Holidays

All Saints’ Day in Poland – Wszystkich Swietych

October 24, 2017 by polishhousewife 8 Comments

All Saints’ Day in Poland

Our protestant church in Tucson celebrates All Saints’ Day. The names of deceased loved ones are tied to a tall bell banner that’s part of the procession into the sanctuary the first Sunday in November. We read the names of church members who have died within the last year, a bell chiming with the reading of each name.

The sermon will most likely focus on the saints who have gone before, but that’s pretty much it, and that is more recognition of the day than most Americans will have. My first All Saints’ Day in Poland was different.

I knew to expect much more on November 1st. Correct me if I’m wrong, but in Poland, this seems to be a holiday on par with Christmas and Easter.

Businesses are closed. People travel great distances to spend the day with family. Our local public transportation announced that they would be adding trams and buses to accommodate the holiday traffic in the city.

A friend told me that mass on this day is considered obligatory. The purpose being to pray for dead relatives, so that any souls that are in purgatory might move closer to heaven. This isn’t just a day of remembrance. There is work (if I can use this word referring to prayer) to be done.

It seems to me that this is a tremendous responsibility, and yet this is my friend’s favorite holiday. Families gather in cemeteries to pray. They attend mass at the cemeteries and in churches. They share a meal with extended family.

Because November 1st fell on a Tuesday the first year I was in Poland, many took Monday off too. We took advantage of the long weekend by organizing and delivering the paperwork for our resident permits on Monday. Tuesday evening, we visited the Citadel, a former fortress, the place of a series of military cemeteries from both World Wars.

I wish you could see the beautiful glass lanterns lit by candle light. There will be hundreds sold at every supermarket. People will buy them for their loved ones, but also to leave on the graves of people they didn’t know. Tombstones from from all nationalities will be decorated.

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We arrived after dark, which I think was about 5:30, under the glow of street lights. Once we left the sidewalk, the graveside candles provided the only light. Fortunately, there were hundreds of them.

To give you a feel for how dark it was, the photos in this post were taken with very long exposures, up to 25 seconds. There was a steady stream of people walking through the cemetery, some still bringing more candles and lighting them.

On our way home, we stopped by the rynek. It was kind of eerie to see it so deserted, only one or two pedestrians crossing the square. A few of the bars and restaurants were open; we stopped by Brovaria for a light snack and one of their seasonal hot beers.

Pozdrawiam,

Lois

PS – see how this compares to an All Soul’s remembrance in Tucson.

Taking advantage of being out with my camera on All Saints’ Day in Poland

The morning after – Nov. 2

Makowiec Polish Poppy Seed Roll

October 10, 2017 by polishhousewife 29 Comments

Makowiec Polish Poppy Seed Roll, is very popular in southwestern Pennsylvania where Ed grew up. My mother-in- law, and most other bakers in the area, would often make Makowiec and similar rolls with a nut or apricot filling.

It’s a must have for Easter and Christmas in Polish homes, but it’s not saved for these special occasions. You might see it offered regularly for drugie śniadanie, second breakfast. It’s jus the time to have with coffee or a cup of tea.

Janet recently asked on the PH Facebook page if I had a Makowiec recipe, which prompted this post. This recipe is adapted from OlgaSmile.com, a popular Polish food blog.

Makowiec, especially this truly Polish version, isn’t very sweet, so American palates may prefer it with a little glaze poured over the top to add a little sweetness to each bite.

Like all traditional recipes, every family will put their own spin on Makowiec Polish Poppy Seed Roll. I even had a glazed twisted donut like pastry in Poland that reminded me of Makowiec. You’ll find variations in the recipe notes, and this is a similar (but different) rolled pastry from my kitchen.

Smacznego!

Lois

Makowiec Polish Poppy Seed Roll

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews

Author: Polish Housewife
Yield: 2 rolls
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: Polish

Description

A soft yeast bread wrapped around a poppy seed filling

Ingredients

for the dough:
1 cup (250 ml) milk
4 teaspoons (15 g) sugar
2 packets (14 g) yeast
4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup (50 g) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
for the filling:
10 ounces (300 g) poppy seeds
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
2 teaspoons butter
2 egg whites
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup raisins
1 egg
1 tablespoon oil
for glaze (optional);
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk

Instructions

Cover the poppy seeds in boiling water and let sit for a few hours or overnight
Heat the milk to 110 F (43 C), pour into a large bowl
Stir in the sugar and the yeast, let sit for 5 minutes
Stir in the flour, salt, egg yolk, butter, and vanilla, kneading my hand to work in all of the flour
Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let rise until doubled in size about 90 minutes
While the dough rises, strain the water from the poppy seeds using a paper towel lined colander
Grind the poppy seeds in a spice (clean electric coffee grinder) or a food processor, you’ll get the best results with a spice grinder, but you’ll have to process in batches
Mix sugar, butter, egg whites, honey, ground raisins (process in your spice grinder or just add to the food processor and mix) and almond extract
Punch down the dough, and divide in two
Roll each piece into a 14 inch x 10 inch rectangle
Spread half of the poppy seed filling in each rectangle, avoiding the edges
Roll up (on the long side), pinching to seal the dough, tucking the end underneath and pinching to keep the filling from leaking out
Place the rolls on a parchment lined baking sheet, seam side down
Cover with dish towel and let rise 35-40 minutes
Preheat over to 350 F (175 C)
Brush with egg beaten with oil, bake for 35 minutes
Cool
(Optional) stir milk into powdered sugar and pour/drizzle over the rolls
Cut into 1/2 inch slices

Halloween in Poland

October 3, 2017 by polishhousewife 2 Comments

Talk to anyone about Halloween in Poland and they’ll not only know about Halloween, they’re sure to have an opinon. Some will think it’s just good fun for children, and others will might reply as one Polish aquaintance did angrily stating, that she was Polish therefore, she didn’t celebrate Halloween. It’s not an uncommon view.

My friend Chris is American. She’s married to a Polish man, and they’re raising their two Polish daughters in Poland. Fortunately, most of her neighbors have been kind as she tries to share some of her culture with their daughters.

They distribute flyers to neighbors to share their situation as a multi-cultural family, ask if they’d be willing to participate in trick-or-treating, and also invite the neighbor’s children to join them. I think it usually ends up with a little party at Chris’ place. (Jump in and correct me if I’m wrong, Chris, and pass along any of the more entertaining “regrets” you’ve gotten!)

History of Halloween

You probably know that Halloween, with it’s pagan roots, came to the New World with European immigrants. Even in Poland which has been a Catholic country for almost 1,000 years, some pagan tradition have found a place in the culture.

Dziady, which translates to Grandfathers, is such a holiday. Dziady is an ancient Slavic feast commenorating the dead. It was popular during the Polish-Lithuanian Commonweath, especially in the east, which is now Belarus, a country that still celebrates Dziady. In the Republic of Poland, Dziady has merged with Zaduszki, or All Saints Day on November 1st. I write about that holiday in this post.

Exporting American Culture

We, unintentionally perhaps, export American culture to other countries; so many television show and movies made in the US are seen in Poland, that people are aware of many of our holiday traditions.

It’s not unheard of for Polish businesses to incorporate a Halloween theme, perhaps in decorating a store window, a costume night at a disco. Some families, besides my American friend, Chis, will plan Halloween parties for children.

Most big cities in Poland have one or more international schools, where many of the student will be Polish. Their families want them to have a strong education in English and can afford to pay the very steep tuition. In these schools, students are exposed to a whole variety of cultures and traditions including Halloween celebrations.

Culture Creep

If it seems that some Poles are very sensitive about protecing their Polish culture, keeping it pure and not letting other cultures creep into their lives, we need to remember that twice, Poland has completely disappeared from the map, divided and taken over by neighboring countries.

Their language has been outlawed and brave souls risked their lives to continue teaching their children Polish. With such a past, being so protective of Polish traditions is more understandable.

As for my neck of the woods, 20 years ago, the streets were teaming with kids trick-or-treating on Halloween, but last year, our doorbell only rang once or twice. We’ll stock up on candy just in case, but in a self-destructive move, I’m sure I’ll buy something that I like. 😉

Pozdrawiam,

Lois

PS – thanks to Carl and Carla for suggesting the topic! To be clear, after all of my rambling:

Halloween is known in Poland.
It’s not seen as a Polish holiday, but a few people will join in the fun.
Some are adamently opposed to Halloween because it’s not Polish and because of it’s pagan roots.

This doesn’t just happen in Poland. I was a Sunday School teacher at a Presbyterian church in Tucson and the ruling Elders sent word that we were to have no reference to Halloween in our classrooms, no pumpkins, no Halloween candy, nothing. A few years later, new leadership, and the church is hosting a Fall Festival, complete with pumpkin decorating and costumes.

If you have suggestions for things you’d like me to write about, please let me know. I’m always looking for inspiration, and some of my most popular posts have come from reader suggestions. Don’t be shy!

Paczki for Fat Thursday (Tlusty Czwartek)

February 19, 2017 by polishhousewife 19 Comments

We ate Paczki for Fat Thursday when we lived in Poland, but this is the first year that I’ve made my own. Like everything else, homemade is always better. If I’m perfectly honest, I couldn’t understand the fuss about store-bought Paczki. It’s probably because I was, based on the appearance, expecting an American doughnut. I found the pastry itself too dense and bread-y and the jam too scant. Now that I’ve had homemade, I know that all of you who have enjoyed mama’s or babcia’s paczki were holding out on me!

My own Paczki? The outside is crisp; the dough is rich and delicate, like an orange scented brioche. The jam, in my case orange marmalade, really is just an accent. As I said, homemade is always better! So with the last week of Karnawal approaching, let me urge you to make your own paczki for Fat Thursday.

Although I’ve doubled the flour used, I’ve used the recipe from Polish Cookery, the translation of Uniwersalna Ksiazka Kucharska (the Universal Cookbook, published in the early 1900s) by Marja Ochorowica-Monatowa, which bills itself as Poland’s best-selling cookbook adapted for American kitchens. This was the first of my many Polish cookbooks. It’s translated and adapted by Jean Karsavina, originally published in 1958. I have to agree wholeheartedly with Ms. Karsavina’s remarks in the preface:

Poland, like France, is a country where people really know food. One can stop at a peasant home in the country, a wayside inn, a modest restaurant in a working-class neighborhood, and be served a meal with remembering. Good food is tradition. Polish hospitality is legendary.

Gone from the original book in Polish are the recipes for Roast Boar’s Head and Turkey Garnished with Two Dozen Roast Field Thrushes, and the original author’s assertion that the book’s purpose was to “give brides a knowledge of how cooking is done, so that they may supervise the servants properly.” This was essential, Ms. Montowa says because, “everyone knows how apt servants are to cheat, especially if the lady of the house makes no attempt to interest herself in planning menus or fails to check bills and accounts. If,” she tells us, “there is time on one’s schedule for singing lessons, piano practice, water coloring, and fine embroidery, surely there is also a half-hours each day which can be made available for one’s housewifely duties. . .” It’s a long way from my great-grandmother who was raising 10 children, homesteading with her cattle-ranching husband in the Arizona Territory at the time. 😉

Whether you are supervising the staff or making your own pastry in homage to a pioneer ancestors, I hope you’ll give Paczki for Fat Thursday a try this year, especially if you’ve never had homemade. Give Karnawal a good send off. My friend Klaudia tells me the nicest and most traditional jam to use it a rose jam, but you can certainly use other fruit jams or marmalade.

Smacznego!

Lois