Polish cuisine encompasses a fusion of elements, taken from the culinary traditions of the different nationalities that have lived in the country for centuries - Israelites, Ukrainians, Belarusians and Lithuanians.
That's why Polish cuisine became ever more interesting with time and the sweet temptations - ever more diverse. Favorite Polish desserts are the rolls with a stuffing of poppy seeds or dried fruits and nuts; mazurek (layered dessert), sernik (which is similar to cheesecake) made with cottage cheese.
Sernik is exceptionally similar to the widely familiar cheesecake but differs in its much more saturated taste. The original recipe uses Polish white cheese, something like a cross between feta cheese and mozzarella.
The recipe can be made either with dry curd cottage cheese or equal parts cottage cheese and unsalted feta cheese. Its composition also includes raisins and orange rinds.
Donuts with filling are extremely popular in Poland and can be found in stores year-round. The best ones are freshly made in Polish bakeries.
The good news is you can make them at home, even though it will take some time, but it is worth it. The type of filling is entirely up to you but if you would like to adhere to Polish dessert traditions then use marmalade made from roses.
Another very typical dessert is the poppy seed roll or "makovec". It's made from dough with yeast. The poppies are boiled, ground, then they add raisins, milk, honey and thus prepared stuffing is laid out onto the crust, which is then rolled up and left to rise. The essence used to aromatize the filling is incredibly specific - bitter almond.
Christmas piernik is also popular and comes in 2 versions - as cookies or a cake. Piernik cookies are made 1 month before Christmas. Of course many homemakers prepare the delicious dessert throughout the other 11 months of the year.
In essence, "piernik" is a honey cake dating back from Proto-Slavic times. The cake is extraordinarily delicious and remains fresh a long time. It can be used as a layer for a different cake, by cutting it in 2 and smearing the layers with marmalade.
Other tasty desserts from Polish cuisine: Polish poppy seed mousse, Polish pancake dessert, royal mazurka, coconut mazurka, mazurkas, cake with poppy seeds and raisins.
