Polish Christmas Eve Recipes (Wigilia)
Wigilia, the Polish Christmas Eve supper, is a meatless table of twelve dishes eaten only after the first star appears in the evening sky. The meal opens with a clear ruby barszcz and tiny mushroom-filled uszka, moves through fried carp, a slow-simmered sauerkraut stew and stuffed cabbage, and finishes with a poppy seed roll sliced for dessert.
Ukraine keeps its own version of this night, Sviata Vecheria, and Lithuania keeps Kūčios – see the Sviata Vecheria table for that spread.
The Soup and Its Dumplings
THE SOUP
Traditional Barszcz Czerwony
Clear ruby beet soup, the dish that opens the Wigilia table.
THE DUMPLINGS
Traditional Uszka
Tiny mushroom-filled dumplings that float in the barszcz.
DUMPLINGS
Traditional Pierogi
Sauerkraut and wild mushroom is the Christmas Eve filling.
LIGHTER TAKE
Healthy Pierogi
Lighter pierogi ruskie, plus gluten-free and plant-based versions.
