The 'Polish' kitchen is filled with foreign imports but taken as Polish 100%. Examples? Naleśniki are crepes and are French. Leczo and gulasz are Hungarian. Pierogi are Slavic generally and even Chinese (check the history). Cabbage was given to Slavs by Celts who, in turn, got it from Asia way back.
And potatoes were virtually unknown in Poland before 17th century, maybe. Now try and convince me that potato is not a typical Polish staple food, known, loved, and eaten in variety of forms. You want Poles to invent their own vegs and animals if they want to call it Polish cuisine? In 966, exactly, as this is the official birth date of Poland?
I don't care were the Polish kitchen originated. On the contrary, I am trying to prove that you are wrong saying that Poles stick to their parochial, limited tradition. Traditionally, they don't. Habitually, neither - but they like good food, so English cafe is no option.
Polish experimentation rarely goes beyond Italian offerings
Except that Polish food comes from every corner of the world, as you've just stated.
Shush is absolutely right! 2 oriental places have gone under here
Sush is superficial in her opinions. It's not important if the place is exotic, the point is whether they make good food. In London, when I ask a Brit about a good kebab, he shows me the nearest one. I go there, and meat is hard, vegs stink, and chips are flaccid excuses. A Pole will tell me straight away 'just don't go over there. There's a good one in Colindale'. Means he's been there, eaten that, and he's tried lots of places around, and has an opinion based on research. Because Poles, we love to eat... Good food.
due to the mundane zeroing in
:)
on flour-based options (peasant food)
Well... like schabowy? Zrazy? Mielony? Bitki? Pyzy z mięsem? Rosół? Wędliny of all sorts? :) Do you know how much of a pig is left after a Polish butcher finishes with it? Brits throw away half of it.
And what is wrong with inventiveness as applied to such a boring raw material as flour, I don't really understand.
and cabbage (horsefeed in Scotland generally).
And tripe is dog food, I know. Ever tried? French eat frogs, and this is haute couture, Poles eat calf's brains, a delicacy, and this is barbaric. Oh, unimaginative, you say. Boring. Like raw beef, or something. Nutria sausage, like.
Rich cuisine? Within a narrow sphere maybe.
You want a list of Polish soups? Broths? Meat dishes? Fish, even if fish are not as easy to find in Poland as they are in the UK? Dumplings, cakes, food based on cheese, flour(yes), potato? How many mushrooms, as a Brit, do you know, and how do you use them?
Narrow sphere. The most popular polish food can give you variety for weeks, breakfast, dinner, and supper. And then you can repeat it with variants, and then comes regional food, and you're busy till Christmas.
Poles overestimate 'their' food, good as it is!
Their, definitely. Much of it imported, accepted, modified, and beloved. Don't tell me that Poles are unadventurous as it comes to food. The thing is, though, that the adventure is supposed to be exciting. Not like all-day-breakfast, or fish and chips. However good the latter may be, in places.
You're just baiting me, aren't you?
