Ancient Cuisine - The Genuine Diet of Polish Ancestors
Tomasz Jankowski
2026-03-20
7 min. read
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Each nation boasts its unique traditional dishes, and Poland is no exception, with its pierogi, bigos, and red borscht. However, traditional cuisine has undergone changes over centuries, and there are differences in dishes between regions. For instance, on Silesia, dumplings with blue cabbage are popular, whereas in other parts of the country, one is more likely to find a pork schnitzel with potatoes and sauerkraut. What influenced the development of Polish culinary traditions? What did our forebears consume? Has the Polish cuisine always resembled what we know today?
Origins of traditional cuisine
The necessity of obtaining food was an integral part of human life from its very beginnings. The first people were engaged in gathering fruits and berries and hunting, and the first crops grown on Polish territory were mainly wheat, barley, beans, peas, and millet. In the first half of the first millennium C.E., rye became the most popular grain. Only much later, in the first half of the 18th century, potatoes appeared on Polish tables, which are still an important component of the diet today. The rural population mainly fed on plants, while in cities, the diet of the wealthier population was dominated by game and fish. The Polish cuisine, thanks to the influence of the rulers, especially their wives, began to be subject to foreign influences, mainly Italian and French. Queen Bona brought unknown vegetables, some of which are currently part of the well-known Italian mix. The cultivation of celery, cauliflower, leeks, asparagus, lettuce, and artichokes began. Thanks to French influences, such culinary techniques as blanching, stuffing, breading, and marinating became popular.
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