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What Polish foods and brands do you miss when you go to other countries?

jon357 63 | 14,110
22 Jul 2015  #31
Exactly the same as Polish mass-produced food then. The largest consumer of frozen chips in Europe, by the way. Bread the same. How or why someone would miss Baltonowski (a mass produced product) is a mystery.

Sure you can make everything from scratch, however most people back in Poland don't. In the UK although they have processed foods too, the quality and choice tend to be higher. Just no Pasztet Podlaski, Goracy Kubek, parowki, paprykarz szczecinskie (a 1960s invention), kielbasa Torunska & similar.

Missing Ptasie Mleko is an odd one too - basically a mass-produced downmarket product full of chemicals. There are nicer things to miss, and more similar but better quality products available in the UK.
InPolska 11 | 1,821
22 Jul 2015  #32
What's the big deal re those mleczny ptasek thing or whatever it is called? No taste and simply sugar and artifical sh]]]. Poles eat too much sugar (often when I say I don't want sugar in my tea or coffee, people give me strange looks ;)) and artificial foods.
rozumiemnic 8 | 3,664
22 Jul 2015  #33
those mleczny things are truly gross....
The first year I was in Poland my boss gave me a box of chocolates and I was shocked at how nasty they were.
Which is odd as Poland has lovely chocolate bars like Wedel.
Polish week in Lidl this week! Son and I are having a Polish sandwich fest.
They have sliced cheese, ham, mustard etc.!
I even bought a jar of smalec...
ryouga 4 | 59
22 Jul 2015  #34
I find polish food tastier than British and the funny thing is a lot of products like British chocolate or ready meals are made in Poland or Romania now anyway, though I notice since Cadbury's moved to Poland the quality dropped but I assume that more dut to cost cutting than anything else.
22 Jul 2015  #35
One thing I don't buy since it moved production is Cadbury chocolate. You're right the quality is very low now and I actually find Aldi or Lidl chocolate better tasting, so I buy that, both are foreign now.

As for ready meals, never do I buy such lazy bone idol crap !!.
rozumiemnic 8 | 3,664
22 Jul 2015  #36
yes I am afraid Cadburys has changed their recipe and their chocolate is not as nice.
I love that Wedel stuff from Poland but sadly I have to avoid it as I would just eat a whole bar....
jon357 63 | 14,110
22 Jul 2015  #37
Wedel chocolate is still good, but Wawel seems better.
InPolska 11 | 1,821
22 Jul 2015  #38
All these Polish brands have been sold to foreign companies.

As to mleczny ptasek, they used to be a big deal in Poland since the "perfect gift" to secretaries and to lower level bureaucrats when favor needed in times of PLR. It is really gross, no taste but sugar and artificial crap.

Poland obviously has no chocolate tradition and therefore nothing special.

Since I live in Poland, I rather buy Swiss (unfortunately in Poland only Lindt brand - I like Lindt but it is not the only Swiss brand, that's what I mean) or Belgian chocolate but I prefer Swiss as less greasy. No doubt in Poland I buy Lindt (even if more expensive) over any Polish brand.

PS: I have also tasted "chocolate" from ..... Ukraine, Russia and Moldavia ;). Believe me, most probably hardly any cacao;)
ryouga 4 | 59
22 Jul 2015  #39
The food I am thinking of now I take another thought I think it was a long thick bar with orange cream rather than small pieces, rather like a Mars bar
Polonius3 1,000 | 12,449
22 Jul 2015  #40
Polish mass-produced food

Let's face it, most of the industrially produced food in Poland, Canada, Britain, Germany, the USA and most everywhere else is highly chemicalised crapola designed to deceive the palate. A food technologist form Scotland once explained to me that nature-identical ingredients are the same as natural ones since in the lab all the atoms balance out. The food industry is interested in maximum yields and maximum profits, and qualtiy is the loser.

But traditonal, natural food is so pricey that only the well-to-do can afford to make a steady diet thereof.
As for the missing, I don't miss any Polish foods when in the States because they are now available in Polish supermarkets and delis in all larger cities with a significnat Polonian community.
jon357 63 | 14,110
22 Jul 2015  #41
Yes, though I'd add that you can cook well from basic ingredients. Meat especially in its processed forms like kielbasa is the problem. That and cheap chicken - basically protein biomass that involved immense cruelty.

One thing about the expat foods. In the UK, in Polish shops they sell Jogobella and Masmix. Why? Margarine is margarine, the same everywhere and Jogobella is just a rather sugary yoghurt. A lot to do with sentiment, plus a youngish, male and less sophisticated demographic.
23 Jul 2015  #42
Prolly coz Jogobella's usual line doesnt contain modified starch, and thats good. many uk brands do except the more premium ranges. That said, some PL dairy products contain karagen e407 and thats something i look to avoid. some of Zott heavier cream does, for example. lots of cream contains additives in Poland, but not all brands.
jon357 63 | 14,110
23 Jul 2015  #43
It does however contain plenty of nasties and in any case, I doubt the people who buy it have ever looked at the ingredients. Premium it is not, nor is Masmix or Kubuś; just brands that conservative eaters know.
ryouga 4 | 59
23 Jul 2015  #44
I assume there is variation on colourings and such, I know im America sweets and drinks are flavoured with corn syrup rather than sugar, Americans think UK sweets are very sickly and sweet but I find American sweets very sickly and American chocolate is said to taste like sick, and I tasted some before and I thought the same and I have a sweet tooth.

I find Belgian chocolate quite nice but Swiss chocolate far too sweet and creamy

I prefer boiled sweets anyway.

I only eat ready meals as I am a single person so to spend as much a hour preparing food is quite time consuming and I dislike reheated food.
23 Jul 2015  #45
Jogobella is made by Zott or snot as my Polish friend sometimes says... but not aware of nasties in classic jogobella, in fact my friend is very fussy and says its pure. ok some other zott-jogobella lines have additves of course. if you mean glucose syrup or concentrates, hard to find one that doesnt unless its something like Yeo Valley or Rachel's. Poles in UK find Jogobella about half the price of Yeo and similar and as flavorsome if i can use americanisms, and with a family to feed that makes a big difference to the pocket - and most classic jogobella if stored correctly tastes premium and far from the mod corn starch ***** on many uk (and poland) supermarket shelves. case closed.
jon357 63 | 14,110
23 Jul 2015  #46
There's something in that, and yes, I agree.

With Poles in the UK at the moment, there's a demographic weighting towards younger males with lower educational attainment, often from the sticks. Many simply have never cooked; it's what women do. Hence liking the brands of ready made stuff they know from home, Gorący Kubek, for example.
23 Jul 2015  #47
yes ryouga, i too cant stand american chocolate and would like to know which brands are good and which hyped there. hersheys people cry with excitement. i tasted it once. just once. tasted like sainsbury basics to me.
johnny reb 16 | 3,444
23 Jul 2015  #48
hersheys people cry with excitement

Oh balony.....hersheys is a cheap American chocolate.
There are a lot of excellent American chocolates.
You get what you pay for.
23 Jul 2015  #49
care to recommend some brands, pls mr reb !!
i'd like to know for next time i'm there, chocolate's a big part of my life ;)
johnny reb 16 | 3,444
23 Jul 2015  #50
I love my chocolate too.
My favorite is Kilwins.
I have to order it but it is worth it.
I get mine from Gatlinburg Tennessee.
They have stores in many States. (Mostly Florida and Michigan)
Google them and find out if they are in a State that you will be visiting.
That stuff is top shelf and melts in your mouth.
Their ice cream is the best in the world too.
Do enjoy and remember I told you so.
23 Jul 2015  #51
thank you mr reb, but does anything in the world beat a bar of cadbury whole nut or flake :)
Polonius3 1,000 | 12,449
23 Jul 2015  #52

Anyone know what ever happened to mała kawa or mała czarna? That was a roughly 4 ounce cup of fair-strength coffee out of an espresso machine. Now they don't even have such cups in most cafés. It's either the tiny espresso cup or the oversized 6-7 ounce cup. Americano is a bit too weak for my taste. The mała kawa was roughly midway in potency between today's espresso and Americano.
Lenka 2 | 1,284
3 Jul 2019  #53
What I really miss right now is nice goladki and bigos. Cliches but I just can't make them as good as my mum.

Good zurek would be nice too.

Sorry if they are too obvious but that's what I would order
johnny reb 16 | 3,444
3 Jul 2019  #54
Thank you.
I will give the bigos a try unless someone has a better suggestion.
I have always wanted to try their zurek wielkanocny so maybe get that for an appetizer to start with.
I am off to the lake to jet ski today to give the Mods a break.
Thank you again Lenka.
Dirk diggler 9 | 4,346
3 Jul 2019  #55
Kotlet schabowy + bigos

Usually bigos isn't eaten alone atleast not for dinner. It's basically cabbage with kielbasa
Lenka 2 | 1,284
3 Jul 2019  #56
???? Not in Poland...I never saw it eaten with kotlet. Bread or potatoes but nothing more...

Anyone else had that combo? I'm really surprised here...
Dirk diggler 9 | 4,346
3 Jul 2019  #57
Idk we've always eaten it as more of a side dish, sometimes bigos by itself for lunch but not so much dinner
Lenka 2 | 1,284
3 Jul 2019  #58
Are you sure you are not mixing bigos and kapusta zasmażana? The later would definately be served as a side dish...
cms neuf - | 847
3 Jul 2019  #59
The only place its eaten as a side dish is in the Red Apple buffet, washed down by some heavily marked up Okocim

Of course here in Poland its normally a quick meal in itself - at a Zajazd or on the train, at a poprawiny or from a Miedzychod jar. Maybe a slice of bread with it.
Dirk diggler 9 | 4,346
3 Jul 2019  #60
No we usually eat it with potatoes or kotlet or something if dinner, by itself if lunch and never for breakfast. Idk maybe it differs from region to region family to family. In restaurants I've seen it both as a main course and a side dish

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