Polish Cucumber Salad {Mizeria}

Polish Cucumber Salad {Mizeria}

Cucumber Salad or “Mizeria” is probably one of the most known Polish salads, here in the US. It is a simple salad of cucumbers and sour cream, with a garnish of dill, which to me is a taste of summer. It is crunchy and refreshing, with a hint of sour lemon. It’s normally served next to a pile of hot and steaming boiled potatoes, straight out of hot bath, and just cut in half. Sometimes, in the summer, we would just eat that for dinner, and were very satisfied with the flavor. Sometimes we’d also ask for a fried egg topped with chives. Pretty common combination, if you talk to any Polish natives.

These days in Poland, you can buy English cucumbers year-round, but when I was young(er), the only cucumbers that were available were the pickling kind. You could buy them at the market, but my stick-to-traditions grandma grew them in her garden. We’d use them for pickling, and salads. But once the cucumber season was past, we wouldn’t see fresh cucumbers until the next summer. So when we had a chance, we’d eat them every day, all day long. Just peeled and salted, in salads, on sandwiches, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Today, I mainly make cucumber salad in the summer time. I think that’s how I’ve been programmed, I crave it more when it’s warm out. So does my family. And when I do make it, I get smiles all around. Another dinner success.

Do you know this salad? What’s your favorite summer salad? Leave me a comment below.

Hope you try this one.. smacznego!

Anna