Essay on History and Sociology of Food in Poland

Introduction

History of food dates back from time immemorial, from the very first moments that human walked the earth. Food has been fundamental for survival since the times of hunting and gathering. The techniques of obtaining food were then primitive and based on trial and error. It was up to people to figure out which food was poisonous, which ones were edible and which one required preparation before eating. As time goes, decades to century to millenniums, humans perfected the art of obtaining food, and each region developed unique methods of cooking. Today, eating is an inseparable part of human life with people all over the world have different eating habits. Through cultural exchange, places have influenced each other in terms of cuisines and drinks. For instance, other cultures have significantly impacted Polish foods. This essay explores how Jewish culture has changed Polish food.

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To understand the influence of Jews on Polish cuisines, it is important to revisit the first times that the two cultures made contact. According to Marks (2010) history of Jews in Poland traces back to the reign of Boleslaw Chrobry Casimir III the Great. This ruler was favorably disposed towards Jews and in October of 1334, prohibited some of the atrocities directed to the Jewish Poles. Among them included the kidnapping of Jews and forcefully baptizing them. His tolerance would lead to mass settlement of Jews in Poland resulting to cultural exchange with them becoming an important part of Polish culture. However, there is one aspect of the culture that the Jews left an impression. This is the influence on polish food and drinks (Lehrer, 2013). In a matter of time, many of the dishes the methods of processing and storing liquor were adopted from Jews. Golabki stuffed cabbage, Gefilte fish, and alcohol are some of the things prepared by Jews still in existence today.

The direct lineage of Golabki stuffed cabbages is not clear, but its origin was traceable to Jewish cooking several years ago. The overcooked rolled up gelatinous dish is often associated with the festival of the High Holidays season. This food is eaten during this holiday for religious purposes and obviously for seasonal reasons. During fall, cabbages were very cheap, and subsequently, stuffed cabbage became one of the most popular traditional foods. Stuffed cabbage was a staple food for Jewish peasants, and it arrived in Europe from Jews living in the South. The dish resembled a dove after being stuffed and rolled up so, in every region that accepted it, the stuffed cabbage adopted the name of a dove. Its recipes vary among the Jewish settlements in the various areas of Romania, Ukraine, and Poland and as Lieber asserts, how you make your stuffed cabbage depends on where your grandmother comes from. Many versions of the traditional Jewish food have been adapted with the Jewish Poles preferring a savory sauce cabbage rolls (Weiss, 2007). Golabki, the Poles Jewish version of stuffed cabbage consist of cabbage leaves stuffed with a mix of beef or pork and rice or barely, generally served with tomato-based sauce.

Jews migration to Poland equally resulted in them dominating the liquor trade making a significant influence on the type of alcohol common in the then Poland (Levine, 1980). Jewish run taverns grew to become a famous center where local peasants and Christians would gather for leisure, business, the hospitality and religious festivities. Jews were not much into drinking s a result, there was a collective belief they were the only sober lot capable of running taverns profitably. There was a period when with the widespread drunkards, such saloons were shut down driving Jews out of alcohol business (Dynner, 2014). However, there still existed an underground network of liquor business that would still supply customers. The Jewish influence on Polish liquor is in exist stance today, and as Levine (1982) assert, there are Jewish taverns all over Poland that still serve traditional Jewish liquor. Today it is more than a tradition in drinking Slivovitz. This is a grain free alcohol that Jews pioneered its brewing techniques. Traditionally, the drink was taken at Passover, and today it reminds people of the Jewish legacy left in the alcohol business in Poland. The drink is still being poured by bartenders in every region in Poland. Jews fixed themselves in whatever field they could.

Conclusion

As it has been seen above, the Jews who lived in Poland left an impression there. These people influenced the various types of cuisines and liquor consumed in the place. Polish stuffed cabbage is still consumed today in Poland. This among other dishes was brought in this place by immigrant Jews. Jews also influenced alcohol business in the region with the establishment of taverns. Some of the brewing techniques devised by Jews are still applicable today. Jewish drinks are equally being poured by bartenders in Poland as well. Through a focus on education and skills Jews have applied themselves to whatever thing is available, in Poland it was food and liquor, and when they left, they didn't carry it along.

References

Dynner, G. (2014). Yankel's Tavern: Jews, Liquor, and Life in the Kingdom of Poland. Oxford University Press.

Lehrer, E. T. (2013). Jewish Poland revisited: Heritage tourism in unquiet places. Indiana University Press.

Levine, H. (1980). Gentry, Jews, and Serfs: The Rise of Polish Vodka. Review (Fernand Braudel Center), 223-250.

Levine, H. (1982). Between Polish Autarky and Russian Autocracy: The Jews, the propinacja, and the Rhetoric of Reform. International Review of Social History, 27(1), 66-84.

Marks, G. (2010). Encyclopedia of Jewish food. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Weiss, A. S. (2007). Reflections on the Stuffed Cabbage. Gastronomica, 7(1), 70-75.