uszka

Mini Meat Dumplings

Mini Mushroom Dumplings

In Poland, "uszka" (OOSH-kah) is a type of dumpling. The word literally means, "little ears" in Polish, and they do look a bit like little ears!

The key to enjoying uszka is what's inside: imported forest mushrooms ("grzyby"). These are not like the ordinary white mushrooms that you see in the supermarket. These are hand-picked wild mushrooms that are bursting with flavor ("smak").

You can enjoy uszka on their own, sprinkled with chopped onion ("cebula") and butter ("masło") almost like a Polish interpretation of Italian tortellini. See this fun video of uszka making.

You will discover a special role for uszka each year in December. As the tradition goes, Christmas Eve dinner (called "wigilia" in Polish) includes red barszcz with uszka floating within. For many families in Poland and the United States, the appearance of barszcz with uszka on the table is one of the hallmarks of the Christmas season.