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: 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: 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.
Name: Jagodzianka
Pronunciation: jaɡɔˈʥ̑ãnka
Translation: bilberry bun (Polish jagoda + diminutive/feminine suffix -anka)
Energy: approx. 220 kcal per bun
Ingredients: wheat flour, bilberries, milk, butter, sugar, egg yolk, yeast, salt.
Jagodzianka is an aromatic yeast bun with fresh bilberry filling (or frozen bilberries/jam in winter). It’s usually served with milk for breakfast or second breakfast. It might be topped with crumble or icing.
Name: Zupa “nic”
Pronunciation: ˈzupa ‘ɲiʦ̑
Translation: “nothing” soup
Energy: approx. 220 kcal per serving
Ingredients: milk, eggs, sugar, fruit, vanilla.
Zupa “nic” is a popular Polish dish made of milk and egg yolks garnished with egg white noodles and fruit. It’s served hot or cold as the first course or dessert.
Name: Chrupanka krakowska
Pronunciation: ˈxrupãnka kraˈkɔfska
Translation: Cracow cruncher
Producer: Wawel Kraków
Weight: approx. 15 g/0.5 oz per candy
Price: 25 PLN/$ 7.50/€ 5.90/£ 4.70 per 1 kg/35 oz
Energy: approx. 85 kcal
Ingredients: sugar, cocoa compound coating 16.5% (sugar, hydrogenated vegetable fat, fat reduced cocoa powder 20%, emulsifiers: soya lecithin and polyglycerol polyricinoleate E476, flavour), vegetable fat, skimmed milk powder, peanuts 12%, wafers 9.5% (wheat flour, sugar, vegetable fat, salt, flavour), whey powder, lactose, candied orange peel 1.5% (orange peel, sugar, glucose-fructose syrup, acidity regulator: citric acid, preservative substance: potassium sorbate, flavour), fat reduced cocoa powder, emulsifier: soya lecithin, flavours.
Although Chrupanka krakowska is a relatively new product from Wawel Kraków, it managed to catch on and is now very popular. It’s a chocolate-covered praline with vanilla-flavoured milk mass inside. Thanks to peanuts, wafers and orange peel, the praline is very crunchy (as its name suggests).
Name: Cebularz
Pronunciation: ʦ̑ɛbuˈlaʃ
Translation: onioner
Energy: approx. 220 kcal
Ingredients: Pastry: wheat flour, milk, butter, yeast, salt.
Filling: onions, poppy seeds, canola oil, salt.
Cebularz is a very popular snack from the Lublin area. It can be bought in almost every bakery there and very often serves as second breakfast or lunch (it tastes best when still warm with melting butter on top, for instance). It’s a yeast savoury cake with onion and poppy topping.
Name: Wafle/Piszinger
Pronunciation: ˈvaflɛ/pʲiˈʃingɛr
Translation: wafers/Pischinger (from German)
Energy: approx. 80 kcal per slice
Ingredients: Wafers: wheat flour, vegetable oil, baking powder, salt.
Kajmak filling: milk, sugar, butter.
Chocolate filling: butter, cocoa, sugar, water.
Black currant jam: black currants, sugar.
Wafle consist of layers of wafers with various fillings: kajmak (dulce de leche), chocolate, jam, etc. They’re known under a German name piszinger in the south of Poland (the former territories of the Austrian rule). Since their preparation is simple and quick, they are very often served as sweet snacks across the country.
Name: Rolada drożdżowa
Pronunciation: rɔˈlada drɔˈʒʤ̑ɔva
Translation: yeast roll
Energy: approx. 120 kcal per slice
Ingredients: Pastry: wheat flour, milk, eggs, sugar, butter, yeast.
Filling: walnuts, hazelnuts, raisins, apricots, eggs, honey.
Rolada drożdżowa is a yeast roll with various fillings: most frequently poppyseed (just like makowiec), curd cheese, apples, or, just like the one above, nuts. It’s perfect for a Saturday tea, or as a snack with a glass of milk.
