Bigos

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Traditional Polish beef Bigos

Bigos is a traditional stew typical of Polish and Lithuanian cuisine that many consider the Polish national dish.

A savory stew of sauerkraut, cabbage and meat, there is no standard recipe, as recipes vary considerably from region to region and from family to family. Typical ingredients include fresh and fermented white cabbage (sauerkraut, kapusta kiszona in Polish), various cuts of meat and sausages, often whole or puréed tomatoes, honey and mushrooms. The meats may include pork (often smoked), ham, bacon, beef, veal, kielbasa, and, as bigos is considered a hunters' stew, venison or other game; leftover cuts find their way into the pot as well. It may be seasoned with pepper, caraway, bay leaf, marjoram, pimento, dried or smoked plums, red wine, and other ingredients.

Bigos is usually eaten with rye bread and potatoes, often accompanied by vodka or dry white wine. As with many stews, bigos can be kept in a cool place or refrigerated then reheated later—its taste actually intensifies when reheated. A common practice is to keep a pot of bigos going for a week or more, replenishing ingredients as necessary (cf. perpetual stew). This, the seasonal availability of cabbage and its richness in vitamin C made bigos a traditional part of the winter diet in Poland and elsewhere. In Poland, it was a traditional dish to be served on the Second Day of Christmas.

[edit] History

Bigos is sometimes said to have been introduced to Poland by Wladislaus II, a Lithuanian prince who became king in 1385 and supposedly had it served to his hunting-party guests. However, Polish linguists trace the word bigos to a German rather than a Lithuanian origin, even if no word with which it can be identified is extant in modern German. The PWN Dictionary of Foreign Words speculates that it derives from the past participle of the German verb for "to douse" (begossen), as bigos used to be doused with wine in earlier periods. [1]. Metaphorically, bigos can also mean "confusion" or "trouble" in Polish.

The original dish on which sauerkraut, bigos, and other variations are based is thought to have come from Asia (cf. kimchi) and been introduced to Europe by invading Asiatic tribes. There are countless variations of the basic recipe. According to some, the amount of meat should be equal to the amount of cabbage; others prefer to use only fermented cabbage as in German sauerkraut.