Rejbak

Moist inside, and crusty on the outside. You can eat it in virtually every home in the Kurpie region, as well as local restaurants. It is a dish often served on agritourist farms. It tastes different everywhere, but nevertheless it is always delicious, as it virtually can’t fail. It comes from the cuisine of the Ashkenazi Jews living in Eastern Europe. The traditional kosher recipe has evolved over time and is now known in various corners of Poland and in many varieties. However, it is most popular in the Kurpie region, where it is considered a traditional Kurpie dish. This is rejbak – a grated potatoe pie, with onions and meat. Its name comes from rejbowanie, i.e. grating the potatoes on a grater. It is also known as: “kartoflak”, “nagus”, “terciek”, “bugaj” and “kugel”.

A superb rejbak is made by the girls from the Housewives Association in Gleba (Kadzidło municipality), which has been operating since 2014. Even though they have their own recipe, the young women say they prepare the rejbak at a guess, with no strict proportions, as the older ladies. To all those who would like to prepare this speciality, they reveal the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3 kg of potatoes
• 1 kg of smoked bacon
• 2 onions
• 2 eggs
• 1 – 2 tablespoons of flour
• salt
• pepper
• herbal pepper or other spices

Grate potatoes and onions (or shred in a blender). Brown the bacon slices. Add an egg to the potato mash and a tablespoon or two of flour, along with salt and spices (black or herbal pepper) as preferred. All mix and bake for approx. 1.5 hours.

According to various recipes, apart from bacon, you can add other types of meat to the rejbak – ribs or sausage, and spice it with herbs of your choice.

A good side dish to go with rejbak is sauerkraut.