Changes

This is another post in a&nbsp;series about food in ''Pan Tadeusz'', the Napoleonic-era Polish national epic by Adam Mickiewicz. While wandering around Europe after his exile from Russian-ruled Poland, Mickiewicz always kept in his travelling library an ``old“old, worn cookbook"cookbook”, which he would read from time to time ``with “with great pleasure"pleasure”, hoping to one day give a&nbsp;``truly “truly Polish-Lithuanian banquet" banquet” according to ``the “the ancient recipës"recipës”.<ref>Excerpts quoted from a &nbsp;letter by Antoni Edward Odyniec, Mickiewicz's Mickiewicz’s travel companion, dated 28 April 1830, quoted in: {{Cyt

}}</ref> I will write about the title of this book [[Epic Cooking: The Perfect Cook#“A Dear Souvenir of Righteous Customs”|in a &nbsp;different post]]. For now, it suffices to say that the poet never had the occasion to fulfill his dream of hosting a&nbsp;real-life Old Polish-Lithuanian feast and had to satisfy his culinary fantasies by conjuring up a&nbsp;perfect traditional banquet on the pages of ''Pan Tadeusz'' instead.

He placed his description of an old-fashioned ``Polish dinner" “Polish dinner” in the books (chapters) XI and XII of the poem. In the earlier books, on the other hand, we can find depictions of the kind of meals the author could remember from his own youth in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (a&nbsp;constituent nation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which covered not only the territory of the modern-day Republic of Lithuania, but also the much larger Belarus). To him, this was just the ordinary, daily fare of the ``land “land of [his] childhood"childhood”. To us, though, it is what the cookery described in his treasured little book was to Mickiewicz – the forgotten world of Old Polish cuisine. And just like Mickiewicz would fantasize about recreating an Old Polish banquet, so would I like to share with you my own vision of a&nbsp;''Pan Tadeusz''-style supper. Someone someday may actually try to prepare a&nbsp;meal based on the menu I propose here; but for now let’s stick mostly to our imagination.

| tytuł = Pan Tadeusz, or The Last Foray in Lithuania: A &nbsp;Tale of the Gentry during 1811–1812

I already wrote about the chronology of the meals described in ''Pan Tadeusz'' in [[Epic Cooking: Breakfast at Judge Soplica'sSoplica’s|my post about the epic's epic’s breakfasts]]. As you may or may not remember, there are three afternoon or evening meals described in the first five books of the poem. These include a&nbsp;Friday supper in the Horeszko family’s ruined castle, a&nbsp;Saturday dinner at Judge Soplica’s manor house and a&nbsp;Sunday supper held in the castle again. We’ll try and piece together our menu from the poet’s descriptions of all three meals.

| tytuł = Pan Tadeusz, or The Last Foray in Lithuania: A &nbsp;Tale of the Gentry during 1811–1812

[[File:Chłodnik zabielany milcząc żwawo jedli.jpg|thumb|Thaddeus (Tadeusz) Soplica, his uncle Judge Soplica and a &nbsp;Bernardine almsman known as Father Worm are eating a &nbsp;soup whose bright pink colour leaves no doubt that it's it’s Lithuanian cold borscht.]]

Then the Bernardine uttered a &nbsp;short Latin text;

| źródło = Mickiewicz, ''op. cit.'', Book I, verses 300–307 (M. Weyland's Weyland’s translation with modifications)

Why was it only for men, though? Why didn’t the women get any vodka? After all, already in the 18th century, did the Rev. Jędrzej Kitowicz write of Polish noble ladies that they would ``often “often get drunk on vodka"vodka”.<ref>{{Cyt

The Bernardine recited a &nbsp;short Latin text;

And their cold borscht, in silence, ate at a &nbsp;quick pace.</poem>

| źródło = Mickiewicz, ''op. cit.'', Book III, verses 712–719 (M. Weyland's Weyland’s translation with modifications)

Blessed the table by saying a &nbsp;short Latin grace;

| źródło = Mickiewicz, ''op. cit.'', Book V, verses 309–318 (M. Weyland's Weyland’s translation with modifications)

There is a&nbsp;linguistic problem here, though. Mickiewicz has used two different terms, ''``chłodnik"“chłodnik”'' (pronounced {{pron|HWawd|neek}}) and ''``chołodziec"“chołodziec”'' ({{pron|Haw|Waw|jets}}). Both words derive from the adjective ''``chłodny"“chłodny”'', or ``cold"“cold”, but while Mickiewiczologists have no doubt that ''``chłodnik"“chłodnik”'' refers to a&nbsp;cold soup, there is some disagreement as to what kind of dish ''chołodziec'' was.<ref>{{Cyt

}}</ref> Is it a&nbsp;regional name for the same soup or does it refer to an aspic dish? After all, the similar Russian word ``холодец" “холодец” (''kholodets'') refers to a&nbsp;meat-based jelly. It could be possible that this term had filtered into the eastern dialects of Polish. Besides, veal feet in aspic would have paired perfectly with the vodka.

On the other hand, the vodka was served to men only, but the ''chołodziec'' was consumed by all. What’s more, there’s no evidence that, in the 19th century, the word was used for aspic anywhere outside certain regions of Russia proper; it’s not attested in either Polish or Belarusian of the time (of course, aspic dishes themselves had been known since the Middle Ages, albeit under other names). Anyway, the oldest translations of ''Pan Tadeusz'' into both Russian and Belarusian treat both ''``chłodnik"“chłodnik”'' and ''``chołodziec"“chołodziec”'' as referring to a&nbsp;soup. It looks like both Mickiewicz himself and his contemporary translators had no doubts that these two words were synonymous.

There’s another interesting difference, though. On the third day, the cold borscht was ``whitened"“whitened”, or clouded with sour cream, but on the first and second days, it wasn’t. Why? One possible explanation would be that the first two days were Friday and Saturday, that is, lean days. In Polish tradition, dairy products, as well as meat, were proscribed on lean days. It was only on Sunday that the same cold borscht was served again, but this time, enhanced with the luxurious additive. Except that if the Soplicas fasted on Saturday, then they must have done it only in the afternoon, because [[Epic Cooking: Breakfast at Judge Soplica'sSoplica’s|for breakfast they'd they’d had not only cream, but even smoked goose breasts, beef tongues, ham and steaks]]! This may be explained away only by the poet’s inconsistency.

| Grind a &nbsp;large handful of chopped fresh dill together with salt. Boil some chopped sorrel, chards or red beetroots and leave to cool down. Add some meat broth, half a &nbsp;gallon of sour cream, mix it all together and adjust the thickness and sourness by adding more of either the broth or the cream, so that the soup is white and cloudy. Just before serving, add a &nbsp;few chunks of ice, a &nbsp;few quartered hard-boiled eggs, a &nbsp;few finely chopped cucumbers, threescore crayfish tails or some large cooked fish, or if you don’t have any, some roasted veal cut into thin stripes. If you have cauliflower or asparagus, then you can add some that was boiled separately in water, cooled down and broken into chunks.

[[File:Jedzą, piją, a&nbsp;milczą wszyscy.jpg|thumb|In the film, the Count, Telimena, Thaddeus and Sophie are having something that looks more like string beans, known in Poland as ``asparagus beans"“asparagus beans”, than actual asparagus.]]

| źródło = Mickiewicz, ''op. cit.'', Book V, verses 319–320 (M. Weyland's Weyland’s translation with modifications)

| In this paradise, springtime flowers are in bloom alongside ripening autumn fruits. At the same time, violets and Michaelmas daisies grace some perfect season, in which poppies charm the eye with a &nbsp;“multi-hued show”, in which the pumpkin ripens, farmers harvest grains and mow grass, and the feast of Our Lady of the Herbs falls on Palm Sunday.

[[File:Szparagi w&nbsp;occie.jpg|thumb|upright=.5|Asparagus which I pickled in a &nbsp;fashion inspired by Syrenius's Syrenius’s recipë]]``Disturbed“Disturbed, shaken, uncertain," ” we begin to doubt the realism of the epic’s setting. But no, ``such “such master errs not!"”<ref>Mickiewicz, ''op. cit.'', Book 12, verse 710</ref> It’s perfectly possible to defend the presence of asparagus in early September. After all, the poet didn’t specify that it was fresh asparagus. And the art of pickling the vegetable had been known in Poland for ages. Here’s a&nbsp;recipë for vinegar-cured asparagus from a&nbsp;17th-century herbal written by a&nbsp;Polish Renaissance botanist, Prof. Simon Syrenius (Szymon Syreński):

| Take fresh [asparagus] sprouts, spread them in bowls, sprinkle with salt and leave in the shade for two days, then douse them with the liquid they emit. And should they not exude any moisture, then wash them in brine and press down with a &nbsp;weight, then put them in a &nbsp;glazed pot, cover well with two parts wine vinegar and one part brine, adding a &nbsp;generous amount of fennel. This way, all year long you may have a &nbsp;fine delicacy on your table.

Very well, but how do you combine these pickles with chicken and crayfish into one dish? Let’s consult ''The Lithuanian Cook'' once again. We can find there a&nbsp;recipë for ``chicken “chicken with mayonnaise"mayonnaise”, elegantly garnished with, that’s right, asparagus and crayfish (and cauliflower to boot).

| Put whole young, well-fattened chickens into vegetable broth, along with a &nbsp;spoonful of butter, a &nbsp;chunk of beef or pork and cook under cover. Once they are soft, retrieve them, let cool, cut into pieces and remove the skin. Arrange them on a &nbsp;platter, dress with mayonnaise and garnish with cooked asparagus, cauliflower, crayfish tails (which should have been first bathed in vinegar with olive oil) and serve with a &nbsp;cold sauce of hard-boiled yolks ground together with sugar, vinegar and olive oil.

In Miss Rose’s glass pouring a &nbsp;wee drop again,Pushed a &nbsp;plate to the younger of gherkins and bread,

| Marinate a &nbsp;large mutton roast for a &nbsp;few days in vinegar that has been boiled with spices; remove, press out the liquid, lard with sticks of pork fatback and stew on low heat in a &nbsp;saucepan, along with chopped onion, lard, a &nbsp;few juniper berries, various soup greens and a &nbsp;glass of bouillon or wine. Serve with strong bouillon-based gravy mixed with strained roast drippings and seasoned with lemon, capers or olives.

And, from the same book, a&nbsp;recipë for ``stewed “stewed cucumbers to be served with mutton"mutton”:

| Take a &nbsp;few or more fresh cucumbers, peel, cut lengthwise, salt and leave for half an hour. Melt a &nbsp;spoonful of butter, sauté a &nbsp;finely chopped onion in it, mix in the cucumbers and stew them until soft. Finally, sprinkle the cucumbers with flour, stew some more, douse with some good bouillon, bring to boil and, when serving, use them as a &nbsp;garnish for the meat.

Like a &nbsp;rich verdant carpet they covered the bed.In its middle a &nbsp;maid moved, in white linen dressed,

But even if cukes were no longer in season, Zawadzka assures us that ``brine“brine-pickled cucumbers may be stewed in the same way"way”.<ref>{{Cyt

Came a &nbsp;servant and quickly threw wide the side doors.</poem>

[[File:Podniosłszy w&nbsp;górę ławę ramiony silnemi.jpg|thumb|Gervase (Gerwazy) tilting the table with ``his “his strong arms"arms”,<ref>Mickiewicz, ''op. cit.'', Book V, verse 727</ref> offering a &nbsp;better view of what was served for the fourth course]]

Wet with wine, as a &nbsp;knight on bloody bucklers lying,

Pops a &nbsp;toast to the spirits a &nbsp;flask of champagne.</poem>

| <poem>{{...}} a &nbsp;lady of fame,

In those days it was still as a &nbsp;novelty shown,Received but as a &nbsp;secret from one’s trusted friends,

Against Goshawks and Kites, Or, A &nbsp;New Method Simple

As with many minor characters in ''Pan Tadeusz'', her name is telling; ''``Kokosznicka “Kokosznicka z&nbsp;domu Jendykowiczówna"Jendykowiczówna”'' could be translated as ``Mrs“Mrs. Hen ''née'' Turkey"Turkey”. Anyway, she had a&nbsp;little, well-meaning, even if sometimes overzealous, helper in Sophie, who fed the poultry with expensive pearl barley.

Stood quite still, one hand holding a &nbsp;sieve in the air; {{...}}

With a &nbsp;hand itself pearl-like, a &nbsp;hail of pearl barley:This grain, worthy to grace a &nbsp;lord’s table alone,

| źródło = Mickiewicz, ''op. cit.'', Book V, verses 55–84 (M. Weyland's Weyland’s translation with modifications)

| Pluck and dress young turkeys and leave in a &nbsp;cold place for a &nbsp;few days to let them age. Lard them and salt a &nbsp;little, wrap in paper and roast on a &nbsp;spit, while dousing them with melted butter. When almost done, remove the paper and drench with béchamel sauce; once it becomes golden in colour, remove [the turkey] carefully from the spit, so that [the sauce] doesn’t fall off. To make the béchamel, melt a &nbsp;piece of butter, add a &nbsp;spoonful of flour, mix well, add a &nbsp;pint of milk or cream and three yolks, and bring to boil while stirring {{...}}

| źródło = Mickiewicz, ''op. cit.'', Book VI, verses 169–171 (M. Weyland's Weyland’s translation with modifications)

| Kisiel, a &nbsp;Lithuanian dish, is a &nbsp;kind of jelly made from an oatmeal solution; water is poured on oatmeal until all the starchy parts are washed away; hence the proverb.

In other words, ``tenth “tenth water on ''kisiel''" ” refers to a&nbsp;very distant relation. The saying is still used in modern Polish, just as ''kisiel'' is still a&nbsp;popular dessert. It’s also a&nbsp;very ancient one, although originally it wasn’t sweet at all. The very word ''``kisiel"“kisiel”'' comes from the verb ''``kisić"“kisić”'', ``to “to make sour"sour”. The ancient Slavic ''kisiel'' was a&nbsp;mouth-puckering white jelly made from a&nbsp;fermented mixture of water and oat or rye meal. A&nbsp;similar concoction is still used in Poland as the basis for ''żurek'', or white borscht, one of the most popular Polish soups. It was made just as Mickiewicz described it: by pouring water on oatmeal and leaving the starchy solution to ferment until it becomes sour and gelatinous enough to be cut with a&nbsp;knife. For ancient Slavs, this was one of the principal staples. A&nbsp;mythical land of plenty is described in Russian fairy tales as rivers of milk between banks of ''kisiel''. ''The Tale of Bygone Years'', a&nbsp;12th-century chronicle of Kyivan Ruthenia (or Kievan Rus’), even tells a&nbsp;story of how ''kisiel'' saved the city of Belgorod from an invasion by the nomadic Pechenegs. During the siege, a&nbsp;respected old Belgorodian man advised his compatriots to dig a&nbsp;deep well, fill it with water and oat starch, and wait until it went sour. Then they invited Pecheneg envoys into the city to show them the well, let them try the ''kisiel'' and convince them that they were getting their food straight from the ground, so any further siege made no sense and it would be best for the Pechenegs to go back to the steppe and leave Belgorod alone.<ref>{{Cyt

Łukasz Gołębiowski, one of the first Polish ethnographers, said that ``the “the Poles had been always partial to tart dishes, which are somewhat peculiar to their homeland and vital to their health"health”,<ref>{{Cyt

| Peel and cut the apples, boil them in water until soft and press through a &nbsp;sieve. Season with cinnamon and sugar, add as much water as to get six glasses of the mixture and combine some of it with a &nbsp;glass of potato starch. Bring the rest to boil, add the potato-starch mixture and stir for a &nbsp;few minutes while cooking. Wash the mould with water, sprinkle with sugar, fill with the kisiel and leave in a &nbsp;cold place.

And finally, just to make the dessert a&nbsp;tad more diverse and make use of some other autumn fruits, let’s add one more recipë from the same source, this one for pear compote. In modern Polish, ''``kompot"“kompot”'' refers to a&nbsp;popular watery drink made from fruits boiled with sugar. In the 19th century, though, the meaning was closer to the French original, that is, a&nbsp;thick and very sweet fruit syrup. In fact, you could simply buy a&nbsp;tin of pears in syrup, pour them into bowls, add some spices and the effect would be almost the same.

| Take a &nbsp;dozen or more small pears, peel, cut in halves with a &nbsp;grooved knife, remove the cores and throw the pears into boiling water seasoned with sugar, pieces of cinnamon and cloves. Once the pears are soft, scoop them out, strain and reduce the liquid, add half a &nbsp;pound of sugar {{...}} and a &nbsp;sliced lemon without seeds, boil again until thick and pour on the pears arranged in a &nbsp;bowl. If the pears are large, then cut them into chunks.

<nomobile>[[File:Pan Tadeusz - menu EN.jpg|center|class=full-page|Menu of a &nbsp;Soplica-style dinner]]</nomobile><mobileonly>[[File:Pan Tadeusz - menu EN mobile.jpg|center|class=full-page|Menu of a &nbsp;Soplica-style dinner|alt=First course: Lithuanian cold borscht whitened with cream, vodka. Second course: chicken mayonnaies with crayfish and asparagus, malaga wine. Third course: boiled mutton, stewed cucumbers, tokay wine. Fourth course: young turkey hens in bechamel sauce, champagne. Dessert: apple oatmeal jelly, pear compote, old mead.]]</mobileonly>

| tytuł = One Sure Defence Against Goshawks and Kites, Or, A &nbsp;New Method Simple For The Raising of Poultry