Dosa, butter chicken and mango lassi, an unlikely combo for some perhaps but topping the list of favourites for Polish diners who say the dishes remind them of their travels to the country.
More than 45 Indian restaurants are offering a variety of traditional Indian food across Poland, with the capital Warsaw City having at least a dozen of them, as per the listing of the Embassy of India in Poland here.
And not just dining out, Indian food is popular as a takeaway option too across Poland.
India and Indian food are the talk of the town yet again as Warsaw is excited to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will arrive here for his two-day visit on Wednesday. This will be the first official visit of an Indian prime minister to this country in 45 years.
In Warsaw, Chetan Nandani, a Gujarati businessman, recently opened a restaurant called 'Chaiwala', possibly alluding to the moniker that has stuck with PM Modi since 2014.
Nandani, who already ran a restaurant called 'Curry House,' opened the 'Chaiwala' owing to the popular demand for Indian food. He claimed to have introduced Indian street food to Warsaw.
Polish people who visit India, who visit metros such as Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, they get many other things here but not the Indian street food, Nandani said, adding, "I have named it after our beloved Prime Minister Narendra Modi." "Our 'Curry House' chain is already very big here in Poland. We own nine of them. People were suggesting that because we are from India, we should introduce some Indian street food that Polish people can relish. That was the aim behind opening 'Chaiwala'," he told PTI Videos.
According to Indian restaurant owners, Polish people have developed a liking not just for Indian cuisine but also for its rich culture.
"I really like dosa. The best dosa in Warsaw is in India Gate (restaurant), and it really feels like (those) in South India. I have travelled many times to Chennai and Kerala and actually, the food here definitely tastes like that," Anna Maria Rozek, a Polish national, told PTI Videos here.
Chandu, the owner of India Gate food chain, said, "The food is really tasty here ... Indian food with a lot of spices. Every item has a different taste. They (the Polish people) love butter chicken, mango lassi. They love Indian food and Indian people also." The Polish people also love Indian culture and Indian movies are also doing well in Poland nowadays, Chandu said.
On the other hand, Nandani is also confident the demand for Indian street food will grow more and more in times to come in Poland.
Not just in the capital Warsaw, but Indian restaurants are popular in cities such as Krakow and Wroclaw, offering a variety of options to satisfy the curiosity and cravings of foodies in this eastern European country.
For instance, The Castle, a homestay in Krakow, advertises on its website, "Krakow may be deeply rooted in Polish tradition, but its culinary scene offers a wide range of international flavours, with Indian cuisine taking a prominent spot. If you're craving the spicy and aromatic dishes of India, Krakow has a wide range of restaurants that bring authentic tastes right to your plate." It then lists about half a dozen places in the city.
Krakow Buzz, a site that is all about the buzz about the city, and has guides to everything that's hot in the Polish city of the kings, says: "When those endless plates of Polish dumplings and sour Slavic soups get just a little too much, there's a whole stack of Indian restaurants in Krakow that can come to the rescue." "They'll let you swap the potatoes and carbs of Central Europe for a tongue-sizzling sampling of the East. They tout spice-packed curries and pakoras, and can be found in some seriously stunning corners of the city," it describes the mouth-watering Indian dishes and goes on to detail at least half a dozen Indian restaurants in the city.
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