flipKasza gryczana ze skwarkami — Buckwheat Groats with Cracklings
Kasza gryczana ze skwarkami — Buckwheat Groats with Cracklings
Why this dish? Mickiewicz was an eternal traveler — Vilnius, Saint Petersburg, Constantinople, Paris, his leather travel trunk always ready. Buckwheat groats, toasted then cooked, could be carried dry, kept for weeks and satisfied for a long time: the exact food of the émigré on the road.
Toasted buckwheat grains, swollen in water until tender and fluffy, mixed with crispy cracklings and golden onion. Austere, dense, deeply comforting — the staple food of Poles and Lithuanians of all conditions.
The traveler, my friend, does not carry delicate dishes that spoil at the first inn. I, in my trunk, had my bag of buckwheat groats — first toasted in the pan so it perfumes, then just boiling water and a little patience. A dab of melted bacon on top, a golden onion, and you are satisfied for the long road to Petersburg or to the Orient. It is the bread of the roads, humble and faithful.
- •Buckwheat groats (kasza gryczana) — one measure (staple starch)
- •Smoked bacon — a piece (savory fat)
- •Onion — one (sweet aromatic)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Kasza gryczana ze skwarkami — Buckwheat Groats with Cracklings
Toasted buckwheat grains, swollen in water until tender and fluffy, mixed with crispy cracklings and golden onion. Austere, dense, deeply comforting — the staple food of Poles and Lithuanians of all conditions.
Why this dish? Mickiewicz was an eternal traveler — Vilnius, Saint Petersburg, Constantinople, Paris, his leather travel trunk always ready. Buckwheat groats, toasted then cooked, could be carried dry, kept for weeks and satisfied for a long time: the exact food of the émigré on the road.
The traveler, my friend, does not carry delicate dishes that spoil at the first inn. I, in my trunk, had my bag of buckwheat groats — first toasted in the pan so it perfumes, then just boiling water and a little patience. A dab of melted bacon on top, a golden onion, and you are satisfied for the long road to Petersburg or to the Orient. It is the bread of the roads, humble and faithful.
Ingredients (period version)
- Buckwheat groats (kasza gryczana) — one measure (staple starch)
- Smoked bacon — a piece (savory fat)
- Onion — one (sweet aromatic)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Toasted buckwheat groats (kasza gryczana) — 200 g (staple starch)
- Water or broth — 400 ml (cooking liquid)
- Smoked bacon or pork belly — 120 g, cut into lardons (salty umami)
- Onion — 1 large, sliced (aromatic)
- Butter — 1 knob (binding)
- Salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- If the buckwheat is not already toasted, dry-fry it in a pan for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Pour the buckwheat into boiling salted water or broth, cover and cook on low heat for 12-15 minutes until absorbed, then let rest covered for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, fry the lardons until crispy, add the onion and let it caramelize.
- Mix the lardons, onion and their fat into the groats, add a knob of butter.
- Season with pepper, adjust salt and serve hot — or let cool to take on the road.
How it was made : Buckwheat (said to have arrived from Asia via medieval routes, well acclimatized in Poland-Lithuania) was a major subsistence food, grown on poor soils. Toasted then dried, the groats kept and transported easily, making it the ideal ration for soldiers, peasants and travelers. It was eaten salty with bacon, or sweet with milk and honey depending on the time.
The contemporary twist : For a 'romantic picnic' version, press it warm into a ring mold, topped with a poached egg — a bowl of kasza reinvented as a bistro dish.
Sources : Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa, 365 obiadów (1860) · William Woys Weaver, articles on buckwheat in Central Europe
Adam Mickiewicz · Charactorium
