A Menu Lost in Translation
On this first day of April, I'd like to propose a special dinner menu of authentic Polish specialities. All of these dishes are gleaned from actual English-language menus of various restaurants across Poland. Enjoy!
|
| Course | Polish original | How they translated it | What they meant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold starter | Śledź po japońsku | Follow the Japanese | Japanese-style Herring |
| Hot starter | Pierogi ze szpinakiem i fetą | Dumplings with spinach and celebration | Spinach-and-Feta-Cheese Pierogi |
| Soup | Zupa z szyjek rakowych | Cervical cancer soup | Crayfish Soup |
| Main | Dania z kurczaka | Denmark from chicken | Chicken Dishes |
| Side | Kasza z sosem kurkowym | Buckwheat with cocks sauce | Buckwheat with Chanterelle Sauce |
| Dessert | Lody z adwokatem | Ice cream with barrister | Ice Cream with Egg Liqueur |
| Dessert | Jabłko w cieście winnym | Apple pie guilty | Winey Apple Fritters |
Oops, it looks like someone used a machine translator to render the Polish menu into English. Believe it or not, even upscale restaurants do this without so much as heving the menu proof-read by someone who actually speaks English. Even though the results are sometimes hilarious, some are confusing, and some are downright off-putting to any visiting foreign tourist. Again, all of the mistranslations above were actually printed on menus (though never all at once)!
So, have you figured out what they were supposed to mean? You can type your guesses as comments to this Facebook post. Unless you speak Polish, then you don't need to guess.
Click "show" below to see the correct answers!
Śledź po japońsku
Normatyw surowcowy na 5 porcji:
- filety śledziowe – 100 g
- cebula – 100 g
- jaja (5 szt.) – 250 g
- majonez – 100 g
- groszek zielony – 200 g
- ogórek kwaszony lub świeży – 50 g
- papryka
- cukier do smaku
- ocet 6-procentowy
Jaja ugotować na twardo, obrać. Groszek odcedzić, odsączyć. Cebulę i ogórki pokrajać w krążki. Groszek wymieszać z częścią majonezu i ułożyć z niego podstawę na półmisku lub jednoporcjowo na talerzykach. Jaja owinąć filetami śledziowymi, ustawić na postumencie z groszku. Udekorować krążkami cebuli oprószonej papryką, plastrami ogórka oraz oszprycować majonezem. Porcja potrawy powinna ważyć 100 g, w tym śledź 20 g.[1]
