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Originating from the historical region of Red Ruthenia, these soft, crescent-shaped dumplings are filled with a combination of potatoes and cheese, which is occasionally modified with various seasonings or fried onions. Pierogi ruskie are usually boiled and shortly fried until they develop a crispy texture.
The dumplings are often served sprinkled with cracklings, crispy fried onions, or bacon, and can be enjoyed as a hearty appetizer or as a main course. In Ukraine, the pierogis are called varenyky, and they are so popular that there is even a monument celebrating varenyky in the city of Cherkasy.
MOST ICONIC Pierogi Ruskie
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Krokiet is a unique Polish dish consisting of a thin crêpe filled with various ingredients. It is then neatly folded in a roll, breaded, and shortly fried until golden and crispy. The fillings are usually based on sautéed meat or vegetables, or a combination of both.
Two or more krokiets are traditionally served as the main course, but they can often be enjoyed as a side dish served alongside hearty and thick Polish soups.
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Pasztet is a unique Polish dish that is traditionally served at special, festive occasions such as Christmas and Easter. It is characterized by its texture and flavor, and unlike other, spreadable pâtés, pasztet is more like a terrine, so it is recommended to serve it in slices.
Pasztet is usually made from cooked liver, beef, pork, or venison, along with spices, herbs, and a bit of vegetables such as carrots or mushrooms. For a more traditional pasztet, veal and pork are the most common meat varieties, which are then covered in pork fat to prevent the pasztet from being too dry.
MOST ICONIC Pasztet
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Rolada z kurczakiem i pieczarkami is a mushroom-stuffed chicken roulade in an egg-cheese coating. It is usually made with thin chicken breast slices that are topped with fried mushrooms and onions, and then rolled up and baked in an egg-cheese batter.
It is best to bake the roulade in a keksówki pan in order to preserve its form, even though it can also be baked in a regular baking sheet. Meat roulades (or zrazy in Polish) are traditionally made with beef, pork, or veal, but they can also be made with poultry as in this case.
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A simple combination of green beans with almonds, fasolka z migdałami is a variation of the classic Polish green beans with breadcrumbs. It consists of steamed or boiled green beans and chopped almonds that are roasted or fried in butter. With an excellent combination of flavors, the dish makes a great vegetarian main course.
It can also be served as an appetizer or a side to meat and fish dishes.
Smalec is a traditional spread originating from Poland. The spread is based on rendered pork fat, onions, and spices. For centuries, it was a hearty and inexpensive meal for the working class, and over time it became a symbol of Polish hospitality.
Although there are many versions of the spread, it's usually made with a combination of pork fat, onions, diced apples, prunes, garlic, marjoram, salt, and pepper. The onions, apples, and prunes are fried in pork fat over low heat. The mixture is then enriched with minced garlic, marjoram, and seasonings.
Ryba po grecku is a traditional fish dish originating from Poland. Although there are variations, the dish is usually made with a combination of fish fillets (cod, haddock, tilapia, perch, pike, etc.), carrots, celery, leeks, parsley, onions, oil, tomato paste, lemon juice or vinegar, bay leaves, paprika, salt, and pepper.
The fillets are seasoned with salt and pepper, fried in oil on both sides, and set aside. The carrots and celery are grated and mixed with the other chopped vegetables before the mixture is sautéed over medium heat until soft. Near the end of cooking, the rest of the ingredients are stirred in and everything is sautéed for a few more minutes.
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Śledzie is a Polish specialty consisting of herrings pickled in various ingredients such as vinegar, oil, sour cream, and onions. Due to the large amount of marinades and flavors, there is also a special variety of sweet herrings. Śledzie is traditionally served on Christmas Eve, as a cold appetizer or a side dish.
It is recommended to pair this popular dish with dry white and red wines.
MOST ICONIC Rolmopsy
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Bliny gryczane is a Polish pancake made with a batter of buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, milk, eggs, and a pinch of salt. The pancake batter is allowed to rise, and then spoonfuls of it are added to a frying pan with heated oil or melted butter to form thick pancakes, which are flipped on both sides until nicely brown.
Polish buckwheat pancakes are usually consumed as an appetizer and are traditionally served with caviar, sour cream, salmon roe, or slices of onion. Other typical accompaniments include slices of shallots, hard-boiled eggs, and dill or parsley for garnish.
Moczka is a traditional dish originating from Upper Silesia. This dish has so many versions that it's sometimes treated as a dessert and other times as an appetizer. The sweet soup is made with gingerbread that's soaked in dark beer, water, or stock alongside nuts such as almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts and dried fruit such as raisins, prunes, apricots, figs, dates, or pears.
Dark chocolate, butter, and flour are also sometimes added to the sweet soup. Moczka is traditionally prepared during the festive Christmas season and it can be served warm or cold.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 12 Polish Appetizers” list until February 13, 2025, 1,346 ratings were recorded, of which 1,098 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.