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Sandwiches built Germany. Actually, not just Germany. All of Europe and North America. Sandwiches that workers took with them to work. And these weren’t sandwiches with fancy cold cuts — workers couldn’t afford that. But, for example, with various spreads, because those were easy to make tasty out of scraps, leftovers, and the cheapest ingredients. Here’s another … Read more
It’s amazing how context changes everything. Take, for example, the phrase: “I got a mushroom from a friend.” Sounds very different coming from a chef than from someone into swingers parties, doesn’t it? In my case, the “friend” was my Translator Friend (from my work), and the “mushroom” was a kombucha SCOBY (not Candida). Since … Read more
In 2025, Easter and May Day are unusually close together. Just as I wrapped up my Easter menu, my thoughts turned to recipes suitable for May Day. One simple recipe I created on Easter Saturday fits perfectly — a carob smoothie. Ingredients: 1 ripe (brown) banana (approx. 125g) 200 ml (half a can) of coconut milk 1 … Read more
The subject of pâté is fascinating — surely worthy of a treatise… That’s how it might begin. Imagine a cookbook penned by Czesław Miłosz. If “The Year of the Hunter” had a culinary appendix. What cuisine would he have described? Most likely Lithuanian, naturally — perhaps specifically the dishes from the manor in Šeteniai, where he grew up. A … Read more
One of the most important Christmas Eve dishes of my childhood, a dish never made at any other time, was “kutia”. For some, it’s noodles with poppy seeds. In Silesia, there’s moczka, there’s siemieniotka. A sweet dish with nuts, raisins, honey, and sometimes alcohol (a good kutia needs a touch of brandy) is a legacy … Read more
This soup has a bit of an Advent feel — it’s something quick, made with what’s on hand and what you know you won’t use otherwise. For example, I didn’t end up using the sweet potato for a salad. I originally bought it with soup in mind, but I also had leftover kaffir lime leaves and yuba. … Read more
Kemm’s Kuchen, also known as Hamburg gingerbread, is a traditional Christmas cookie from the heart of Hamburg. Its history dates back nearly 250 years. In 1782, master baker Johann Georg Kemm baked his first brown Christmas cookies on Lange Reihe in St. George, in central Hamburg. photo author St. George is a district in the … Read more
Gryfny Shalad for Advent. That’s about the extent of my Silesian, which is barely better than my German. These languages are very much relevant here because *Hekele* is a Silesian Advent salad, sometimes also served on Christmas Eve. And Silesia is one of the most fascinating corners of Europe. Situated between Poland, the Czech Republic, … Read more
For dessert, dumplings will make their way to the Christmas Eve menu in addition to almond soup, but they are also excellent as a dessert. Served with a carob sauce or cream. And it is this mysterious carob that I am here to talk about. Carob is a flour made from the carob tree’s fruit, commonly known … Read more
A culinary creation is also an open work, dependent on context. Different people will taste different dishes from the same pot, shaped by the context of their experiences. And it’s not only about culinary experience — often, cultural context is even more influential. This becomes clear when, like me, you cook from within one culture for people … Read more