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7 Traditional Polish Dishes For Less Than $5 Each

If you are a travel foodie and Poland is your next travel destination, I have some good news for you. Firstly, Polish cuisine is extremely delicious and varied. Once you sit down at the table, you will not want to stop discovering new flavours!

You will fall in love with the fresh Polish bread with sunflower seeds, sour cream, cottage cheese, mushrooms, dumplings and traditional Polish sausages. Secondly, you will be surprised by the low prices of food in Poland – no matter if you dine out in local restaurants or grab some food on the go from the supermarket- you will not pay more than $5.

Let me introduce you to some of the yummiest and cheapest meal options you can go for when visiting Poland:

1. Pierogi (Polish dumplings)

A plate of pierogi

 

Description: Polish dumplings are the highlight of Polish cuisine. Not trying them when in Poland is like not eating a waffle when visiting Brussels or a croissant when heading to France. It is definitely a must-try dish, no excuses! Pierogi are made of thinly rolled-out dough filled with a variety of fillings – beef, mushrooms and sauerkraut, fruits, cottage cheese and boiled potatoes. They are often served with fried chopped onion and bacon. They are very filling and stodgy so you can have 4 of them and feel really full.

Price: A plate of pierogi should cost between 5 zloty and 10 złoty ($1.60 – $3.20).

2. Rosół (broth/ chicken soup)

A bowl of traditional Polish chicken soup

 

Description: It is a traditional Polish soup, one of the most healthy and delicious. It is often eaten during the Sunday dinner in every Polish house and on national holidays. Rosół is easy to make, mostly served with homemade noodles, a piece of chicken, onion, small leek, green celery, parsley, cabbage, salt and pepper. It can quickly warm you up on freezing days during the winter.

Price: A bowl of rosół should not cost you more than 6 złoty ($1.92).

3. Gelatine (Galareta)

A serving of Polish gelatine

 

Description: Galareta is a Polish dish mostly served during Polish weddings. It is made of vegetables dipped in a gelatine with some pieces of meat such as beef, poultry and cattle’s feet and ears. It might sound a little bit extreme, but it is very tasty and healthy. Its jelly consistency makes it look very appealing.

Price: One serving of Polish gelatine costs between 5 złoty and 8 złoty ($1.60 – $2.56).

4. Łazanki

Łazanki with cabbage, carrot, pieces of beef and mushrooms

 

Description: Łazanki is a great dish for a quick lunch, especially when homemade. They consist of homemade pasta (square shaped), chopped and fried cabbage served with well done pork meat and slices of carrot and onions. They taste great when deep-fried.

Price: One serving of łazanki is 10 złoty ($3.20). You will also get a basket of fresh Polish bread so it’s worth the money.

5. Polish fish – Greek style (ryba po grecku)

Yummy Polish fish – Greek style

 

Description: Although its name refers to being Greek, it is Polish and one of the most common Polish dishes served on national holidays, weddings, Christmas and Easter. It’s fresh, healthy and light. The recipe is extremely easy – a piece of cod fish is firstly fried and then covered with sliced carrot, onions and a few tomatoes. Served hot or cold tastes equally awesome!

Price: One serving should not cost you more than 12 złoty ($3.84). Fish might be a little bit more expensive than meat in Poland (depending on region).

6. Kutia (Wheat pudding)

Kutia

 

Description: Kutia is always served as the first of the twelve traditional meatless dishes during Christmas Eve. It is a cold, sweet wheat soup made of poppy seeds, some honey or sugar, wheatberries, nuts and raisins.

Price: A plate of kutia costs around 7 złoty ($2.24).

7. Rogaliki (Polish croissant cookies)

A plate of homemade rogaliki

 

Description: Polish croissant cookies are mostly filled with a strawberry jam and made of puff pastry, often sprinkled with icing sugar. They are very sweet, so it would be a perfect snack choice for anyone with a sweet tooth.

Price: 1 small rogalik costs 0.50 złoty ($0.16), big ones are for 1 złoty ($0.32).

 

As you can all see, the food in Poland is not only extremely yummy but also very affordable. You can eat as much as you want and still pay much less than in other European countries. Your culinary journey across Poland will not leave your wallet empty, but it might cause a few extra pounds on your scale, that’s for sure!

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Agness bio photo

Agness is a Polish vagabond who, after graduation, left her comfort zone and set off for a journey of her lifetime to China in 2011. She has been constantly travelling the world since then (slowly, but surely as she says), living like a local for less than $25 a day. She became a photography passionate and adventure blogger sharing her life enthusiasm and travel experience with everyone around.

Agness runs the Etramping blog, follow the blog on Facebook or Twitter.