The cuisine of the Lubelskie Region has always been characterized by simplicity and nutritiousness. At the same time, the region’s culinary heritage has to do with its border location at the crossroads of Eastern and Western cultures.
The range of regional dishes and flavors is very rich and diverse, as evidenced by the more than 200 items included on the national List of Traditional Products.
Here are some of them!
Lublin onion pie
One of the most popular snacks of the region. Lublin onion pie is a round, wheat pancake with a diameter of 15-20 cm. Its surface is covered by diced onions mixed with poppy seeds. Derived from Jewish cuisine, it was the first to be baked by Jews from the Old City of Lublin, and then the recipe spread throughout the region.
Interesting fact: bagels have become a fixture of American breakfasts thanks to the work of a baker from Lublin! The round buns had already graced local tables thanks to Jewish immigrants from Poland, but it was the company of Harry Leder, who comes from near Lublin, that conquered the American market and crossed ethnic boundaries, making bagels a nationwide phenomenon.
Lublin forszmak
Forszmak is an aromatic soup with a thick consistency, with pickled cucumbers and bacon seasoned with tomato paste, served in a hollowed-out loaf of bread.
Pieróg (piróg) biłgorajski
This is a dish that, in appearance, can be compared to a pate – in cross-section you can see small particles of ingredients, forming a uniform mass. It comes from the town of Biłgoraj in the southern Lubelskie Region.
It is made of boiled potatoes, buckwheat groats, lard with cracklings, cottage cheese, eggs, cream and spices such as dried mint. In the past, piróg was baked on a shaft in a bread oven, but today it is mainly baked in tins – round or rectangular.
