Isn’t travel an excuse to eat? Well, we did just that and more August 2010 while on Poland Culinary Vacation – “Cooking Your Way From Krakow to Zakopane” in Lesser Poland – Malopolska – region. However, before heading to the VIII Pierogi Festival in Maly Rynek, Krakow to sample delicious pierogi and freshly brewed Zywiec beer, we toured the Kazimierz district, also known as the Jewish district.

Touring Kazimierz district with our local expert guide Alicja.

At about lunch time we returned to Maly Rynek (Small Market Square) to try pierogi offered in beautifully decorated booths by Krakow’s various restaurants, 13 in total this year. Pierogi are stuffed dumplings and in Poland both housewives and chefs are getting more and more creative as far as what to “stuff with” these moon-shaped favorites. 

VIII Pierogi Festival in Krakow, Poland.

Award ceremony for "Best Pierogi" in Krakow, Poland

 VIII Pierogi Festival winners included “St. Jack’s Pierogi” offered by restaurant “Polskie Smaki” on ul. Sw. Tomasza. They received the statue of St. Jack holding a bowl of pierogi, awarded by the jury. Why St. Jack? He was a Dominican monk who introduced pierogi to Poland to feed the poor. Restaurant “Any Time” received the statue of Casimir the Great - a beloved Polish King – awarded for public favorite pierogi - filled with broad bean and bacon, which they simply called “Dangerous Relationship”. To view additional photos from VIII Pierogi Festival please following this link Poland Culinary Vacations at the VIII Pierogi Festival in Krakow .

Statue of St. Jack at the VIII Pierogi Festival in Krakow, Poland.

After enjoying pierogi and beer for lunch and sightseeing we headed to Zakopane and Podhale region – home to highlanders – where we stayed for the next four days of our culinary adventure. There, we cooked regional and traditional Polish recipes in villages with local women, went rafting on the Dunajec River Gorge, dined in local restaurants and explored sights of Zakopane and surrounding area. To view photos of some of our activities please follow this link “Cooking Your Way From Krakow to Zakopane” August 2010 in photos .

In front of Bacowka, where traditional sheep cheese "oscypek" is made by highlanders.

The last two days of our Lesser Poland culinary vacation we spent back in Krakow: sightseeing, dining in our favorite restaurants and of course, cooking. Early Friday morning we headed to the Culinary Institute in Cracow (Krakow) for Polish cooking class with Chef Marek Widomski. His cooking classes are both fun and delicious! To view photos from our cooking class with Chef Marek please follow this link Polish Cooking Class at The Culinary Institute in Cracow .

We invite you to join us on our August 14 – August 20, 2011 “Cooking Your Way From Krakow to Zakopane” culinary tour and IX Pierogi Festival.  Register early because we expect this tour week to fill fast!  We also offer a discount for early reservations. Visit our Home Page for more details.

 See You and Yours in Poland in 2011!