End-of-year treats
What does November taste like?
Many Varsovians will almost immediately answer that they associate late autumn with pańska skórka (‘Lord’s skin’ – a traditional Warsaw confection wrapped in parchment). It is a homemade candy that can be bought at stalls set up at the entrances to Warsaw cemeteries on All Saints’ Day, which falls on November 1.
In the early 20th century, it was sold at pharmacies as a cough medicine. At the time it was called ‘maiden’s skin’, because the soft, pink candy was likened to the delicate skin of young girls. Today, chewing ‘Lord’s skin’ on All Saints’ Day is considered an element of Warsaw’s unique intangible heritage traditions. In fact, different sweets are eaten in different cities during this holiday: e.g. in Kraków it is the so-called Turkish or corpse honey.
In 2008, the recipe of the Warsaw candy was entered onto the list of traditional products in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship, kept by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Currently, it is made from sugar, water, syrups or juices of various flavours and colours, and egg whites beaten with a pinch of salt, gelatin and potato flour. The sweet mix is cooked, poured onto a baking tray and cut into small square-shaped candies.
Sound appetizing? It is worth finding out for yourself. Lord’s skin is not only sold at cemeteries. It can also be found on stalls in the Old Town – look for a coloured mass wrapped in white paper.
Goose dishes – another delicacy that appears in Warsaw homes and on restaurant menus in November. Although geese from Poland have a strong position on foreign markets – e.g. in neighbouring Germany, local consumption of the meat declined significantly after World War II. So under the patronage of the Slow Food Polska organisation for lovers of good dining, the ‘Goose on St. Martin’s Day’ campaign was launched to reintroduce traditional, old Polish and pre-war goose delicacies to Polish tables. This year, the promotional campaign will run from November 8 to December 1, and participating restaurants will be marked with a characteristic logo featuring a goose’s head and a snail – the symbol of the Slow Food movement.
Why is it worth trying Polish goose in November? In Roman Catholic tradition, St. Martin’s Day falls on November 11. This is the time when birds were slaughtered before winter. It is also Independence Day in Poland. During this period, some Warsaw restaurants prepare special ‘patriotic’ menus; sometimes featuring dishes in Polish national colours – white and red – and sometimes seasonal goose delicacies.
What does December taste like?
The end of autumn and the beginning of winter is a period of intensive preparations for the festive season and end-of-year parties. This year, the Catholic Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties coincide with the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, so the inhabitants of our city will frantically stock up on gifts and the victuals needed to cook traditional dishes.
Deep-fried dishes are made for Hanukkah, such as crispy golden potato latkes and yeast doughnuts. These dishes are best eaten freshly made. On the other hand, some Christmas dishes can, and sometimes even need to, be prepared in advance, like homemade poppy seed filling for cakes. Baking cakes and cookies also begins early, because many of them end up on Christmas trees as decorations: gingerbread figurines, apples, and candies in shiny papers are, along with glass baubles, traditional Christmas decorations.
In Warsaw, the nationwide tradition of preparing a special dinner on Wigilia – December 24 – is also observed. These days, the food prepared for this family feast includes fish dishes (e.g. carp), various types of herring, beetroot dishes, forest mushrooms, and soured cabbage. Dried fruit kompot is served to drink. Traditionally, there should be lots of dishes, as many as twelve, and every one should tried, out of respect for the fruits of the earth.
The Wigilia dinner menus of olden times were even more sumptuous. In the cookbook ‘356 meals for 5 zlotys’, published in 1860 by Varsovian Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa, next to dishes familiar from modern tables were suggestions such as almond soup, kale with caramelised chestnuts, and rice with saffron and chocolate.
You can learn more about this author and her cuisine at a temporary exhibition at the Museum of Warsaw entitled: For Here and To Go. Warsaw’s Cuisine, which will run until April 17, 2025. The exhibition shows, among other things, how the equipment of Warsaw kitchens has changed, and the dishes that reigned on the city’s streets in different historical periods (address: Old Town Square 28/42; opening days and hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday from 11–19, Thursday: 11–20, Sunday 11–18).
Tasty gifts from Warsaw
Many of the tempting delicaciesin Warsaw’s delicatessens and city markets can be bought and given as gifts. Traditional smoked meats, including goose, are often vacuum-packed and goose smalec (lard) is sold in small jars. Dried mushrooms and dried fruit for kompot are packed in plastic bags. And don’t forget about classic Warsaw confectionary like the chocolates and halva made at the E. Wedel Chocolate Factory, especially ptasie mleczko (‘bird’s milk’) – milky marshmallow-like foam covered in chocolate – and wedlowskie torciki (hand-decorated wafles layed with chocolate filling). While seeking out tasty treats in Warsaw, it is also worth visiting the factory’s museum (address: 5 Emil Wedel Avenue; open: Monday – Friday 10:00 – 20:00; Saturday – Sunday 10:00 – 20:00)
Author: Agnieszka Kuś, Warsaw guide
For more tips on how to visit Warsaw sign up for our newsletter and stay up to date!
* By clicking the ‘Subscribe’ button you consent to receiving the newsletter from us and accept the Regulations of the ‘Newsletter’ service. We will process your e-mail address for the purpose of sending you the newsletter. The administrator of your personal data is the Warsaw Tourism Office. More information on the privacy policy and cookies policy and clause concerning the processing of personal data.