Who cares if it’s freezing out! When you know that there is a Polish neighborhood near by, loaded with incredible baked goods and smokey kielbsas, you simply can’t stay away! This is how I spent my Sunday. Lucky me.
Greenpoint, Brooklyn is sometimes referred to as “Little Poland” due to its large population of Polish immigrants, reportedly the second largest concentration in the United stated after Chicago. Cool!
This neighborhood is loaded with Polish bakeries, restaurants, meat markets and food specialty stores. Adam’s had the most incredible selection of cakes in the window. I had to jump in and take a look around.
Head cheese: it’s not a cheese but a terrine or meat jelly made with the flesh from the head of a calf, pig, sheep or cow, often set in aspic (gelatin made from meat stock). Head cheese may be flavored with onion, black pepper, allspice, bay leaf, salt and vinegar. It is usually eaten cold, at room temperature or as a luncheon meat.
I love this stuff! So flavorful! The meat just falls apart in your mouth. Tasty!
Kielbasa is a must…obviously! It is a staple in Polish cuisine and comes in dozens of varieties; smoked, fresh, made with pork, beef, turkey, horse, lamb, veal, or bison with every region having its own specialty. There are many popular varieties. A couple popular examples are:
1) Kabanosy, a thin, air-dried pork sausage flavored with caraway seeds.
2) Krakowska, a thick, straight sausage hot-smoked with pepper and garlic; named after the city of Krakow
They can be served hot, cold, boiled or grilled. It can be cooked in soups, stews, bean dishes and casseroles. Serve it with fried onions or just as cold cuts on a platter. You can’t go wrong with a great Kielbasa.
Herring is packaged and sold in the back.
The cakes in the front window were so impressive I simply had to show them off!
Chocolate almond meringue happiness! Don’t you just want to shove your face in that?
This layered cake blew me away! Chocolate meringue layers with whipped cream and toasted nuts. So creamy and fluffy! What a work of art!
Another awesome spot is the Star Deli and Bakery. You can smell the freshly baked cakes from the street! Sweet Sweet vanilla.
This is an Eastern European babka, a spongy, brioche-like yeast cake. It had such a light, airy texture and mouth-feel to it. The vanilla flavor was strong. I loved this cake. So simple but so impressive.
Slice that puppy up and take a look inside! It’s like a cloud!
You want a bite? ;)
The cheesecake was awesome too! If you get out there get both please!
Northside bakery has an incredible selection of prepared polish foods. They have perogies, cabbage rolls, schnitzels, freshly baked rye bread, challah bread and everything else you would wish to find in a Polish restaurant.
For lunch I got a cabbage roll stuffed with ground pork and rice stewed in a sweet tomato sauce and some chicken soup. ;)
Check out their freshly baked challah bread and sweet jelly donuts.
Greenpoint, Brooklyn is such a treasure. I am so happy that this neighborhood is close to Manhattan. Now I know where I am going to buy my tea cakes and Polish meats. :) Ha ha! Yes!
