Nesnovna kulturna dediščina

BIGOS AND KULIG

območje : Podkarpackie
kategorija : oral traditions
The culture of the region has been to a large extent shaped by aristocratic tradition. In fact, it is hardly surprising because before the Partitions of Poland, nobility was not only a leading class in our country but also a very numerous one – 10% of the population was of noble birth.

Hunting was usually a most preferred pastime and most favorite way of spending time of nobility and later on gentry. Some researches associate this attachment to hunting with medieval times, when knights took part in battles regularly and even in years free from wars they had to train a lot to know how to hold a weapon.
Is this really true? Hard to say, but an undeniable fact is that hunting belonged to one of the beloved pleasures of nobility and gentry. But hunting didn’t merely focus on killing animals. Quite the opposite – this custom had been evolving for many centuries and was connected with different ceremonies, eagerly followed by successive generations. Gentry would start hunting with a song. The order in which men went hunting was very important. Seniors and men of high rank set out first, always at dawn. They would return after dusk or if hunting lasted longer they would put up shelters in forest, where they spent the night. Such lodging was not a big problem as it was usually preceded with a splendid feast.

Regardless of the results, hunting would always finish with a meal for everybody prepared outdoors on fire in a forest. The menu was, of course, dominated by roasted meat, zrazy (stuffed meat) and traditional bigos, a dish of perhaps most noble origin in Polish cuisine. If hunting ended on a cold evening (and after all, how many warm evenings do we have in our climate…?), the meal was served with mulled mead, flavored with spices (and sometimes various fruits) and warmed, or other warming drinks.

In the kettles they were cooking bigos. In words it is hard to express
the wonderful taste and color of bigos and its marvelous odor;
[…]
The foundation of it is sliced, sour cabbage,
which, as the saying is, goes into the mouth of itself;
this, enclosed in a kettle,
covers with its moist bosom the best parts of selected meat,
and is parboiled, until the fire extracts from it
all the living juices, and until the fluid boils over the edge of the pot,
and the very air around is fragrant with the aroma.

The above passage from Pan Tadeusz indicates how important the whole tradition was. Pan Tadeusz is recognized as the national epic of Poland and his author – Adam Mickiewicz wanted to include all important elements of old tradition in his work. The recipe for bigos must then be a significant one.

In our modern world, which is environmentally friendly and full of conservationists, shooting animals is just an extinct tradition understood only by a few. However, in the past hunting was to a large extent just an excuse for an unusual ritual – a feast in the bosom of nature. And if we look at it from this perspective we can easily see a great potential in this heritage. After all, bigos cooked over an open fire in a cauldron can be an attraction of various events, from a bicycle trip to a ski expedition. However in winter, in terms of intangible cultural heritage, it would be better to add another element of tradition dating back to the days of nobility – a sleigh ride (kulig).

Kulig was a sleigh ride party organized among the Polish aristocracy. A cavalcade of horse-pulled sleighs and sledges, often beautifully decorated (horses were beautified too) went from one manor house to another. Kulig was usually accompanied by loud singing, hooting and burning torches in the evening. Similarly to hunting it also finished with a feast, held in one of the manor houses (winters were too cold for an outdoor party), where guests were entertained with hearty meals followed by dances. Participants of a sleigh ride dressed in thick coats would warm themselves by drinking some alcoholic beverages and eating tasty foods.

The combination of these two elements of old customs, after certain modifications, can become an extremely attractive element of various tourist offers. It has been observed that rather extravagant traditions and pastimes of Polish nobility are a magnet for tourists. It is important, however, to present these customs in its most original form, with its original Polish spirit expressed in cooking together, organizing a sleigh ride and singing together. And one more thing is very important… – the abundance. It is very Polish not to worry about gaining weight on such special occasions.

Aristocratic culture was a culture of abundance, even the poorest families had to prepare
a feast for their quests. Polish proverbs says: “There may be no money to live on but there will always be enough money to dazzle your guests”. Polish nobility never knew when to stop eating, they feasted almost all the time. Even during hunting or sleigh rides people were served with plenty of dishes, desserts and beverages.

This tradition mustn’t be forgotten, especially that physical effort in the open air should be rewarded. And if hunting is a necessity, one can “hunt animals” with a camera…

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