Eating out
Vegan Polish Christmas Eve and Easter: which traditional dishes are vegan?
Short answer
Plenty on Christmas Eve (Wigilia): fermented beetroot soup (barszcz), uszka and pierogi with sauerkraut and mushrooms (if the dough is egg-free), cabbage with peas, dried-fruit compote. Easter needs more swaps, as eggs, żurek with sausage and butter cakes take centre stage.
Christmas Eve: watch out for fish, cream in mushroom soup and salads, butter on pierogi, egg in the dough, honey in kutia, and eggs and butter in poppy-seed cake. Also ask what stock the barszcz is made with. Swaps: kutia with date or maple syrup, “herring” made from oyster mushrooms or aubergine, pierogi dough made with water and oil.
Easter: cook żurek (sour rye soup) with smoked tofu or mushrooms instead of sausage, make “eggs” from tofu with kala namak salt, and replace egg spread with a chickpea spread. Babka and mazurek cakes work with aquafaba and margarine. If you celebrate with family, offer to bring one or two dishes for everyone.