Lake Morskie Oko in the Tatra Mountains
T
he following day, I boarded a train to Krakow to meet my travel group. Krakow is not only a beautiful city but it was recently named Travelers Choice Award Winner of 2014 by Trip Advisor. It also received the European Travelers’ Choice Destinations Award for 2015. Krakow takes pride in being the home to one of the oldest universities in the world, the Jagellonian University founded in 1364. Everything in Krakow centers on Market Square, one of the largest in Europe. I was delighted to experience its annual Pierogi Festival. A pierogi is a delicious pasta dumpling stuffed with a variety of fillings from the traditional potato and farmer’s cheese to sauerkraut and wild mushroom. Smoked salmon and potato jalapeño are but a few of the new 21st century ingredients. Imagine being surrounded by pierogi booths all competing with samples of the hundreds of varieties of these delicious dumplings. As many as 180,000 pierogi are consumed during this festival. The Polish believe Saint Jacek invented the pierogi
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in the 13th Century when he walked through the streets of Krakow feeding the poor with the dumplings he had personally prepared. Actually, China is the homeland of the dumplings and it was Marco Polo who brought them to Italy where they are called ravioli. However, Poland is the true home of the pierogi. In the next days, not only did I eat in some of Krakow’s top restaurants but I had the privilege of spending one day preparing a superb 3-course gourmet meal with renowned Chef Marek Widomski of the Culinary Institute. Having now experienced contemporary Polish cuisine, I traveled to Zakopane in the southern region of Malopolska to enjoy the traditional dishes I remembered from my childhood. The landscape changed dramatically as the mountainous region of Poland came into view. Our itinerary included two stops along the way for morning visits to the quaint villages of Lopuszna and Gromkow. For lunch, the ladies in each village shared their cooking secrets with us. It was a rare opportunity to be invited into their traditional homes.