Traditional cuisine

The ‘pierogi’ or Polish dumpling is a beloved favorite in traditional cuisine. This versatile dish can be filled with savory or sweet combinations, including meat, sauerkraut, cheese, potatoes and onions, strawberries and blueberries. Another national dish is ‘bigos’ – a hunter’s stew typically comprised of sauerkraut, cabbage, pork, onion and seasoning. ‘Golabki’ (stuffed cabbage rolls in tomato sauce), ‘Placki ziemniaczane‘ (potato pancakes), grilled ‘oscypek’ (sheep’cheese), breaded pork, and different types of soups, stews, crepes and dumplings are all commonly eaten. For dessert, ‘paczki’ is a hit – miniature doughnuts filled with vanilla custard. Other tasty sweets include: ‘lody’ (ice-cream), ‘makowiec’ (a poppy seed cake), ‘szarlotka’ (an apple cake), ‘sernik’ (cheese cake) and ‘faworki’ (crisp pastry twists covered in powdered sugar).

Traditional beverages

Poland is known throughout the world for using potatoes, grains or sugar beets to make its vodka or ‘wódka’. Balsam Pomorski, Belvedere, Chopin, Danziger Goldwasser, Extra Zytnia, Luksusowa, Maximus, Starka, and Zubrowka are some of the most popular Polish vodka brands. As well as spirits, delicious beer is produced in numerous little breweries dotted across Poland, while liqueurs made from flowers, fruits, spices and herbs usually have a high alcohol content, are also made locally, and generally well-received. ‘Miód pitny’ - known in English as mead - is a type of drinkable fermented honey that’s comes in varying concentrations of alcohol. For soft drinks, try ‘compote’ - a cold mix of both fresh and dried fruits (usually cherries, strawberries, apples, pears and currants), or sweet-tasting orangeade (carbonated orange juice with sugar). Polish specialty coffees have become increasingly popular in recent years, as has coffee house culture.

Landscape and wildlife

Lowlands, highlands and mountains are the three distinct types of landscape found in Poland, together with extensive rivers and forests that create hundreds of different ecosystems. Europe’s largest mammal – the European Bison – resides within the protection of the Bialowieza National Park. Typically weighing a hefty 2,000 lbs these giant beasts can grow to be over 6 feet tall (1.8 metres) and 9 feet long (2.7 metres). Other large mammals include lynxes, grey wolves, elks, brown bears, wild boars, bats, beavers and marmots. Among Poland’s bird life are storks, eagles, woodpeckers, nightingales, snipes, cranes and aquatic warblers. Meanwhile in the reptilian and amphibian world, Poland is home to lizards, snakes, terrapins, frogs, toads, salamanders and newts.