Get inspired from Baltic Sea region cuisine 1/3

To be honest I have always considered countries surrounded by Baltic Sea not so vegetarian friendly. Fair enough, winters are cold and it’s better to eat well to keep your body heated.

But what if I have been vegetarian for 12 years and I have to admit: sometimes I suffer lack of energy, especially if I’m not able to cook food myself.

One BSR experience trip took six of us bloggers to Warsaw, Helsinki and Tallinn. Our goal was to discover these cities in five days focusing on what interest us. Food interests me always. So I start about food culture in Poland:

Polska1

Czerwony Wieprz

Many people consider Poland as “pork” country. And I have my experience from pork loving country 5 years ago, when I was in South Korea. I ate for five days chocolate, because they add pork meat even to corn soup. So I was a bit suspicious when we arrived in our first restaurant in Warsaw, which was actually called Red Pork - Czerwony Wieprz (link: www.czerwonywieprz.pl/en).

Polska2

Special menu for vegetarians

Give me a brake. Red pork? So now all the cliches about Poland comes true - they eat only pork? Nope. I got my own menu. Also the waiter came and asked in the first place which one of us is the vegetarian one. How kind!

Polska3

Vegetable soup with balsamic and almonds

Polska4

Spinach and feta filled dumplings

And then the food started to come. I got owen baked veggies with goat cheese toasts, soup and home made dumplings with spinach and feta filling. Now we’re talking! Actually, I have to admit a sad ending: there was so much food for me that I couldn’t finish everything. You know the moment, when there’s so much delicious foods surrounding you, but your tummy just says NO.

Polska6

Gessler Warszawa Wschodnia is well known restaurant in beautiful loft surrounding

During our dinner I had a chat with Beata Kubiszyn-Puka from Information Department of Warsaw City Hall. Beata told me that even vegan restaurants can be found from Warsaw. The new generation wants to be more Western and this is how new food cultures land in Poland. Also rising art scenery especially in Warsaw brings its own breeze.

I didn’t have time to go and check out real vegetarian restaurants in Warsaw, but I didn’t even have to. I got always my three course meals all specially made for me -except once. At Gessler Warszawa Wschodnia they didn’t have menu for vegetarians and I was offered ratatouille as main course, which was side dish for others who ate fish. Gessler, you can do better than that. Glad we went to E. Wedel chocolate factory before going to Warszawa Wschodnia so I was filled there with chocolate and happiness.

Polska5

Polska7

. Bloggers at work while eating

During our 2 days stay in Warsaw, I ate two kinds of different mushroom soups - other had creamy base and other was clear. Both were done with so called forest mushrooms. Yummy. Also I noticed that the spices were kept simple, as well as herbs. It had a bit Scandinavian touch - from my Finnish eyes. This vegetarian didn’t stay hungry for sure. I broke the myth about Poland being a meat country.

Polska8