| . . . experience the legendary hospitality and culinary traditions of Poland
 Fuel Your Passion For Cooking and Culture on a Cooking Holiday to Poland
Even the most discriminating world travelers marvel at the rich culture and hospitality of Poland, the seventh largest country in Europe. Poland's diverse topography includes 328 miles (528 km) of Baltic seacoast, one of only five deserts in Europe, four lake districts, broad ice-age river valleys, and one of the oldest mountain ranges on earth.
At Poland Culinary Vacations, we offer customized, intimate cooking vacations throughout the various regions of Poland. We combine elements of rural tourism - known locally as "agrotourism" - with a satisfying, slow-vacation approach. You'll enjoy hands-on and demonstration-style cooking lessons in Polish farm homes and acclaimed urban restaurants. In the evenings, you'll retire to the casual elegance and historic wonder of a castle or palace during the agricultural portion of our trip. Refined hotel accommodations await you while we're exploring the cities of Poland.
Join Polish Culinary Vacations for a truly amazing cooking holiday experience!
On your Polish cooking holiday you will:
- Cook traditional recipes in Polish villages with local women
- Visit neighborhood markets and Polish food festivals
- Sample rare delicacies from local artisan producers and family farms: breads, cheeses, preserves, sausages, wild game dishes, beer, honey wines, and world-renowned vodkas
- Go blueberry and mushroom hunting
- Learn local crafts
- Visit many famous cultural sites throughout Poland
- Learn about the history, traditions, and identity of the Polish people
"Thank you for re-acquainting me with my heritage! Your culinary tour was particularly meaningful to me and your detailed planning made it wonderful to be there and experience the food, the country and the people. Everyone associated with the tour was knowledgeable, friendly, and great traveling company. You thought of everything! I had a wonderful time. Look for me, and additional members of my family, to be booking another tour." ~ Joanne H, Myrtle Beach, SC
The People behind the Cuisine
After the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, tourism began to boom in Poland, where a rich heritage and wonderful cuisine are especially attractive to travelers interested in exploring their passions and enriching their life with new experiences.
The people of Poland enjoy a relaxed lifestyle, focused on the pleasures of family, friends, and fantastic meals, especially in small towns and villages. They take time to socialize with newcomers and are especially welcoming to travelers who truly want to learn about the land and people they are visiting.
Throughout the nation, agrotourism is thriving in rural communities where organic and eco-friendly farming and sustainable harvesting are simply a cultural way of life. Rich, unspoiled agrarian lands abundantly yield the fresh, quality ingredients that go into the traditional meals made in Polish homes every day.
The Poles are famous for their delicious meat entrées, wild game dishes, and remarkable variety of sausages. Recipes that have been passed down through the generations are as dear to each family as the stories and sense of identity that the food represents. While vacationing in Poland you'll also discover and come to love a diverse array of whole-grain breads, savory soups, delectable appetizers, recipes including wild mushrooms and berries, fresh salads, and fabulous desserts.
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Regional Specialities
From the Baltic coast in the northwest to the mountainous southern regions, traditional dishes have evolved based on the availability of specific produce, fish, and wild game. Regional variations have also been influenced by Poland's diverse history of culinary influences from Czech, German, Italian, French, Lithuanian, Russian, and Jewish cultures.
The Sudety Mountains along the southwest border and the Karpaty Mountains to the southeast, Silesia and Lesser Poland, are known for a mix of highland culture and agrarian valleys. Near the river valleys of southern Poland, the climate is perfect for growing hops. Pierogi, stuffed dumplings and potato pancakes abound along with locally brewed beers.
In Lesser Poland, oscypek, a mountain sheep cheese, potatoes, eggs, sausages, rye, and finely milled buckwheat groats are the staples. Zurek, the fermented rye soup now cooked throughout Poland, comes from Silesia region. Also, well-loved in Silesia, are kotlety mielone, ground meat patties, cooked red cabbage with bacon and kluski slaskie, the Silesian dumplings often served with meat sauces, known for their round shape and small dimple in the middle.
The lands of Greater Poland, Mazovia, Podlassia and Mazuria sweep from the fertile agricultural regions of west central Poland to the less arable regions to the east and then upward into the forests and lakes of the northeast.
Greater Poland is famous for being "the land of the potatoes" or pyry. German-influenced cuisine is common throughout this area, and one of the regional specialties is metka, or kielbasa tatarowa, a soft sausage spread.
Poland's capital, Warsaw, is in the Mazovia region. This area is best known for several fantastic stews including the great comfort food, bigos, or Hunter's Stew, and Mazovian-style potato pancakes with sour cream. While less suited for farming, Podlassia's forests yield a wealth of berries, honey, and wild mushrooms. The rare European bison also roam here. In Mazuria, forest fare is complemented by a variety of fish from the lakes and rivers.
To the northwest, Pomerania runs along the shore of the Baltic Sea. Inland regions yield crops of rye and wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, and vegetables as well as domestic livestock such as pork, beef, goose, and duck. The coast offers a variety of fish and seafood. Many of the delicious herring and other seafood recipes come from the Pomerania region.
Throughout Poland, local breweries make fine beers. Honey meads are specialties of the forested regions. Poland is also known as the birthplace of vodka, with the drink appearing in manuscripts written as early as 1405. One of the most unique variations is the Zubrowka, flavored with an aromatic grass from the forests of Podlassia.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland keeps a List of Regional and Traditional Products made in Poland. This rapidly-growing list now contains over 500 unique products.
Dishes you might sample during your cooking holiday in Poland:
- Zurek soup ~ fermented rye soup with sausage and egg
- Barszcz czerwony ~ red beetroot soup or borscht
- Golabki ~ stuffed cabbage rolls
- Bigos ~ Hunter's Stew with Polish kielbasa, pork and beef meats
- Pierogi ~ stuffed dumplings
- Zrazy ~ pork rolls with pickles and bacon
- Kaczka pieczona z jablkami ~ baked duck with apples
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COOKING HOLIDAYS IN POLAND |
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Learn to Cook and Have Fun!
Whether you're experiencing the rich culinary tradition of Poland for the first time, or reconnecting with your Polish heritage, Poland Culinary Vacations can offer you a truly unique adventure. We'll introduce you to the traditional roots of Polish cooking as well as the outstanding cuisine of modern Polish chefs.
Polish food has always been firmly focused on natural ingredients, local produce, and solid home-cooking. You'll sample tasty culinary delights, find out about regional specialties, and get some great recipes, all while in the company of the warm, generous, and welcoming people of Poland.
Because of our personal connections to various communities in Poland, we're aware of food and folklore festivals happening throughout the season. Many of our trips include stops to enjoy these special aspects of Polish life. Wherever we go, the local farmers, bakers, meat shop owners, and chefs are eager to share their way of life with us.
With Poland Culinary Vacations, you'll travel in the company of a small group of English-speaking, food-loving people from all over the world. And, thanks to our slow-vacation approach, whether you are traveling solo or with your own group of friends, you'll have time to truly get to know your companions.
Our trips, created in collaboration with local people, are sure to indulge and inspire your palate, and feed your soul. International recognition of the exceptional Polish cuisine is growing, and we hope you will become a part of this "delicious" trend by joining us for a unique culinary adventure.
Available Destinations & Dates:
(click on date to learn more)
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION VISIT WWW.POLANDCULINARYVACATIONS.COM
One Day Cooking Classes
 If you are traveling to Poland or already are in Poland and don't have time for our week-long culinary vacations, we also offer one-day cooking classes in cooperation with The Culinary Institute in Cracow, in the Lesser Poland region. Hands-on cooking classes are typically four hours long and include preparation of a three course Polish meal with drinks. The recipes will be decided shortly before the start of the class based upon the freshest seasonal ingredients available at the time. Classes culminate in a tasting of all the dishes prepared in class. Sometimes visits and shopping at the food markets are also included where you can savor the flavors of fresh local produce and authentic local life.
The Culinary Institute in Cracow - Polish Cooking with Chef Marek Widomski
Roll up your sleeves and enjoy a hands-on cooking class with English speaking Chef Marek Widomski at The Culinary Institute in Cracow located in a small village on the outskirts of Krakow, the capital of Lesser Poland. The specious facility offers state of the art, modern kitchen appliances and equipment. Chef Marek teaches the art of cooking to anyone with a passion for cooking. His personalized classes are offered for every level of cook and are designed to make you a better cook. His long list of accomplishments includes graduation from Pierre Dubrulle French Culinary Arts School in Vancouver, Canada and work experience in restaurants and hotels across Italy, Canada and Poland. He is a member of the elite Foundation of Culinary Chefs Club of Poland and served as a President of the Polish National Association of Chefs and Pastry Chefs.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND DATES VISIT WWW.POLANDCULINARYVACATIONS.COM
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POLAND CULINARY VACATIONS |
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About Us
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Malgorzata (Sarna) Rose |
Malgorzata (Sarna) Rose, founder and President of Poland Culinary Vacations, is a native of Poland. She was born in Wroclaw, in the Lower Silesia region. Poland Culinary Vacations grew out of her love and passion for travel and everything Polish, including fine Polish cuisine, eventually blossoming into a first-class culinary travel company. She shares her philosophy:
"Travel helps us to better understand and appreciate other people, ultimately leading to a more peaceful world. Nothing is more intimate, or more effective at breaking down cultural barriers, than cooking and sharing meals together."
Fifteen years of extensive international travel, for both business and pleasure, plus a long and successful career in international business in the areas of sales and marketing, gave her a solid foundation upon which to build Poland Culinary Vacations.
While growing up in Poland, she experienced the great joy of cooking with family and friends. Using her grandmothers' recipes and fresh ingredients from their gardens, they prepared food for weddings, parties, and traditional holidays. Now, through Poland Culinary Vacations, she wants to share that experience with you, and show you the best of everyday Polish living: the special people and their hospitality, and the heritage and traditions unique to each region. Only a native can help you discover and fully experience the authentic Poland.
She currently lives in beautiful Bozeman, Montana, with her American husband and son, who enjoy traveling to Poland with her to experience the Polish way of life.
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