….not to mention delicious food, live music, dancing and fine Polish vodka drinking!

On July 24, 2010 I’ve attended my cousin’s Lukasz (Luke) and his beautiful bride Anna wedding in Wroclaw, Lower Silesia region of Poland and wanted to share the whole experience with you. Mostly through pictures, because as they say: ” A picture is worth a thousand words”. It was a lovely wedding and reception! If you ever visit Poland and someone invites you to join them at a traditional Polish wedding don’t hesitate to accept. You’ll have a great time guaranteed, as weddings in Poland last from one to three days, get to try excellent cuisine, drink the best of Polish vodkas, sing and dance with fun loving and hospitable crowd. 

Marriage is an important rite of passage in all cultures around the world and is celebrated in unique ways in Poland depending on which region you visit.  For example, every year in June, in Wegrow, in the Mazovia region of Poland, a festival is held celebrating marriage traditions. The Festival of Wedding Rituals is a fabulous event with contests for best regional wedding ceremony, foods and music.  If you enjoy weddings, you will for sure enjoy this festival!

Priest greets and blesses couple before the Roman Catholic wedding ceremony.

Over 200 people attended Anna’s and Lukasz wedding. Four generations of family members and friends of the bride, groom and their parents.  On Saturday, in the early afternoon groom’s parents and grandparents traveled to the bride’s family home for a special blessing before the church ceremony.  At 4 pm the wedding ceremony started and lasted about an hour.  During a traditional Catholic Mass the couple exchanged vows and everyone enjoyed soloist singing “Ave Maria”.

Anna & Lukasz at the altar during the wedding ceremony.

Olivia - one of the beautiful flower girls.

Here Come the Newlyweds! - greeting guests and accepting gifts on church doorsteps.

The parents welcome newlyweds with bread and salt in front of the reception hall.

Traditional wedding bread.

Ania & Lukasz in the reception hall. The sign above them states: " God Bless the Newlyweds"

The reception was a culinary heaven! The variety and quality of food was amazing. It was simply impossible for one person to try everything. The tables were “bending” from all the foods and drink. We all started our culinary adventure with the main course which included traditional clear broth soup with noodles – “rosol” then potatoes, Silesian dumplings, eight kinds of hot meats to choose from and various vegetable salads.  Everything was so delicious!

"Rosol" - chicken broth with noodles. A must dish at Polish weddings.

Various potatoes and Silesian dumplings for main course.

Various meats for main course.

Various vegetable salads for main course.

More salads for main course - "buraczki" - beet root salad.

After eating main course, Ania & Lukasz did their first dance with wedding guests surrounding them.

Wedding Vodka card encouraged all friends to drink up for the health of the newlyweds and have a great time!

Various wedding desserts.

Various cold hor'dourves.

Various home-made cold meats.

More of home-made cold meats.

Pig roast and sausage.

"Bigos" - Hunter's Stew.

Besides all the wonderful cuisine and drink, wedding guests joined together in dancing and singing.  Each table received a booklet with traditional wedding songs.

Wedding song-book for guests.

Groom's grandfather (in middle) and other family.

Wedding guests/family.

Wedding guests/family.

Wedding guests/family singing and having fun with mother of the groom (in pink dress).

Wedding cake.

Anna & Lukasz sharing their wedding cake.

Ania & Lukasz getting ready for unvailing - "odczepiny".

Transfer of the vail.

On Sunday many guests gathered for a follow-up party called - ”poprawiny”.  It was a great party again, with wonderful music, food and lots of dancing and outside grilling.  Some out-of-town guests stayed until Monday to visit and party with the newlyweds and their parents. 

The table is set at the follow-up party - "poprawiny".

Home-made cold meats platter at the follow-up party.

Fish & seafood platter.

A beautiful vegetable salad.

Deviled eggs platter.

Home-made pate platter.

Home-made ham and pickled vegetables platter.

"Salceson" - a type of head cheese, smalec - "lard with onions" and pickled vegetables.

Veal stuffed with spinach.

Grilling and beer drinking outside.

...and some more outside grilling.

Anna & Lukasz

CONGRATULATIONS

TO

ANNA & LUKASZ

July 24, 2010

ON THEIR MARRIAGE!!!

May your life be filled with happines and joy forever!

(and BIG THANKS for your hospitality!)

 Day Six – Friday

We started off our last day of culinary adventure in Lesser Poland region with a cooking class at The Culinary Institute in Cracow, located in a small village on the outskirts of Krakow www.culinary.com.pl with Chefs Marek Widomski and Rafal Targosz.  The Culinary Institute in Cracow is a specious facility offering modern, state of the art kitchen appliances and equipment. Anyone visiting Krakow can sign up for a one-day Polish cooking class at The Culinary Institute in Cracow (CIC) and give yourself a break from all the wonderful sightseeing the area offers and an opportunity to learn how to make those famous Polish dishes like: pierogi, bigos – Hunter’s stew, cabbage rolls, borscht etc. Follow this link http://www.polandculinaryvacations.com/day_classes.php or simply click on One-Day Classes tab above on this blog page Smacznego and Happy Polish Cooking!

Cooking class at the Culinary Institute in Cracow.

Chef Marek Widomski at the Culinary Institute in Cracow, Lesser Poland region.

Chef Rafal Targosz at the Culinary Institute in Cracow, Lesser Poland region.

Polish recipes from the Culinary Institute in Cracow.

Making golabki - stuffed cabbage rolls - at the Culinary Institute in Cracow.

Baking golabki - stuffed cabbage rolls - at the Culinary Institute in Cracow.

Making mushroom filled uszka for beet borscht.

Cooking beet borscht at the Culinary Institute in Cracow.

Tasting delicious smoked meats at the Culinary Institute in Cracow.

Pierogi cooked and served at the Culinary Institute in Cracow.

The Culinary Institute in Cracow Polish cooking graduates!

 After our official “Polish cooking graduation” we left very satisfied for Wieliczka Salt Mine tour  www.kopalnia.pl  A virtual underground city, with galleries, lakes, chapels and murals – all carved from salt – Wieliczka Salt Mine is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978.  A must place to visit on a trip to Krakow and Lesser Poland region!

Wieliczka Salt Mine - a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978.

After two hour tour of Wieliczka Salt Mine we headed back to Krakow to finish our sightseeing and shopping.  We had our farewell dinner at Wesele restaurant  www.weselerestauracja.pl Wesele restaurant offers old Polish and Krakow delicacies and specialties and is conveniently located in the heart of Krakow’s Market Square.  If you like simple potato pancakes you must try them at Wesele restaurant. Delicious!

Wesele restaurant - Krakow, Poland.

Delicious potato pancakes at Wesele restaurant in Krakow, Poland.

After dinner we reluctantly said our goodbyes!  On Saturday, some people were leaving for their home country and others extended their stay in Krakow. One could easily stay another week or even two to explore beautiful Krakow and Lesser Poland region.  We invite you to join us in 2010 in Lesser Poland on “Cooking Your Way From Krakow To Zakopane” cooking vacation. Do Widzenia i Smacznego! – See You and Bon Appetit!

We left Zakopane and Podhale region early Thursday morning and headed back to Krakow.  On the way we stopped in town of Nowy Targ and did some shopping at the Nowy Targ open market which is very popular among the locals and neighboring Slovakians.

Highlander in Nowy Targ, Lesser Poland region.

Market in Nowy Targ, Lesser Poland region.

Fresh cucumbers at Nowy Targ Market, Lesser Poland region.

Sunflowers at Nowy Targ Market in Lesser Poland region.

Once back in Krakow and had a delicious pierogi lunch at Pod Aniolami restaurant  http://www.podaniolami.pl/  before heading up to Wawel Royal Castle.  Pod Aniolami is located in a 13th century building at the Royal Route, leading from the Wawel Castle to the Main Market Square.

Fried pierogi served with cranberries in Krakow, Poland.

Hiking up to Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow, Poland.

Touring Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow, Poland.

Delicious food at Ancora restaurant in Krakow, Poland.

Barbara with women from Rogoznik village in Lesser Poland.

Getting ready for a cooking class in Rogoznik village.

 First, the women showed us how to make cranberry sauce with horseradish and some vodka and served it with oscypek cheese, the regional sheep cheese, as an appetizer.  The cheese was delicious, so fresh and went perfectly with the cranberry/horseradish/vodka sauce.

Oscypek with cranberry/horseradish/vodka sauce.

 We tried home made bread, and watched as the Polish women finished cooking regional cabbage soup called kwasnica.  This was the best kwasnica I’ve ever had!  The smoked bacon it was cooked with gave it the perfect flavor.

Home made bread.

Kwasnica, cabbage soup.

Besides tasting all the wonderful food and drinking home made nalewki, home made fruit and herb cordials, we also had a chance to admire and try on regional costumes which the local men and women wear on special occasions.  

Nell wearing regional costume. Looking like a real Podhalanka!

Later we stepped outside and took  a short walk to our host’s fruit and vegetable garden right in the back of their house.  Fresh, seasonal fruit and vegetables are used in their daily cooking where the distance from the field to table is truly only a few yards away!

Enjoying Polish countryside.

Stacks of beans drying out in the sun.

When we returned to the house, topielec, a poppy seed roll, was waiting for us.  Fresh from the oven, warm and moist, best poppy seed roll some of us ever tasted. Delicious! We all wanted the recipe and the women shared it with us!

 

Delicious topielec - poppy seed roll.

Before we left the wonderful women from Rogoznik, we took some time to talk with them about their cooking, farming and life in the countryside in general. 

Time for rest and conversation with women from Rogoznik village.

  We also had live band playing for us and the women sang and danced to their favorite songs as we said – Goodbye!

Since the weather was gorgeous in the afternoon, we decided to drive to Sromowce for rafting on the Dunajec River Gorge. During rafting we enjoyed excellent views of the Pieniny Mountains and our flisak – men in charge of the raft – who loved to tell Slovak jokes as the trip goes along the Polish-Slovak border.

Rafting on Dunajec River Gorge.

 For dinner we visited Bakowo Zohylina reginal restaurant in Zakopane http://www.wyznio.zohylina.pl offering great food and live music every evening, which we really enjoyed!

Dinner at Bakowo Zohylina in Zakopane, Poland.

Delicious trout from Bakowo Zohylina restaurant in Zakopane.

 What a great and adventurous day!  On day three  we headed to Lopuszna village to cook with Maria, who is 82 years old and her friends.  Stay tuned and Smacznego!

One-day cooking class at the Culinary Institute in Cracow

While visiting Krakow (Cracow) and Wieliczka we invite you to sign up for a one-day Polish cooking class at the Culinary Institute in Cracow (CIC) to give yourself a break from all the wonderfull sightseeing the area offers and an opportunity to learn how to make those famous Polish dishes like: pierogi, bigos, cabbage rolls, zurek soup etc.

Stuffed cabbage rolls made at the Culinary Institute in Cracow

Pierogi made at the Culinary Institute in Cracow

Recently Mary and Elana from New York cooked with Chef Marek and Chef Rafal and had an unforgettable experience. Here are Elana’s comments after the class: “Our trip was OUTSTANDING! The sights were great, the food–all the things we did–it was a perfect trip. But especially the people–what warm, generous & lovely people! and with such an optimistic outlook–Poland is definitely on the rise again & it was so heartwarming to see it for myself. I am so proud of my Polish ancestry (I am a third generation American, actually). As for the CIC– it was one incredible way to spend the day. Chefs Marek & Rafal adjusted very quickly to our level of knowledge and kitchen skills (I think they were a little surprised that we really knew our stuff!) and showed us some very smart techniques and variations of dishes we might not have considered. For me personally, quality and selection of ingredients are of particular interest and they were happy to share their knowledge with us. The class was so great, and I am planning to send a thank you note thru their website this weekend.”

Elana and Mary as graduates of the Culinary Institute in Cracow

It’s easy to sign-up for one-day cooking classes at the Culinary Institute in Cracow! Follow this link http://www.polandculinaryvacations.com/day_classes.php or simply click on One-Day Classes tab above on this blog page Smacznego!