Published in Palatinate, University of Durham By Joanna Biernat 2013
There are many things about my Polish heritage that have caused me anguish throughout my life. Most notably thirteen years spent waking up early on Saturdays to go to Polish school, and a surname which when mispronounced sounds almost exactly like ‘beermat’. Yet, one thing I will always owe to my grandparents and their arduous journey to Britain after World War Two, is the wonderful experience of a Polish Christmas.
Most of you, I imagine, will be totally unfamiliar with the tastes and traditions of an Anglo-Polish household at this festive time of year so here is my brief guide to Wigilia, objadanie się, i karp*
*Christmas Eve, over-eating and carp.
FASTING AND FEASTING.
Wigilia, (pronounced Vee-ghee-lya) or the Polish Christmas Eve, is traditionally a very family and food orientated day. You’re supposed to spend the day fasting and meat is strictly forbidden. However, when the first star is spotted in the sky at around 5pm (or when everyone is starving) the feasting begins. Don’t let the lack of meat throw you off; there is so much you can do with fish. At the traditional table you can find pickled herring, pike, trout, whitefish or carp, fried, steamed, breaded or baked.
Wigilia, (pronounced Vee-ghee-lya) or the Polish Christmas Eve, is traditionally a very family and food orientated day. You’re supposed to spend the day fasting and meat is strictly forbidden. However, when the first star is spotted in the sky at around 5pm (or when everyone is starving) the feasting begins. Don’t let the lack of meat throw you off; there is so much you can do with fish. At the traditional table you can find pickled herring, pike, trout, whitefish or carp, fried, steamed, breaded or baked.
12 COURSES.
Traditionally a polish Christmas should include 12 courses to represent the 12 apostles. In my house that was long dismissed as too much work. There are about as many possible dishes as there are consonants in their names so it’s often difficult to narrow it down. There’s the classic Barszcz or beetroot soup which is great because each family’s recipe is different. Then of course we have Pierogi (dumplings of unleavened dough with three traditional fillings). Poles love sauerkraut and cabbage and these are the star ingredients of dishes such as Bigos (hunter’s stew) and Gołąbki (cabbage rolls). For desert, if you can handle it, you may find Makowiec (poppy seed roll), Piernik(honey spiced cake) or a fruit compote.
Traditionally a polish Christmas should include 12 courses to represent the 12 apostles. In my house that was long dismissed as too much work. There are about as many possible dishes as there are consonants in their names so it’s often difficult to narrow it down. There’s the classic Barszcz or beetroot soup which is great because each family’s recipe is different. Then of course we have Pierogi (dumplings of unleavened dough with three traditional fillings). Poles love sauerkraut and cabbage and these are the star ingredients of dishes such as Bigos (hunter’s stew) and Gołąbki (cabbage rolls). For desert, if you can handle it, you may find Makowiec (poppy seed roll), Piernik(honey spiced cake) or a fruit compote.
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| 'I know I said I was hungry, but this...' |
CARP.
Ahh carp. Wigilia just wouldn’t be Wigilia without it. Unfortunately, following a particularly traumatic Christmas in 1998 when my mother almost choked on a huge carp bone lodged in her throat, this fish dish only made a comeback to the Biernat family table in recent years. Some of my favourite recipes include baked carp in aspic or ‘Ryba w Galarecie’, and ‘Karp na Szaro’ (Carp in a spiced sauce of raisins, red wine and much more.)
Ahh carp. Wigilia just wouldn’t be Wigilia without it. Unfortunately, following a particularly traumatic Christmas in 1998 when my mother almost choked on a huge carp bone lodged in her throat, this fish dish only made a comeback to the Biernat family table in recent years. Some of my favourite recipes include baked carp in aspic or ‘Ryba w Galarecie’, and ‘Karp na Szaro’ (Carp in a spiced sauce of raisins, red wine and much more.)
After all of this, presents are hastily unwrapped and it is traditional to set off full-bellied to ‘Pasterka’ (midnight mass) at the local church to commemorate the arrival of the Three Wise Men to Bethlehem.
