Food is a very important part of Polish tradition. There cannot be a proper party without it. Every respectable household treats their guest to own specialties. There are of course some dishes that assist the Poles during certain occasions. The weddings most of the times, for example, start with a chicken soup (traditionally called in Poland ‘ROSOL’). However, the tables during weddings – as well as name days and other occasions – do not lack in greens salad. I do not know if this kind of salad is Polish specialty – and whether it is known in different countries – but most of the ones I ate had the same composition.

Needed ingredients of greens salad are:

• 1 kilo of carrot
• 0.7 kilo of parsley-root
• 0.2 kilo of celeriac
• 1 can of green peas
• 1 average jar (about 0.3 kilo) of mayonnaise
• 3 eggs
• 1 small apple
• 3 pickled cucumbers
• 1 onion

Boil carrot and parsley together (in skins), while celeriac needs to be cooked separately (till they become tender). Pell them and chop into small squares. Hard boiled eggs (also chopped) should be added to the composition with one can of green peas and pickled cucumbers.

Onion and apple should be chopped into very small pieces and added to the salad. Afterwards add mayonnaise and spices (salt and pepper) – depending on your taste. The mayonnaise used most of the time in Poland, when preparing greens salad, is very spicy (one of the most recognizable kinds of such mayonnaises is ‘Kielecki’). You may of course add some more spices.

Some people add also a boiled potato to the salad (boiled of course as jacket potato and chopped into squares like carrot and the rest of the vegetables).
The salad tastes better after couple hours when all the taste of all the ingredients gets mixed. It is an excellent addition to cold cuts with bread.

Most probably this salad gained such remarkable recognition in Poland due to ingredients that one might find in every Polish shop. Most probably during communism it was hard to find salad of different composition while such ingredients like carrot or parsley-root were constantly available in Polish fields and gardens. Although times changed, greens salad remained still one of the most popular Polish dishes (or starters). On most of the occasions celebrated by the Poles, it is integral part of menu.