Experience the road less traveled in Poland’s historical Podkarpackie Region
Our first lunch, after arriving on the direct flights from London Stansted was at the Folk Culture Open-air Museum Kolbuszowa: Proziaki. Here we sampled a traditionally prepared lunch in the original kitchen, where we also got to bake the regional pie ‘Proziaki’ with the lady running the kitchen.
Our lunch consisted of a wonderful Mushroom soup made from mushrooms in the nearby forest and carrots grown in the museum’s own garden. After the starter, we sampled cabbage rolls, stuffed bread and wide selection of traditional dumplings/pierogi made with potato, mushrooms, mince, bacon and onions in a wide variety of combinations. I must admit, everyone’s eyes were more hungry than their bellies, so the following guided tour we had of the museum grounds was kept at a very leisurely pace.
Tonight’s dinner was at the historical 16th century Baranow Sandomierski Castle. The castle itself with its armoury were originally build in the Renaissance style and all refurbishments to the buildings have been made with a keen eye to the historical context and style of the castle.
I thoroughly enjoyed the guided walking tour of the castle and the main buildings with two local guides. Surprisingly enough, the castle also hosts Zumba classes for the locals of the village every Thursday and anyone can join in – what a great way to use such a beautiful building and keep the locals engaged during the cold winter months! This evening, they had a Halloween themed Zumba class.
Our dinner, which was inspired by the local seasonal ingredients of mushrooms, herbs and meat from the local forests and farmers, consisted of mushroom soup, traditional smoked ham with vegetables and, for dessert, a wonderful apple pie.
Our first night was spent at the hotel adjacent to the Baranow Sandomierski Castle, in their standard double rooms.
On our second day, we ventured to Lancut for lunch at the Sokol Hotel & Spa. This 4* hotel and spa has been thoroughly renovated and offers high-end accommodation for guests visiting the beautiful city of Lancut with the historic Lancut Castle and its marvellous orangery, park and coach house.
Our lunch was a main of local deer game with cinnamon sauce and mash and for dessert another tasty apple pie. The locally grown apples were one of the culinary highlights of this trip!
Tonight, we stayed at the Sieniawa Palace. Sieniawa Palace is the former residence of the Sieniewa and Czartoryski families, who were two of the most wealthy and influential families of the Polish and Lithuanian nations in the XVII and XWIII centuries. The palace burnt to the ground during the cold war, but has been restored back to its former glory by the Polish government.
After a guided tour of the Palace, its suites and the family crypt, we enjoyed a traditional dinner followed by coffee and tea in the private lounge.
The dinner was a true delight of yet another display of local produce and traditional cooking. Tonight’s Mushroom Soup was the best I have ever tried, followed by deer game and roasted vegetables and ending with in-house made petit fours, cakes, chocolates and other small nibbles – a delicious ending to a beautiful day out and about in Lancut.
Our third day started with a romantic horse drawn carriage ride round the palace grounds before traveling to Dubiecko for lunch.
At the privately owned Dubiecko Castle, we were met by the owner and had a short tour around the castle and its grounds before sitting down for a spellbinding 4-course lunch.
First and foremost, we had the regional highlight – Mushroom Soup made from locally foraged mushrooms.
Following the Mushroom soup, we enjoyed a cinnamon infused hog pate with parsnip pure.
For the main, we were served a festive plate of traditional dumplings with bacon and onions, puff pastry with mushrooms and parsley and local game of deer and hog with a wonderful sauce.
For dessert, we enjoyed a modern take on the Crème Brulee – with locally sourced red currants and dried parsley sprinkled on top. An interesting but none-the less tasty combination!
In the evening, we drove to the far South-East part of the Podcarpackie Region, to the privately owned and family-run Kombornia Manor Hotel for our last night in Poland.
This evening we enjoyed a luscious wine tasting of Carpathian Wines, followed by dinner in the manor house restaurant.
The manor has its own wine cellar with Carpathian wines only. You can buy the wines from the manor, but I can highly recommend the wine tasting, which takes you through the whole wine map of the region, accompanied by the stories and tales behind the different countries and their produce.
Our host, was extremely welcoming and he was happy to share with us his knowledge on the historically rich trade of the Carpathian wine production.
Our manorial dinner tonight was built on historical recipes from the region, with locally sourced ingredients put together with a modern approach. For tonight’s 5-course dinner, we enjoyed a wine pairing for all dishes with wine from the cellar.
First, we enjoyed a traditional Crayfish Cocktail, with a modern twist, followed by a hearty and warm Pumpkin Soup with cinnamon roasted pumpkin seed and Parmigiano crisps. A selected white wine from Slovakia was served with these two dishes.
For our main, we first enjoyed a beautifully presented plate of Saddle of Rabbit with roasted artichoke and horseradish sauce followed by lamb with Jerusalem artichokes, Pak Choi and rosemary. Both these dished were served with a red wine from the Czech Republic.
For dessert, we had the manor house signature dish, traditional cheesecake made from brewed milk sweetened with Stevia. For dessert, we enjoyed a sweet dessert wine from Hungary.
Poland for me will from now on carry a very special place in my heart – especially as the way to my heart is partially through my stomach. Seldom do you get to experience such warm and welcoming locals, see such beautiful nature around every corner while also enjoying so much wonderfully prepared and locally sourced dishes every single day. Finally, I would like to thank our knowledgeable guide, Leszek, our skilful driver, Jozef, and the Podcarpackie Tourism Board for inviting us to visit their beautiful region on our trip to Poland.
Now the only question is: When do you want to visit the Podcarpackie region of Poland and which route will you travel down?
Author: Lena Nielsen. Images: Lena Nielsen. Copyright: Lena Nielsen. All rights reserved.