Amy Goes to Poland!
Recently, Amy, our Product Manager, went to Poland to do “research” - and also see Beyoncé in concert! She wrote about the Eat Polska food tour she took on her first day in Warsaw:
Working for Jaju for the past five years has sparked an affection and curiosity for all things Polish, but this was not initially the inspiration for our vacation to Poland. It started with Beyoncé - The Queen Bey! Her tour spanned across 35 European cities, but Warsaw stood out on the list. My sister and I didn’t know much about Warsaw (or Poland in general), but were excited at the prospect of exploring a part of the world we’d never been to. So, after waiting in the digital queue in the early hours of the morning, we got our tickets, and started planning our trip around the concert.
Since I felt this connection to Poland through pierogi and other Polish food, what better way to get to know the country than by signing up for a food tour? We wasted no time: We signed up for a four hour walking tour on our first day in Warsaw, and stuffed ourselves with every type of Polish food we had been craving.
Our tour guide, Michas, steered us away from the touristy destinations into a quieter area of the city for our first taste of traditional Polish cuisine. And, of course, it started with a shot of Vodka. Usually vodka would be my last drink of choice, but the Poles know how to make good vodka. It was smooth and, might I say, enjoyable? The shot was accompanied with some homemade bread with a creamy farmer’s cheese spread with a fermented pickle on top.
Next up on the tasting menu was a beet soup (or borscht) with mini sauerkraut and mushroom dumplings. It had all my favorite things in one meal. Michas explained that a typical Polish meal includes a soup as an appetizer rather than a salad. Throughout the tour, he would describe Polish food as hearty, which is an accurate description, since I was already full after two appetizers and there was plenty more food coming.
From there, we start walking (thankfully!) across the city to our next destination while Michas is filling our heads with information about Warsaw, like how jaywalking is strictly enforced with fines (much different than Boston!). Or how, under Communism, it was extremely hard to get any imported foods, so bananas became a rare commodity and would be given as a Christmas gift if you were able to find them.
After a 30 minute walk, we arrived at the next restaurant, Patelnia Patera, and were served potato Silesian dumplings ( kluski śląskie) with a parsley pesto sauce. It was a softer dough and smaller in size than a pierogi but just as delicious and hearty. Of course we had to end the meal with dessert, and there is nothing more Polish than pączki, or a Polish doughnut. Then, they rolled us out of there!
The food tour gave us a sampling of Polish food and history that we would not get in a museum or by eating in the tourist district. And it prepared us for all the amazing meals to come! It’s true…we came to Warsaw for Beyoncé, but would come back to Poland anytime for the food.