Polish Spices and Herbs: Dill, Marjoram, Allspice, Bay, Caraway and Juniper

Polish cooking gets its character from herbs, roots and a few whole spices more than from spice blends. Dill and parsley, leaf and root, lead the herbs, while marjoram, allspice, bay leaf and black pepper carry the soups and stews. Caraway and juniper go with cabbage, pork and game, and horseradish and garlic bring the bite. One classic soup shows off most of them: żurek, the sour rye soup traditionally eaten at Easter. Anne Applebaum and Danielle Crittenden’s version uses dried marjoram, allspice berries, a bay leaf, black peppercorns, garlic and grated horseradish.¹

At a glance

Dill

Dill is especially popular in eastern European and Scandinavian cooking, where it goes into soups, salads, sauces and fish, and above all pickles. The flower heads and ripe seeds flavor pickled cucumbers. In Poland you’ll find dill over new potatoes, in cucumber salads and in dill soup (zupa koperkowa). See dill, cooking with dill, dill seed vs. dill weed and too much dill.

Parsley, leaf and root

Polish cooks use both ends of the parsley plant. One form of parsley has a parsnip-like root that’s popular in Europe, and PROSEA says the thick-rooted forms were probably developed around 1500 in northern Germany.² The root goes into broths such as rosół, the chicken soup, and the chopped leaf goes on top. See parsley, flat-leaf vs. Italian parsley and parsley substitutes.

Marjoram

Applebaum and Crittenden’s żurek calls for a tablespoon of dried marjoram.¹ It’s also the go-to seasoning for Polish sausage and for tripe soup (flaki). See marjoram, cooking with marjoram and marjoram vs. oregano.

Allspice

Allspice is the dried berry of Pimenta dioica, native from southern Mexico to Central America and the Caribbean. The whole fruits go into meat broths, gravies and pickling liquids. Polish cooks drop a few whole berries into soups and stews. Applebaum and Crittenden use three in their żurek.¹ See allspice, allspice vs. cloves and allspice substitutes.

Bay leaf

Bay laurel is native to the Mediterranean, and one leaf goes into Applebaum and Crittenden’s żurek.¹ In Polish kitchens a bay leaf goes into soups and braises as a matter of course, including cabbage rolls (gołąbki) and cucumber soup (zupa ogórkowa). See bay leaves and cooking with bay leaves.

Caraway

PROSEA names Poland as one of the main producers of winter-type caraway, along with the Netherlands, Hungary and Russia.³ In the kitchen it goes with cabbage and pork. The Polish Ministry of Agriculture’s entry for Silesian bigos, a stew of sauerkraut, meat and dumplings, describes the smell of meat braised with garlic and caraway.⁴ See caraway seeds and cooking with caraway seeds.

Juniper

Juniper is much used in the traditional cooking of Central Europe and considered indispensable for venison. In Poland it goes into bigos and with game. See juniper berries.

Horseradish and garlic

Grated horseradish and garlic both go into Applebaum and Crittenden’s żurek. See horseradish, cooking with horseradish and garlic.

Celery

Celery is native to a wide band stretching from Macaronesia and North Africa across Europe to the western Himalaya. The root (celeriac) and the leaves both go into Polish broths and stews. See celery leaves and celery leaves uses.

Related pages

• German spices and Hungarian spices
• Pickling spice
• The master list of herbs and spices