Read on to find out what is the traditional Polish Easter food, and get the recipes so you too can be ready for Easter. Click on my article about the Polish Easter traditions to learn more about how Poles celebrate this time.
You will find links to my favorite Polish online store and valued partner, Polana. If you are from the US, you can order authentic Polish food directly from them! The store is owned by wonderful people (read more here), that found a way to supply good quality Polish foods to people living in all different parts of the US.
The Polish Foodies readers can enjoy a bonus of 20% OFF (minimum order $60), just by entering coupon code FOODIE15 during checkout.
How Did The Tradition Of Easter Food Developed In Poland?
Poles usually had more modest meals during Lent and the preparation period for Easter. This was also due to the pre-harvest period of late winter. Early spring when winter supplies run out and the land did not yet produce new crops.
Therefore, Easter was always the time to celebrate traditional, long-awaited dishes. Today it is easy to get any product and food from the store but traditional food stays and there is no Easter without it.
If you want to watch how Poles celebrate Easter, see the video I made with my family last year:
Traditional Polish Easter Starts With…Breakfast
Yes, Easter in Poland starts with the Official Breakfast. But you can be sure the food during this meal is definitely not a typical breakfast. Many of the Polish Easter foods carry symbols of Christ’s resurrection and the beginning of new life. There are several traditional dishes, that housewives prepare even a few days prior to Easter Sunday. See the most popular one:
Barszcz Biały Na Zakwasie – Polish Easter White Borscht
Barszcz bialy, next to zurek is one of the two traditional soups served at Easter breakfast. The soups are a bit similar in taste, the zurek is a bit tangier, and the White Borscht is more gentle in taste and it comes with marjoram.
The Easter soup is always served with the food from easter Basket that was blessed on a Great Saturday. If you want to try and prepare your easter soup from the scratch, check out my recipes for white borscht and for żurek.
But if don’t have too much time to spend on making them, you can buy ready-made soup from one of the best Polish online stores in the US and our partner, Polana (don’t forget about the discount with coupon FOODIE15 with purchases over $ 60).
Polish Easter Pasha [Pascha Wielkanocna]
Easter pasha is not common in all parts of Poland, but it is really popular in the eastern borderlands, near Ukraine. Christians Orthodox have brought it along, and it has successfully made its way to polish tables.
Since it is not a very difficult dish, and it includes decoration with almonds and raisins, it is a perfect one, to invite a child to help with the preparation. You will find a detailed recipe in this post about Easter Pasha
Mazurek Wielkanocny -Easter Short Bread Cake With Various Fillings
Mazurek Wielkanocny is the traditional Easter dessert. It is made of a shortbread base and topped with a layer of cream filling, jam, or other tasty delights. There are many varieties of this dessert:
Mazurek as an Easter symbol was a sign of the end of Lent. It was a reward for those who endured 40 days without eating meat. This symbol has been embedded into the Polish Easter tradition in the seventeenth century and it is still very vivid today.
Polish Easter Bread Stuffed With Sausage Recipe [Murzin, Szołdra]
Seemingly to Easter pasha, this dish is not common to all parts of Planad, however, it is very popular with the Silesians. This easy-to-make bread is staffed with sausage, a thinly rolled pastry filled with meat, and then “closed in the shape of bread. I share the full recipe here on Polish Easter Bread.
Eggs
The egg is one of the most common Easter symbols across the Christian world. It is a manifestation of the new life, the shell symbolized the old and the yolk is new.
It also goes in the Easter basket as a sign of Christ’s victory over death and the rebirth of the faithful in his person. You can serve eggs in many forms and ways. The eggs in Mayonnaise and Polish Deviled Eggs are one of the most popular ways of serving them during Easter. Go to the post Best Polish Eggs Recipes.
Babka Wielkanonca – Easter Bundt Cake
Bundt cake – babka is, next to mazurek, the most traditional Easter dessert. It is easy to make, and delicious, and you can play around with flavors, making it orange instead of lemon, for instance.
You can also add some raisins, chocolate, or chocolate chips. Decorated with icing sugar or frosting makes a beautiful decoration for the Easter table. Babka is an easy recipe to follow. I shared recipes for many kinds of bundt cakes; and they all can be prepared for Easter:
However, if you are short of time, you can also find ready-made at Polana (the special discount for Foodies readers applies)
Baranek Wielkanocny – Easter Lamb
The symbolism of the Easter Lamb is the sacrifice of Jesus, who gave his life for all people while being without sin himself. Easter Lamb goes with an Easter Basket to the church on Great Saturday for blessing.
Baranek is made either of butter, you can get it from Polana, or you can bake one, however, you would need a special mold, like the one here. And to find the recipe on how to make the Easter Lamb, simply click on Polish Lamb Cake Recipe
Ćwikla Z Chrzanem – Horseradish With Beetroots
This side dish is a must during Easter Breakfast. A very intense taste is the best complement to all the heavy foods on the Easter table.
It goes back to the 15th century, when Cwikla made its way to Polish tables, and it is still one of the best side dishes. I share my recipe for a homemade Cwikla, but also check it out in the online Polish market Polana.
Roasts And Sausages
Easter comes after 40 days of fasting, and the sacrifice of simple and meatless food must be rewarded. That’s why there is always plenty of meat dishes served during Easter. Sausages are very popular, the white sausage usually goes to the easter Basket, and later it makes one of the ingredients of the white borscht.
You can also serve other types of Polish kiełbasa, in a salad, or as a side dish. Polana will supply you with all kinds of Polish kielbasa you need for Easter!
Sliced pork lion also often makes it to the Easter table. Alongside kielbasa, different kinds of ham make a perfect side dish.
10 Sałatka Jarzynowa
If you grow up among Poles, or you have polish roots, you know, that there is no celebration without asalatka jarzynowa.
There is always room for this traditional salad on the table. The secret to salatka jarzynowa is the right proportion of veggies and good mustard that will add tanginess to the taste.
I trust with this post, I made it easier for you to choose what Traditional Polish Easter dishes you could serve during the Easter Breakfast.
And I hope you enjoy the special bonus of 20% off with the FOODIE15 coupon that the Polish online market Polana has for you.
