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
TVP: texture vegetable protein. Until recently, only TSP, or “textured soy protein,” was available on the market. These are all those products like dry soy cutlets (affectionately called “sawdust cutlets”), pieces, granules, steaks — large, rectangular cutlets with a fibrous texture. TSP products had their time, at least in Poland, in the 1990s, when they were pretty … Read more
I reached for one of the cookbooks on my shelf, looking for inspiration, and after a few minutes, I stumbled upon an onion soup recipe. This reminded me of the first soup I ever made as a teenager — onion soup with chunks of bread and grated cheese. Onion soup is a typical “poor man’s” … 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
Some lottery bonus of fate is that I’ve never been a fan of either sweetened carbonated drinks or those awful sweet Mars bars, Twixes, Pigs, or whatever those brown things with corn syrup and additives are called.Similarly, fast food. All those pizzas, hot dogs, burgers. Not even pizza. And I never really understood those fans, … Read more
I try to manage the products during events in a way that produces as little waste as possible. Reducing food waste was one of my goals last year and still remains high on the priority list. Of course, there’s always something left, and for a few days after the event, I build my menu largely … Read more
Often, after a several-day party when guests leave, I experience nervous breakdowns and a terrible aversion to cooking and eating. I go hungry all day because I don’t feel like cooking anything. Or I spend the whole day looking into cabinets and the fridge, wondering what I’d like to eat. And nothing appeals to me. … Read more
From my childhood, I remember a folk dietary wisdom: “eat breakfast alone, share lunch with family, and give dinner to the enemy.” Many folk sayings are based on a simple methodology of empirical observations and logic. Even if something seems silly at first glance, it may be quite sensible. For example, putting bread crumpled with … Read more
Food is an energy-intensive affair, whether it’s about industrial production and processing or home cooking. Of course, that also includes the intermediary stages, like institutional kitchen gastronomy. It’s worth examining our energy consumption in the kitchen and how we can reduce it. And it’s not just about the kitchen, as there’s already been a lot … Read more
