No wonder, Christmas in Poland is lavishly celebrated. Most of the Polish Christmas non traditional christmas take place on 24th December, and to many Poles, it is the most significant day of the year. Christmas celebration in Poland, full of magic and traditional distinctive Polish customs, a combination of ancient pagan beliefs and religious ones introduced by the Catholic Church. A traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner consists of 12 dishes: one for each month of the new year.
Most dishes are cooked specifically for this special day—and only once a year! It is believed that one should try every dish to secure good luck throughout the upcoming twelve-month period. The menu reflects the multicultural aspects of Poland, as Jews, Germans, Lithuanians, and other minorities lived together in the past in harmony. What is quite astonishing, despite the fact that Polish cuisine is famous for its delicious sausages and hard liquor, Christmas Eve dinner is indisputably meat and often alcohol-free. An unexpected culinary twist from a sausage-loving country.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular Polish Christmas foods. Opłatek is a thin, unleavened wafer made of flour and water, similar to the altar bread in the Roman Catholic Church. It is embossed with religious images like a figure of the Godchild, the blessed Mary, and the holy angels. This tradition is linked to the breaking of bread at the Last Supper, and so the wafer is often sent by mail to the absent members of the family. Apart from a large number of beetroots and other vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, onions, and potatoes, the soup is served with tiny little dumplings called uszka which means little ears in literal translation. Uszka are generously filled with forest mushrooms and fried onion.
