Studying the history of Polish culinary culture feels like an angler’s dream. One-third of the oldest printed cookbook – Compendium ferculorum – is dedicated to fish recipes including crayfish, oysters and occasional snails. So, what fish dishes were popular among the Polish aristocracy called “szlachta”? Is it possible (and legal) to recreate the old Polish recipes now? And is it really easy to get a good and fresh fish in Poland?

“Fish in Polish Cuisine” is a part of an online series called “Pierogi & Other Stories”: a collection of articles and recipes introducing contemporary Polish cuisine to readers who speak English. The whole series can be found in the #cuisine tab on the English website culture.pl or you can just click here.