flipKompot z suszu — dried fruit drink
Kompot z suszu — dried fruit drink
Why this dish? Kompot accompanied the everyday obiad, but its dried fruit version — suszone owoce — was the ritual drink of the Polish Wigilia, the twelfth and final symbolic dish of the meatless Christmas Eve supper. For Maria, raised in respect for these family traditions and nostalgic for the Polish countryside where plums and pears were dried, it is the very taste of winter and childhood holidays.
A warm, fragrant infusion of dried plums, pears, and apples, spiked with cloves and cinnamon. Sweet, slightly tart, and smoky from the dried fruits. Non-alcoholic, it suits the whole family.
One cannot imagine a Wigilia without kompot of dried fruits; it is, for us, the last of the twelve dishes, that which closes the meatless meal. In the countryside, we dried plums and pears above the stove after summer, and kept these wrinkled fruits all winter in linen sacks. Pour water over them, a clove, a hint of cinnamon, and let it steep gently: the drink takes on a dark color and a smoky scent that smells of my childhood home. Drink it hot — it warms better than a fire.
- •Dried plums (smoked) — a handful (body and dark color)
- •Dried pears — a few (sweetness)
- •Dried apples — a few slices (fruity acidity)
- •Cloves — 1 or 2 (spice)
- •Cinnamon stick — a piece (spice)
- •Honey — to taste (sweetener (optional))
Kompot z suszu — dried fruit drink
A warm, fragrant infusion of dried plums, pears, and apples, spiked with cloves and cinnamon. Sweet, slightly tart, and smoky from the dried fruits. Non-alcoholic, it suits the whole family.
Why this dish? Kompot accompanied the everyday obiad, but its dried fruit version — suszone owoce — was the ritual drink of the Polish Wigilia, the twelfth and final symbolic dish of the meatless Christmas Eve supper. For Maria, raised in respect for these family traditions and nostalgic for the Polish countryside where plums and pears were dried, it is the very taste of winter and childhood holidays.
One cannot imagine a Wigilia without kompot of dried fruits; it is, for us, the last of the twelve dishes, that which closes the meatless meal. In the countryside, we dried plums and pears above the stove after summer, and kept these wrinkled fruits all winter in linen sacks. Pour water over them, a clove, a hint of cinnamon, and let it steep gently: the drink takes on a dark color and a smoky scent that smells of my childhood home. Drink it hot — it warms better than a fire.
Ingredients (period version)
- Dried plums (smoked) — a handful (body and dark color)
- Dried pears — a few (sweetness)
- Dried apples — a few slices (fruity acidity)
- Cloves — 1 or 2 (spice)
- Cinnamon stick — a piece (spice)
- Honey — to taste (sweetener (optional))
Ingredients
- Prunes (ideally smoked) — 150 g (body and color)
- Dried pears — 100 g (sweetness)
- Dried apples — 80 g (acidity)
- Dried figs or apricots — 60 g (roundness (optional))
- Cloves — 2 (spice)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 (spice)
- Water — 1.5 L (infusion)
- Honey or sugar — to adjust (sweetener)
Method
- Rinse all dried fruits in clear water.
- Place them in a large pot with water, cloves, and cinnamon.
- Bring to a simmer, then cook covered, very gently, for 40 minutes: the fruits should swell and the water become colored.
- Taste, sweeten lightly with honey if needed (the fruits are already sweet).
- Let steep off the heat for another 30 minutes to develop the aroma.
- Serve hot in glasses or cups; the cooked fruits can also be eaten with a small spoon.
How it was made : Before refrigerators, drying above the stove or in a cooling oven was THE method to preserve autumn fruits for winter. Dried plums often had a smoky flavor, as they were dried over wood heat — hence the particular depth of Wigilia kompot. People drank the broth and ate the fruits.
The contemporary twist : Serve it chilled in summer, lengthened with a little sparkling water and a sliver of fresh pear: kompot becomes the rustic lemonade of countryside afternoons.
Sources : Maria Lemnis & Henryk Vitry, W staropolskiej kuchni (kompot of Wigilia and Christmas Eve traditions) · Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa, 365 obiadów, Warsaw, 1860
Marie Curie · Charactorium
