If there were a single image that could represent both Poles and Germans at once, it would be an image of potatoes. Which is actually a bit strange, because in both countries potatoes appeared on the table relatively recently — less than 200 years ago. They largely replaced groats, and, to some extent, bread as … Read more
Once very popular in traditional folk cooking, today these ingredients are truly underappreciated and underused. Various grains, seeds, and nuts — from sunflower seeds to hemp (with their phenomenal protein content), pumpkin seeds, and walnuts. On the one hand, they no longer play the role they once did, when even a hundred years ago, nuts and seeds … Read more
Hazelnuts aren’t exactly a staple in daily diets, likely due to their cost. In Germany, hazelnuts are nearly twice as expensive as cashews. Yet, they were once a typical product in traditional folk kitchens. Labor used to be cheap and available, especially for light tasks like gathering berries, mushrooms, herbs, and nuts — tasks even children could … Read more
I reached for one of my cookbooks, looking for inspiration, and after a few minutes, I came across an onion soup recipe. This reminded me of the first soup I ever cooked as a teenager: onion soup with pieces of bread and grated cheese. Onion soup is a typical poor man’s dish across almost all … Read more
