Here are nearly 100 recipes for such classic Polish favorites as "Beer Soup with Cream and Cottage Cheese," "Roast Beef Roll with Mushrooms," "Roast Pork with Caraway Polish Style," and "Old Polish Royal Mazurek." The recipes are interwoven with a briefly outlined history of Polish culinary customs. Short essays cover subjects like Polish hospitality, holiday traditions, even the exalted status of the mushroom. The recipes are traditional family fare. "We would like our recipes, chosen by us and entwined into a tale of Polish customs, to encourage readers to try them out and often, thus continuing Polish culinary traditions." --from the authors' introduction