dinner

The Polish traditional Christmas eve feast, Wigilia, has changed very little in its structure since it first started to be celebrated hundreds of years ago. Possibly the clearest proof of this is that the feast is meatless: in the older forms of Christianity, because Christmas Eve still falls in Advent, which is a fasting season, meat is not permitted until the fast breaks on Christmas Day. Only the quantity of food available breaks with the older Catholic tradition of fasting, in which the amount of food eaten on a fast day was also regulated. One polish tradition is to fast "until the first star, Gwiazdka, appears in the sky." But there is also a a Polish saying, "As Christmas goes, so goes the next year" -- so the idea is that, after that first star appears, the family should eat well and sumptuously on this special night, so that the New Year will reflect the same plenty and good cheer.

There are usually twelve dishes in this supper, representing - depending on who you ask -- the twelve months of the year, or the Twelve Apostles. (Other Polish traditions suggest that the number of dishes should be odd.) The most traditional forms of the feast start with family members and guests sharing oblatek, a special Christmas wafer, symbolic both of the holiday and of the general sacredness of breaking bread. After that comes a soup -- either fish- or vegetable-based: borscht is a favorite -- followed by fish dishes, both hot and cold. Some dishes normally made with meat, such as the savory dumplings called pierogis, turn up stuffed with fish instead, or with vegetables or mushrooms. Other traditional dishes appearing on the table include red borscht, mushroom or fish soup, sauerkraut with wild mushrooms or peas, dried fruit compote and kutia, a dessert of eastern Poland. Regional variations abound: as long as there are twelve dishes, people in given areas of Poland will substitute some favorite or specialty of the area where they live.

Click on "read more" for an assortment of typical Wigilia dishes.

(Polish speakers: don't forget to visit Wigilia.pl.)

This is the original, much-loved, much-missed dish that Irish immigrants of the nineteenth century were trying to make when they came to North America...and when they couldn't get the pork they really wanted, they made do with salted (corned) beef instead. (See the article here for the details. The facts may surprise you.)

If Ireland really has a national dish -- which is another whole question -- this might just be it. You can get pretty close to the Real Thing at home, but you'll need to start a day or three early, and do a little extra work. Click on "read more" for the recipe and other details.