Paczki often includes plums.
In addition to its many indigenous savory foods, Poland has many indigenous desserts that can be baked at home, purchased at a bakery or supermarket, or enjoyed at a restaurant or cafe. Some of these desserts are available year-round, while others are associated with certain holidays. Among the most popular Polish desserts are sernik, budyn and piernik. Popular Polish desserts, usually only enjoyed during certain holidays, include paczki, faworki, and makowiec.
Poppy seeds, which are used to make makowiec, a Polish cake.
Sernik, a type of cheesecake, is one of the most common everyday Polish desserts. Typically, this cake is made from a sweet-tasting cottage cheese known as twarog. After being mixed with other ingredients to create a filling, this cheese is usually baked on top of a thin pie crust. Ingredients such as chocolate, poppy seeds, or fruit can be used to enhance the flavor of the cake.
Polish yeast donuts are usually filled with jam.
Budyn, or pudding, is also among the most popular everyday Polish desserts. Budyn is usually made with milk, a thickening agent such as egg yolk, and sugar. In addition to this basic recipe, it is a kind of “blank slate” to which several different flavors can be added, such as chocolate, cherry or toffee. Budyn is usually served hot.
Another common dessert in Poland is piernik or gingerbread. Piernik usually takes the form of dark-colored, somewhat firm cookies that, due to the inclusion of sugar and honey, as well as a variety of spices, are both sweet and tangy. These cookies can be dipped in chocolate or filled with jam or marzipan.
Some of the best-known Polish desserts are only enjoyed during certain holidays. Among them are paczki, or sweet yeast doughnuts that are fried and filled with a variety of different fillings, such as stewed plums, chocolate cream, jam, or sweet cheese. Traditionally, paczki are only eaten on the Thursday before the beginning of the Catholic season of Lent. In the past, it was believed that eating paczki on this day could bring good luck for the coming year.
Faworki is another Polish dessert that is usually eaten before Lent. This dessert is made with puff pastry cut into very thin strips and then fried, making them light and crispy. Before serving, faworki is usually dusted with powdered sugar.
Lastly, many Poles, as well as those of Polish descent, are familiar with the dessert known as makowiec or poppy seed cake. This dessert consists of a gelatinous yeast cake, filled with poppy seeds, walnuts and dried fruits. It is usually ice cream, and sometimes it is also covered in orange peel. Makowiec is usually associated with Christmas and Easter, although some people may eat it throughout the year.