The 12 dishes of Christmas are all in one day for Wigilia, a Polish tradition

On Dec. 24, the dining table is laden in Polish households, but one chair is empty.

Wigilia, the centuries-old Christmas Eve vigil marked in Poland and by Christians of Polish descent everywhere, is a celebration steeped in symbolism. First, dinner must consist of 12 dishes, all of them meatless. Second, an extra chair should stand at the table.

“Traditionally, the number of dishes served was 13 for the 12 apostles and then Christ. But these days, it’s most common to have 12 dishes for the 12 apostles,” said Aleksandra Burzynski, who owned the former Polonez Restaurant in St. Francis with her husband, George.

She thinks of the holiday as the most important of the year for Poles.

“At this meal. we always leave one empty space at the table. It’s a very old tradition. If anybody knocks at your door on Christmas Eve, they are welcome to sit down for dinner. It’s for unexpected guests or strangers. Everybody who comes is welcome,” she added.

Burzynski — who, like her husband, was born in Poland — said Wigilia is a time for restraint, in spite of the many dishes.

“You fast, or maybe you eat one simple meal. We try to avoid meat. We do this because we are making a sacrifice. Wigilia is all about family, sharing and sacrifice,” she said.

The day brings other cherished customs. Hay is put under the tablecloth to represent the manger, and the oplatek, a thin, baked wafer, is brought out before the meal starts, said Peter Burzynski, Aleksandra and George’s son, who also worked at the restaurant.

"The oplatek is shared by each guest with each other," as they take turns breaking off pieces of the wafer, he said.

“They extend wishes of happiness and prosperity in the year ahead and for your whole life. We always think our wishes will really come true by sharing this,” his mother added.

Adam Bartoszek, who was born in Poland and owns Wioletta’s Polish Market in Milwaukee with his wife, Wioletta, said guests taste a bite of each of the 12 dishes, and after the meal, Christmas gifts are exchanged.

This year, Bartoszek said, he and his wife will celebrate Wigilia with about 10 members of their family at his mother's home in Oak Creek.

“It’s automatic. Eighty percent of Polish people are Roman Catholic, so for us it’s an important day. We celebrate that, and we celebrate time with family,” he said. 

Wigilia menu reflects the season

Most families would serve all 12 of the traditional dishes, Bartoszek said.

His family plans to serve red borscht with mushroom dumplings, cabbage with mushrooms, carp, mushroom and cabbage pierogi, herring, and mushroom soup, Bartoszek said. The dishes can vary from family to family.

“They have different recipes depending on what region they are from. …. They each put a different spin on how they are prepared,” he said.

Some families might have stuffed cabbage with a thin tomato sauce, some might serve it with a thick tomato sauce, and some might make a mushroom sauce.

“Where you are brought up, there are variations. Those traditions stay with each family,” he said.

Cabbage and mushrooms are common on the meatless menu, since they were typically readily available in Poland, Bartoszek said.

“Meat is not consumed because Jesus only had access to fish. What’s on the plate is based on traditional and seasonal products available in winter in Poland. In Poland, there are a lot of forests, and people get their own mushrooms. The majority of the people also have gardens” and grow their own cabbage, he said.

This year, his mother will make most of the dinner, but he and his wife will contribute.

“We’ll usually bring the vegetable salad and a cake, and we will bring the mushroom soup. My wife always makes it,” he said.

Wigilia brings a big family gathering to the Burzynski household, too.

“We set out a long table, and we have beautiful settings. Everyone makes different dishes because there’s so much to cook,” Aleksandra Burzynski said.

Who is making what this year was still being determined, but she had no doubt about what will be on the table.

“I still have pierogi, made by my husband when we had the restaurant, that’s frozen. And we usually serve sauerkraut with mushrooms. … There will be red borscht, and a baked fish or fried fish, which is one of the 12 items traditionally served in some households. There is also a vegetable salad, and a fruit juice made from steamed fruits, gingerbread cake, and herring.”

Everyone has a favorite dish.

“I especially enjoy eating the fish. You can prepare baked cod, for example, in a Greek sauce. It’s a tomato sauce with carrots and celery. George likes his red borscht with the mushroom-filled dumplings,” she said.

Herring is huge

Herring plays a big part on any Wigilia table.

“You can make different versions of herring. The herring is prepared with onions or sour cream sauce. George used to do herring rollup with pickles and onions inside. You can be very creative,” Aleksandra Burzynski said.

She said her husband used to make his own herring for the restaurant and for Wigilia, buying 5-gallon buckets of fish and adding ingredients to flavor them.

At their restaurant, which closed in late September after being in business since 1983, a Wigilia feast was prepared for customers to take home on Dec. 24.

Peter Burzynski said his parents typically sold about 150 orders, the most they could handle because of the menu's complexity.

George Burzynski made three styles of herring: "Sour cream, oil-vinegar or wine, and a spicy-ish red sauce. All with onions. Now he’s retired, but he will likely do this on a small scale for our own meal. But no 5-gallon buckets anymore,” Peter Burzynski said.

An elaborate menu, made simpler

Most people don’t make their own herring for Wigilia, but they do buy it ready-made for their celebrations, Aleksandra Burzynski said.

Polish delis sell the herring and some of the other Wigilia foods. One of them is Polish vegetable salad.

“My husband used to make it himself. But people who don’t have enough time can go to the stores and buy the jar of cut Polish vegetables, and then you add mayonnaise, egg, peas or apples. There are so many versions.

“The delis can make things simpler for us. They also sell the dried-mushroom-filled dumplings for the red borscht," imported from Poland, she said.

Delis and grocers can simplify Wigilia desserts, as well.

“Dessert is always the gingerbread cake and the poppy seed roll. You can buy a mix to make the gingerbread cake from any of the Polish delis, and the poppy seed rolls, you can order those in advance,” Peter Burzynski said.

Buying gingerbread cake mix is a good option because the cake takes a bit of work and must be made weeks in advance so its flavors can develop, he said.

He said his father typically makes the poppy seed dessert for Wigilia. 

“He boils the poppy seeds, squeezes them out in cheesecloth, mixes them with powdered sugar, rolls out the dough very thinly. It’s a simple recipe, but it’s very laborious,” he said.

Bartoszek said the only beverage served at Wigilia is kompot, a fruit drink.

“You can buy the dried fruits, and then you boil it. In Poland, they make their own. We sell it at the store. People want to have it because you don’t drink alcohol on Wigilia.”

Wigilia dinners for the public

For those who don’t want to make their own Wigilia dinners or just want to try some of these dishes next year, some venues offer Wigilia dinners to the public in early December. The Polish Center of Wisconsin served a Wigilia dinner Dec. 10. Another was held Dec. 17 at SS Peter and Paul Polish National Catholic Church in South Milwaukee.

Magdalena Czaja, the wife of the church's pastor, said the response to the church's first Wigilia dinner was very good. The church plans to hold another dinner next year, she said. 

Bartoszek, however, said he and his wife don’t go to dinners outside the home these days.

“Now we live at the store,” he joked.

The 12 dishes of Wigilia

Adam and Wioletta Bartoszek, the owners of Wioletta’s Polish Market, 3955 S. Howell Ave., provided this list:

• Red borscht with mushroom dumplings
• Cabbage with mushrooms
• Vegetable salad
• Carp, fried or baked, in aspic
• Mushroom and cabbage pierogi
• Cabbage rolls stuffed with buckwheat groats
• Herring
• Mushroom soup
• Poppy seed cake
• Polish gingerbread
• Polish cheesecake
• Fruit drink

*****

Adam Bartoszek said this recipe, made with dried wild mushrooms and a seasoning blend from Poland, comes from his wife’s family. In some families, two soups are made for Wigilia: this mushroom soup and borscht. If only one soup is made, it’s always the mushroom soup. He and his wife make the soup to sell in their store.

Mushroom Soup for Wigilia

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Recipe tested by Joanne Kempinger Demski

• 2 ounces dried wild mushrooms, rinsed under cold water
• 7½ cups water, divided
• 2 medium carrots, peeled, cut into medium cubes
• ½ medium celery root, peeled, cut into medium cubes
• ¼ medium onion, cut into medium cubes
• 1 medium parsnip, peeled, cut into medium cubes
• 1 medium parsley root, peeled, cut into medium cubes
• 6 whole peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon Vegeta seasoning (available at Polish markets)
• 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Soak mushrooms in 2½ cups water for at least 12 hours.

Bring 5 cups of water to a boil, then add carrots, celery root, onion, parsnip and parsley root, and boil 30 minutes.

Place soaked mushrooms, including the soaking liquid, into the vegetable broth. Simmer entire mixture about 30 minutes or until mushrooms and vegetables are very soft.

Stir in peppercorns, bay leaves, salt and Vegata seasoning.

Remove about a half cup of the vegetable broth to a small bowl. Gradually whisk cream into the bowl until combined with broth, to temper it. Add to soup and heat through. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Variation: If desired, wide noodles can be added to the soup.

*****

This recipe for vegetable salad would traditionally be made for a Wigilia meal, according to Peter Burzynski. His father, George, always made this dish for the family celebration, omitting the peas and apples. The Burzynski family's Polonez Restaurant included this salad in its Wigilia meal, which customers would pick up on Christmas Eve to serve at home.

George Burzynski’s Potato Salad

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Recipe tested by Joanne Kempinger Demski

• 4 large russet potatoes
• 1 medium carrot
• 2 ribs of celery
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Powdered garlic to taste 
• 1 large dill pickle, diced (peel removed if desired)
• 1 sweet apple, such as golden delicious or Honeycrisp, chopped (optional)
• 1 cup green peas (optional)
• 1 radish, slivered or decoratively shaped
• Fresh parsley sprigs, optional
• 1 hard-cooked egg, quartered
• Celery leaves, preferably tender ones from center of stalk

Boil potatoes with skin on in lightly salted water. Cook until soft but still slightly firm when pierced with a sharp knife. Do not overcook. Remove from water and let cool.

Meanwhile, in a separate pot, boil the whole carrot and celery ribs until tender; celery will be done before carrot. Remove from water and let dry. When cool, cut into bite-sized cubes. When potato is cool, peel with paring knife and cut into cubes. Chill all vegetables in the refrigerator.

When vegetables are chilled, combine mayonnaise, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a large mixing bowl. Fold in chilled potato, carrot and celery. Fold in the pickle and the peas and apple, if using. Adjust seasoning, if necessary. Transfer salad to a serving bowl and garnish with radish, parsley, egg and celery leaves. Serve immediately or refrigerate.