAPPY THEY SAID but is good to be happy with your friends and family's, I love my partner and i like been with any one i see, in life we all have some thing to tell our kids and i know in my heart all will be good,

I will probably just have a Filet O Fish sandwich from Mcdonald's on Christmas :)

PlasticPole,you don't celebrate Christmas with family?

Yes! We will all go to the movies. I plan to see Les Miserables. Family members want to see The Hobbit. It's going to be a Merry Christmas. The movies are a tradition with us but I want to eat a fish sandwich because it's Christmas and people are supposed to eat fish to express their faith.

PlasticPole,that's cool :).I hope you enjoy the flick,I think it will be wicked good.

I am excited to go!!!! There will be thousands of people packing the theatre!!! Can't wait to be moved by it!