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Food and Drink
Poland has a distinctive cuisine, with typical ingredients being dill, marjoram, caraway seeds, wild mushrooms and sour cream, which is frequently added to soups, sauces and braised meats. Soups play an important part at mealtimes and are usually rich and very thick. Barszcz (beetroot soup), however, runs thin and clear and is often served in cups with small hot pasties stuffed with meat or cabbage. There are several salt- and fresh-water fish dishes using trout, carp and herring. Pastries, such as szarlotka (apple cake), packi (jelly doughnuts) and makowiec (poppy seed cake) can be bought at a cukiernia. Note that big cities offer a selection of other world cuisines.
National specialities:
• Bigos (sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, onions and any variety of leftover meat).
• Salted and rolled herring fillets with pickles and onions.
• Kabanos (long, thick sausages).
• Pierogi (dumplings stuffed with either meat, mushrooms and cabbage, cheese or fruit).
• Kasza (buckwheat).
National drinks:
• Vodka (wódka, in many various flavours - try krupnik and źołądkowa).
• The best bottled beer is zywiec, a fairly strong lager-type beer.
Legal drinking age: 18.
Tipping: 10 to 15% is customary in restaurants and cafes. Tipping in self-service restaurants is not expected. Tips for porter's services in hotels and train stations are customary but amounts are at the traveller's discretion.
National specialities:
• Bigos (sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, onions and any variety of leftover meat).
• Salted and rolled herring fillets with pickles and onions.
• Kabanos (long, thick sausages).
• Pierogi (dumplings stuffed with either meat, mushrooms and cabbage, cheese or fruit).
• Kasza (buckwheat).
National drinks:
• Vodka (wódka, in many various flavours - try krupnik and źołądkowa).
• The best bottled beer is zywiec, a fairly strong lager-type beer.
Legal drinking age: 18.
Tipping: 10 to 15% is customary in restaurants and cafes. Tipping in self-service restaurants is not expected. Tips for porter's services in hotels and train stations are customary but amounts are at the traveller's discretion.
Nightlife
The larger Polish cities have several theatre and dance companies. In addition there is a National Philharmonic, a National Opera and plenty of cinemas. There is a large selection of dance clubs, bars and venues for live music in most towns. Clubs often choose to stay open until the last guest leaves.
Shopping
Special purchases include glass and enamelware, handwoven rugs, silverware, handmade jewellery with amber and silver, dolls in regional costumes, woodcarvings and clay and metal sculptures.
Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 1000-1800/2000 and Sat 1000-1300/1600. ‘Night shops' open 24 hours. Supermarkets and department stores are usually open daily 1000-1900.
Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 1000-1800/2000 and Sat 1000-1300/1600. ‘Night shops' open 24 hours. Supermarkets and department stores are usually open daily 1000-1900.
