Name: Orzeszki
Pronunciation: ɔˈʒɛʃci
Translation: diminutivr and plural of nut
Energy: approx. 100 kcal per nut

Ingredients: pastry: wheat flour, butter, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla; cream: butter, sugar, milk powder, cocoa.

Orzeszki are shortcrust cookies in the shape of a walnut shell. Inside there is cocoa and milk cream.

Name: Pani Walewska (Pychotka)
Pronunciation: ˈpãɲi vaˈlɛfska (pɨˈxɔtka)
Translation: Mrs. Walewska (something scrumptious)
Energy: approx. 230 kcal per serving

Ingredients: pastry: wheat flour, butter, egg yolks, sugar, baking powder, vanilla; milk cream: milk, butter, potato starch, egg yolk, wheat flour, sugar, vanilla; sugar, black currant jam, egg whites, potato starch, walnuts

Pani Walewska is a lush cake, consisting of two layers of shortcrust pastry spread with black currant jam, walnuts and meringue, in between which there’s a layer of milk cream. Its name drives from a famous figure – Maria Walewska, who was a Polish lover of Napoleon.

Name: Delicje szampańskie
Pronunciation: dɛˈlʲiʦ̑ʲjɛ ˈʃãmpãj̃sʲcɛ
Translation: Champagne delicacies
Producer: LU Polska
Weight:  14,7 g/0.5 oz per candy
Price: 3 PLN/$ 0.95/€ 0.75/£ 0.60 per 147 g/5.2 oz
Energy: 375 kcal/100g, 55 kcal/cake

Ingredients: glucose-fructose syrup, sugar, chocolate 15% (sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, emulsifiers: soya lecithin, E476, flavours), wheat flour, eggs, potato starch, humectant: glycerol, rapeseed oil, acidity regulators: citric acid, malic acid, trisodium citrate, ascorbic acid, concentrated orange juice and comminuted orange 0.5%, gelling agents: pectin, guar gum, concentrated multifruit juice, flavours, salt, raising agent: ammonium hydrogen carbonate, emulsifier: E471, maltodextrin, colours (mixed carotenes).

Delicje szampańskie are round soft sponge cakes with fruit jelly, topped with dark chocolate. The jelly comes in various flavours: orange (the original one), apricot, raspberry, cherry and blueberry. The have been produced since 1977 in Płońsk. Interestingly, up till May 2011, the factory had been run by Wedel, but was taken over by LU Polska. Wedel subsequently introduced his own version of the cakes called Jedyne.

Name: Kluski (makaron) z truskawkami
Pronunciation: ˈklusci (maˈkarɔ̃n) struskaˈfkamʲi
Translation: dumplings (pasta) with strawberries
Energy: approx. 600 kcal per serving
Ingredients: pasta (wheat flour, water), strawberries, sour cream, sugar.

Kluski (or makaron) z truskawkami is a typical Polish simple “sweet dinner”, consisting of pasta (of various shapes) with sweetened strawberries (whole or mashed), topped with sour cream. It can be served cold or hot.

Name: Pawełek
Pronunciation: paˈvɛwɛk
Translation: a hypocoristic form of a given name Paul
Producer: Wedel/LOTTE
Weight: 45 g/1.59 oz
Price: 1.30 PLN/$ 0.38/€ 0.31/£ 0.25
Energy: approx. 470 kcal

Ingredients (Advocaat): dark chocolate 50% (sugar, cocoa mass, fat-reduced cocoa powder, cocoa butter, milk fat, emulsifiers: soya lecithin and E476, salt, flavour), sugar, sweetened condensed milk, partially hydrogenated vegetable fat, glucose syrup, spirit (2.4%), dried whey, dried skimmed milk, milk fat, flavours, enzyme: invertase, emulsifier: soya lecithin, lactose, colour (curcumin). Chocolate: Cocoa solids min. 50%.

Ingredients (Cream): milk chocolate 50% (sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, dried whole milk, dried whey, milk fat, emulsifiers: soya lecithin and E476, flavour), sugar, sweetened condensed milk, partially hydrogenated vegetable fat, glucose syrup, spirit (2.1%), dried whey, dried skimmed milk, milk fat, enzyme: invertase, flavours, emulsifier: soya lecithin, lactose, dried cream (0.01%). Chocolate: Cocoa solids min. 29%, milk solids min. 14%.

Ingredients (Chocolate): milk chocolate 50% (sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, dried whole milk, dried whey, milk fat, emulsifiers: soya lecithin and E476, flavour), sweetened condensed milk, sugar, chocolate 8% (cocoa mass, sugar, fat reduced cocoa powder, cocoa butter, emulsifier: soya lecithin, flavour), glucose syrup, humectant: sorbitol, spirit (2.0%), enzyme: invertase, flavours. Chocolate: Cocoa solids min. 29%, milk solids min. 14%.

Ingredients (Toffee): milk chocolate 50% (sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, dried whole milk, dried whey, milk fat, emulsifiers: soya lecithin and E476, flavour), sugar, sweetened condensed milk, glucose syrup, partially hydrogenated vegetable fat, spirit (2.3%), dried whole milk, dried whey, enzyme: invertase, flavours, emulsifier: soya lecithin, lactose. Chocolate: Cocoa solids min. 29%, milk solids min. 14%.

Pawełek is an immensely popular dark or milk chocolate rectangular bar with alcohol-flavoured filling. It comes in various flavours: advocaat (the only one enrobed in dark chocolate), cream, chocolate and toffee. It is manufactured by the cult company Wedel.

Name: Pieróg gryczany
Pronunciation: jaɡɔˈʥ̑ãnka
Translation: buckwheat pie
Energy: approx. 200 kcal per slice

Ingredients: buckwheat groats, wheat flour, cottage cheese (quark), sour cream, eggs, butter, pork fat, yeast, sugar, pepper, salt, mint.

Pieróg gryczany (aka piróg) is a very popular regional snack in the Lublin area. It’s a savoury yeast shortcrust cake with buckwheat and cottage cheese filling, seasoned with mint. It might be topped with crumble, contain potatoes in the filling (pieróg biłgorajski – pie from Biłgoraj) or be baked without pastry whatsoever.

Name: Murzynek
Pronunciation: muˈʒɨ̃nɛk
Translation: diminutive form of Black person
Energy: approx. 120 kcal per serving

Ingredients: butter, wheat flour, sugar, eggs, cocoa, baking powder.

Murzynek is a typical Polish dry cocoa cake. It’s ideal with a cup of tea or coffee. It might be topped with chocolate glazing or enriched with fruit (e.g. apples, cherries, raspberries).

Name: Placek drożdżowy z owocami
Pronunciation: ˈplaʦ̑ɛk drɔˈʒʤ̑ɔvɨ zɔvɔˈʦ̑amʲi
Translation: yeast cake with fruit
Energy: approx. 150 kcal per serving

Ingredients: wheat flour, fruit (plums), milk, eggs, butter, sugar, yeast.

Placek drożdżowy z owocami is a very popular Polish fruit cake. It’s a yeast cake topped with seasonal fruit (most frequently apples, pears, rhubarb, plums, strawberries, cherries, or raspberries). Ideal for afternoon tea or as second breakfast with a cup of milk.

Name: Fistaszkowe
Pronunciation: fʲista’ʃkɔvɛ
Translation: of peanuts
Producer: Wawel Kraków
Weight: approx. 7 g/0.24 oz per candy
Price: 25 PLN/$ 8/€ 6/£ 5 per 1 kg/35 oz
Energy: 395 kcal/100g

Ingredients: sugar, glucose syrup, peanuts 12%, hydrogenated vegetable fat, fat-reduced cocoa powder, whey powder (from milk), wafers (wheat flour, vegetable oil, emulsifier: soya lecithin, salt, raising agents: sodium hydrogen carbonate, ammonium hydrogen carbonate), flavours.

Fistaszkowe are hard candies filled with peanut and cocoa filling enriched by crumbled wafers. They are one of flagship products of Wawel.

Name: Kukułka
Pronunciation: kuˈkuwka
Translation: cuckoo
Producer: Wawel Kraków/Pszczółka Lublin
Weight: approx. 7 g/0.24 oz per candy
Price: 25 PLN/$ 8/€ 6/£ 5 per 1 kg/35 oz
Energy: 412 kcal/100g

Ingredients (Wawel): sugar, glucose syrup, peanuts 9%, sweetened condensed milk (milk, sugar), fat-reduced cocoa powder 4%, flavours, hydrogenated vegetable fat, spirit, cream, acidity regulator: citric acid, emulsifier: soya lecithin, flavours.

Ingredients (Pszczółka): sugar, glucose syrup, milk powder, cocoa, spirit, confectionery shortening, emulsifier: soya lecithin, flavour: ethyl vanillin.

Kukułki are hard candies filled with rum-flavoured milky cocoa mass. Their name (cuckoos) stems from their brownish colouring and white stripes. They’ve been one of the most popular Polish candies since the post-war period. They are produced by a couple of companies – Wawel and Pszczółka being the most prominent ones.