Poles HATE vinegar (ocet). That’s because this was the only thing in the shops during commy times and so they have a kind of psycho hang-up about the stuff.
They are always laughing about the fact that we English put vinegar on our chips. We might as well be smearing our chips with sewage. Chips are supposed to have salt and ketchup, perhaps mayo but most emphatically NOT vinegar.
There are only two known uses for Polish vinegar –
- cleaning scale off kettles and things
- making a tomato & onion salad (sałatka pomidorowa)
English vinegar comes in fancy packaging and a wide variety of specialist flavours. Polish vinegar is packaged like poison and comes in one flavour, “medical”.
POLANDiAN 
Poles use vinegar for galert=pork gelee ?
Dear Scatts,
This is an uninformed post I’m afraid:) There are all kinds of vinegar available in Poland, apple vinegar, wine vinegar, malt vinegar and yes – spirit vinegar (this is probably the one you name as medial). Each vinegar has probably a different use. Bread and mild was equally always available in the communist times, yet I can’t see people turning at these products with disgust.
I don’t put vinegar to my tomato and onion salad (it’s better with salt pepper and a bit of sugar), but I do put it to my salad salad:)
Spirit vinegar is perfect for meat gelee for example. Yummy. For czarnina soup, and such:)
I personally also can’t imagine how chips go with vinegar – but that’s just probably a difference in taste. Most Polish people can’t imagine tea with milk (now that’s sewage!)
Chips with salt and vinegar… drool…
Curse you Scatts, I had almost recovered from my longing and you have to go and bring it up!
Scatts – coming from Newcastle you would think I put vinegar on everything, but frankly I hate it – I want to vomit at the mere sound of the word…On the other hand I have to contradict you I’m afraid – I know many Polish people for whom its a major part of their kitchen, they can’t understand my dislike of the soggy smelly stuff….
Nowt as queer as folk!
Vinegar is also excellent on headcheese! Yup…that gelatinous “cold cut” you see at your butcher’s with bits of nose, ear and other body parts I’d rather not mention here in case it’s a family blog.
But I love that stuff. Drown it in that extra-strength, make-the-roof-of-your-mouth-peel vinegar you mentioned and then eat. Yum. :)
Or am I just weird?
What about ‘mushy’peas with malt vinegar and a banger on top of that?
Had that somewhere near Newkee