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Papua New GuineaFlavors · Poland
Vodka made entirely in Poland from rye, wheat, barley, oats, triticale or potatoes grown in the country. The name is a national geographical indication that applies to both neutral vodka and flavored vodkas that follow the rules.
Traditional drink from Poland
Also known as: Polska Wódka/Polish Vodka, wódka
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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Polska wódka — Poland
Polska wódka is the protected name for Polish vodka. To use it, all stages must take place in Poland, and the spirit can only be made from rye, wheat, barley, oats, triticale or potatoes grown in the country; corn is not allowed. The alcohol is column-distilled, rectified and blended with demineralized water, preferably from deep wells, and filtered. Neutral vodka contains only alcohol and water, with a clean, smooth flavor, and an alcohol content between 37.5% and 55%. Flavored vodkas use natural flavorings and may have color.
The word wódka comes from woda, meaning water. The geographical specification cites a Kraków court document from 1405 as one of the earliest mentions, a distillery in Gdańsk in 1454, and 16th-century herb books describing distilled beverages. Production spread across the country from the late 16th century; cereals dominated until the early 19th century, when potatoes also began to be used.
The name Polska Wódka/Polish Vodka has been protected since Poland joined the European Union, and a 2012 law, in force from January 2013, established the permitted raw materials. At the table, vodka is served chilled in small glasses, used for toasts during meals and accompanied by savory snacks, the zakąski, such as pickled cucumber and herring. It is part of festive culture and should be enjoyed in moderation.
Poland
Polska wódka is a national geographical indication: it covers vodka made anywhere in the country using Polish raw materials.
Alcohol from rye, wheat, barley, oats, triticale or potatoes grown in Poland, and demineralized water. Flavored vodkas use natural flavorings.
Chilled, in a small glass, for toasts during a meal, accompanied by savory snacks such as pickled cucumber and herring.
Festive meals, toasts and celebrations, no fixed date.
Your questions
It is the protected name for Polish vodka: it can only be used for vodka made entirely in Poland from rye, wheat, barley, oats, triticale or potatoes grown in the country.
Not under the name Polska wódka. The law allows only rye, wheat, barley, oats, triticale or Polish potatoes.
Chilled, in a small glass, for toasts during a meal, accompanied by savory snacks such as pickled cucumber and herring. It is a festive drink to be enjoyed in moderation.
Flavors of Poland
Stew of sauerkraut and cabbage with various meats, smoked sausage and dried mushrooms, slowly cooked and reheated over days until the flavors meld. It is one of the dishes most connected to Polish identity and appears in the national poem Pan Tadeusz.
Round yeast dough pastry, fried, without a hole, filled with jam—traditionally rose petal or plum—and dusted with sugar or covered in icing. It’s the sweet of Tłusty Czwartek, the fatty Thursday before Lent, celebrated across the country.
Dumplings made from unleavened dough, boiled in water and sometimes browned in butter, with savory or sweet fillings. The ruskie, filled with potato and fresh cheese, are the most common, and the cabbage with mushrooms variety is served on Christmas Eve.
A sour soup made with zakwas, a fermented rye-flour starter, served with white sausage, a boiled egg and horseradish. It is one of the most important dishes of the Polish Easter and is sometimes served inside a loaf of bread.
Smoked pork cooked with dried plums, pears and other fruits, served with a sweet-and-sour fruit sauce and dumplings. The name means Silesian heaven, and the dish is on the Lower Silesia Traditional Products List.
Braided bread ring first boiled in very hot water and then baked, topped with salt, poppy seeds, or sesame. It’s sold from street carts in Kraków and has a European Union protected geographical indication.
A round wheat dough disk topped with raw chopped onion and poppy seed, baked until the edge is golden. It originated in the Jewish bakeries of Lublin’s old town and has a European Union protected geographical indication.
Yeast-based cake covered with a buttery streusel, made plain or filled with white cheese, poppy seed or apple. It is the wedding cake of Opole Silesia and has a European Union protected geographical indication.
Grated raw potato cake with fried bacon, onion, eggs and a little flour, baked in a pan until the crust is golden. It’s one of the most popular dishes of Podlaskie, the northeastern region of Poland, and is on the List of Traditional Products.
Flavored vodka with bison grass that grows in the clearings of the Białowieża and Knyszyn forests in Podlaskie. It has a light green-golden color and the smell of dry hay, and the official name is a protected geographical indication of the European Union.
Croissant in a crescent shape, made from yeast-leavened puff pastry, filled with white poppy seed paste with fruit and nuts, and topped with icing and chopped nuts. It is Poznań’s Saint Martin’s pastry, eaten on November 11, and has protected geographical indication.
Beef roulade stuffed with bacon, pickled cucumber and onion, cooked in sauce and served with kluski śląskie — potato dumplings with a little indentation in the middle — and red cabbage. It’s the Sunday lunch of Upper Silesia.
Long pastry made from leavened dough, fried and usually filled with seasoned ground meat with pepper. It originated in Szczecin in the early 1970s, made on a Soviet machine from 1969, and is on Poland’s List of Traditional Products.
Honey cake with pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and other spices, molded in wooden molds or cut into shapes. It has been made in Toruń without interruption since the Middle Ages and is on Poland’s national list of intangible cultural heritage.
Two-layer chocolate sponge cake with whipped cream in the middle, covered in chocolate and often topped with a cherry. It originated in Warsaw in the late 1940s, and the name is linked to the W-Z avenue, opened during the city’s reconstruction.
A very sour sauerkraut soup with smoked pork ribs or other smoked pork, served with boiled potato on the side or with bread. It’s the dish of the highlanders of Podhale, the Zakopane region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains.
