Warsaw: A Vegan Paradise Emerges
Imagine a neighborhood buzzing with two vegan sushi restaurants, three vegan ramen spots, a vegan deli on every corner, and a profusion of vegan bakeries. Picture rainbow flags proudly flown outside eateries, a testament to a thriving community.this isn’t Los Angeles,New York,or even Copenhagen.This is Śródmieście, a neighborhood in Warsaw, Poland, and it’s a vegan paradise.
While this might seem surprising to those who associate Poland with kielbasa and conservative politics, Warsaw has been quietly cultivating a vegan haven. For the past six years, it’s been ranked among the top vegan cities globally by happycow, a dedicated vegan ranking website.In 2022, it even earned the prestigious title of National Geographic’s number one vegan city in the world.
the growing vegan scene in Warsaw isn’t entirely out of the blue. Before the influence of the Iron Curtain, Polish cuisine was primarily plant-based.Access to meat,fish,and dairy products was limited to the aristocracy,leaving the majority of the population – peasants – to rely on what thay grew. This naturally resulted in a cuisine rich in root vegetables, potatoes, and earthy greens, a plant-based diet driven by necessity rather than ideology.
Traditional Polish cuisine featured hearty soups and stews, exemplified by a now-forgotten vegetable soup flavored with sugar and cinnamon, enhanced with a final touch of beer for a unique yeasted acidity. Another culinary legacy from this era is
obwarzanek, a parboiled rye dough shaped into a circle, popularized by Cracovian Jews who sold them from street carts. This treat might have even inspired the evolution of today’s beloved bagel.
During the communist era, meat remained a luxury despite claims of equality. Inefficient production meant ordinary people couldn’t afford this scarce resource, making it a coveted status symbol, particularly for the socialist elite who had access to it. When the USSR collapsed, the pendulum swung towards a meat-heavy diet as market forces took hold and disposable income increased.
Though, as Poland transitioned into a mature liberal democracy, a new generation grew up with readily available meat. This abundance diminished its allure, leading to a shift in culinary preferences. Today,younger Poles are embracing plant-based options,fueling Warsaw’s vibrant vegan revolution.
“I lived in Madrid as an Erasmus student and I found it hard to sustain my social life without eating meat … Whereas in Warsaw,I …”
The Unexpected Rise of Veganism in Poland
It’s hard to recall the last time I stepped into a restaurant that didn’t have at least one vegan option on the menu,” shares Michał Korkosz, the popular vegetarian food influencer known as Rozkoszny. With over 700k followers on Instagram, Rozkoszny is a leading voice in the Polish vegan movement. His cookbooks,”Fresh from Poland” and “Polish’d,” offer creative twists on classic Polish recipes,selling a staggering 230,000 copies and captivating readers in three languages.
Rozkoszny’s culinary journey navigates both tradition and innovation. He celebrates the plant-based food heritage of old Poland with dishes like “Schabowy z kani” (parasol mushroom schnitzel), a recipe as familiar to polish grandmothers as apple pie.This traditional schnitzel, made with marinated mushrooms, breadcrumbs, and a sizzle in the pan, often arrives alongside creamy mashed potatoes and “mizeria,” a Polish take on tzatziki. Yet, he also breathes new life into classic Polish dishes, transforming them into vegan delicacies. Take “Żurek,” a beloved Polish soup traditionally made with smoked pork rib broth and kielbasa (sausage). Rozkoszny’s version swaps the traditional broth for miso, a savory Japanese paste gaining popularity in Poland, and adds earthy roasted mushrooms.
His background in politics and sociology informs his approach to food, viewing it as a powerful form of political expression. He once conducted a study exploring the diets of Polish MPs,seeking to connect their eating habits with their political leanings. “The more left-leaning a politician, the more likely they were to have a vegetarian diet and explore international cuisines,” he observes.
A 2019 study by Ipsos lent credence to Rozkoszny’s findings. When asked about actions they would take to combat climate change, 30% of left-leaning politicians stated a willingness to give up meat, compared to a mere 11% of right-wing Law and Justice party members. This indicates a potential link between progressive political views and a growing awareness of the environmental impact of meat consumption.
“Veganism tends to be perceived as a pejorative term,” explains Anna Spurek, chief operating officer of the Green REV Institute, Poland’s first vegan think tank. “The meat lobby and interest groups utilize it to create societal division.” She points to a common refrain among right-wing politicians who label veganism as “anti-Polish,” comparing it to the “LGBT agenda” and portraying vegans as “insane and detached from reality.”
Though, Spurek believes that veganism transcends political divides. She champions the Polish concept of “solidarność” – solidarity - arguing that it encompasses interspecies unity and green politics. In a way, veganism represents a return to Poland’s agrarian roots, reconnecting with a more conscious and wholesome way of eating. Across the country, even in rural communities, plant-based diets are becoming increasingly prevalent.
The impact of veganism on Polish culture is undeniable. Michał “Rozkoszny” Korkosz and Barclay Bram, co-founders of the vegan Polish supper club ”Bracia” (meaning “brothers” in Polish) in London, often encounter surprise from their London audience. Many assume that such a concept could only exist in a city with a pronounced vegan scene. Though, they proudly share the truth: Poland is a surprisingly vegan-amiable nation, bursting with plant-based culinary creativity.
In February, “Bracia” will host an event at Lotos, a historic restaurant established in 1958, renowned for its traditional “nóżki w galarecie” (literally “legs in jelly” – a cold chicken soup with collagen-rich broth, suspended vegetables, and carrots). Owner Hanna Szymańska expresses her enthusiasm for the occasion: “You have to move with the times.”
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