Eat Smart in Poland: How to Decipher the Menu, Know the Market Foods & Embark on a Tasting Adventure

Sometimes translation was off, not to sophisticated, more literal then it should. This book is good for a Polish person, for foreigners should be more explanation of history of Poland and Polish cousine. I enjoyed it anyway.

EAT SMART IN POLAND Reviwed by Sharon Hudgins, author of The Other Side of Russia: A Slice of Life in Siberia and the Russian Far East I wish I'd had a copy of Joan and David Peterson's "Eat Smart in Poland" on my trips to Poland in the early 1990s--and maybe on my last trip to Chicago, too (where there's a large Polish community and some good Polish restaurants). Reading this excellent travel guide for food lovers brought back fond memories of the Polish dishes I've eaten from Warsaw to Krakow to the American Midwest. And it made me want to eat my way around Poland again--following the authors' recommendations for "national favorites" and "regional classics" served throughout the country. Like all the guides in the "Eat Smart" series, this book is well researched, well written, and lives up to its promise of telling you "How to Decipher the Menu, Know the Market Foods, & Embark on a Tasting Adventure." After an explanation of the historical and geographical influences on Polish cooking, the authors provide a description of Polish regional cuisines followed by more than two dozen recipes for classic dishes from appetizers and soups to main dishes and desserts. You'll definitely want to try the recipes for Bigos (Hunters' Stew) and Sernik Przekladany (Layered Cheesecake). If all those consonants in Polish food names leave you bewildered, just turn to the two sections of the book that translate all those strange-looking terms for you. The Menu Guide is an alphabetical menu translator from Polish into English, from A to Z. The Foods & Flavors Guide is a comprehensive glossary of "foods, spices, kitchen utensils, and cooking terminology in Polish, with English translations," which you can use for shopping in open-air markets and grocery stores. (Don't miss the smoked sheep's-milk cheese from the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland.) You'll definitely want to take this book with you on your next trip to Poland--and maybe your next trip to Chicago, too! Highly recommended!

This is really an unusual book, the authors share their great knowledge not only about Polish food and dishes, especially the dishes which are unusual outside of Poland. They describe how Polish cuisine developed through history, they explain how to read a menu in the restaurant, how to shop for food.. and all of this information is in a very concise form - also with the dictionary of Polish "food" language, the dictionary of Polish dishes, recipes, beautiful photographs. I recommend this book for your trip to Poland!

Eat Smart In Poland is "must" reading for anyone traveling in Poland for business or pleasure. The Peterson's provide the reader with a rich historical perspective on the origins and varieties of Polish food; extensive background on regional dishes, and easy-to-use menu guide to help make "surprise-free" selections from restaurant menus; a comprehensive glossary of foods and flavors; Polish phrases for ordering and buying food; handy shopping tips for outdoor food and spice markets;; and recipes to preview the taste of Poland before departure. The informative and engaging text is wonderfully illustrated throughout with "on location" color photography by the Peterson's, and with black-and-white illustrations by Susie Medaris. Eat Smart In Poland is also highly recommended for ethnic cuisine clubs, and armchair traveler kitchen cookbook collections!