Smaczne Środy: Top 5 Polish Snacks You Have to Try

Every country has its fair share of snacks to try and I love ready to eat food especially in my days of backpacking long term. I’m not talking about fruit and vegetables. I mean actual snacks that somehow typify fast and ready to eat food in that country. Whether it be a munch for a bus trip, eating on the move or to accompany my morning crappuccino while trying my luck at a kasyna deposzyt 5 or evening Grzane piwo, I love to try a new Polish snack. These are my current favourites. The only rule to make this list is that they must be quick and easy to eat, so nothing cooked, not even soups can make the list. I have separate posts on my favourite pierogi, Polish soups and general Polish food.

Smacznego!

1. Paluszki
These are a cheap and easy alternative to what the Northern Irish term crisps. Little salted sticks costing as little as 2 złotych for a small packet. Easy bus or train snack while on the move. I prefer the original salted Paluszki. But I have also tried the flavoured ones including cheese and onion.

2. Pączki
These gorgeous little delights are like a Polish doughnut. Circular and with a jam filling, I normally go for Malinowy (raspberry) or Wiśnia (cherry) flavour. They are sold at almost every bakery and made fresh each day and more especially, you might have read that we are devouring them on Fat Thursday (Tłusty Czwartek).

3.Prince Polo Classic
I didn’t try any Polish chocolate bars on my first few visits to the country. Then I discovered what I was missing with the Prince Polo Classic. Simple. Cheap. Easy. Tasty. It’s basically a wafer dipped in chocolate. I prefer the classic XXL gold packet ine, but there are many of them/ They have been made by Olza since 1955.

4.Oscypek
All the way from Poland’s Tatry mountains comes Oscypek. This is ready to eat smoked sheep’s cheese and is ridiculously addictive. So much so that I have to limit my intake. It’s not cheap either but worth treating yourself once in a while. The Real Oscypek has been granted protected food status by the EU in a similar way to the Northern Irish Comber potatoes. There is also a hot version, Oscypek grillowany, but just munch it cold with some cranberries and it is delicious.

5.Wedel Chocolate Bars
OK so chocolate features again but I can’t skip my favourite guilty pleasure – Wedel. It’s a completely original Polish chocolate company with their factory based in Praga in Warszawa. They were bought over by the Koreans but the recipe and reputation remains the same. While i love the original Wedel bar the most, there is a huge range of crazy flavours from Wedel. This includes Pannacotta, Blueberry and Peach all mixed in with the finest chocolate. It is cheap too with a 300gram bar costing from 2złotych. You can buy Wedel bars from almost every supermarket or corner shop. There are over 50 different varieties. My current favourites are the original, the dark chocolate with cherry and the pannacotta.

And there are a good range of chocolate bars and sweet treats not covered here, the longer I live in Poland, the more I know about such local foods and drinks…Roger orzechowy is a chocolate bar with hazelnut, also delicious.