Getting in Touch with My Heritage

(Originally published 10/21/2022, on another site.)

Food has always been a way for me to connect with my roots, even before I fully realized it.

Roughly a decade ago, I took an Ancestry DNA test, and the initial results were pretty broad—half Eastern European, half Western European, with a strong Germanic influence—that wasn’t much of a surprise. Over time, as the results updated and became more refined, new regions emerged: Wales, Sweden, Norway, and the Balkans.

That discovery inspired me to embrace my heritage in a new way—through food. I started making traditional dishes from these cultures, bringing them to family gatherings and celebrations. Most of the time, they were desserts (because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good dessert?), but every now and then, I’d try my hand at a savory dish.

A Taste of Family Traditions
My grandmother’s side of the family is Polish, but I don’t recall many traditional Polish dishes from my childhood. Still, when I stayed with my grandparents, she shared some of her recipes with me. One of them was for Æbleskiver—tiny, round Danish pancakes.

Not Polish, but still fitting, considering my DNA results showed a bit of Danish ancestry, too! Another recipe we found together was a wilted lettuce salad, which closely resembled one her mother used to make.

Now, I know "wilted lettuce salad" doesn’t sound particularly appetizing, but hear me out. It starts with bacon—always a good sign! The dressing is made from crispy bacon, onions sautéed in bacon grease, a splash of vinegar, and a touch of sugar or honey. The warm dressing slightly wilts the lettuce, and if you top it with hard-boiled eggs, you’ve got a surprisingly delicious salad packed with flavor.

Goulash, but Not the One You Think
One dish I do remember from my childhood is goulash—though it wasn’t exactly a favorite. The version I grew up with was the Midwestern take: elbow noodles, ground beef, some kind of tomato-based sauce (often ketchup or tomato paste), and vegetables like corn. Let’s just say it was… fine. But it never really sparked excitement for me.

That changed when I discovered Polish Goulasz while looking for a traditional dish to make for a family gathering. This version is nothing like the goulash of my childhood—and that’s a very good thing.

Polish Goulasz starts with a tough but flavorful cut of beef (or pork), cut into bite-sized cubes and tossed in seasoned flour. The meat is browned in hot oil (or use tallow or lard for better flavor), in batches, so it develops a deep, rich color. After each batch, I scrape up the browned bits from the pan—that’s where the magic happens!

Next, diced garlic, onions, and bell peppers go into the pot. I love using homegrown vegetables for this part; there’s something extra satisfying about cooking with ingredients from my own garden. The moisture from the veggies helps lift all those caramelized bits off the pan, adding layers of flavor to the dish.

Then, in goes the browned beef, a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste, a generous amount of Hungarian paprika (I’ve also experimented with smoked paprika, which adds a lovely depth), and broth—chicken, beef, or vegetable, depending on what I have on hand. Once everything comes to a boil, the heat is turned down, and the goulasz is left to simmer for about three hours. The slow cooking turns the beef incredibly tender, and the sauce thickens beautifully, rich with smoky paprika and savory depth.

Serving Up Tradition
This dish is absolute comfort food. It’s fantastic served with fresh, crusty bread to soak up the flavorful sauce. But it’s also great over rice, potatoes, noodles, or—my personal favorite—crispy, golden potato pancakes.
Cooking my way through my heritage has been a journey—one filled with rich flavors, new discoveries, and a deeper connection to my family’s past. Whether it's Polish Goulasz, Danish Æbleskiver, or a bacon-laden lettuce salad, every dish tells a story—a story I’m excited to keep exploring, one bite at a time.

Do you have a favorite dish that connects you to your heritage? I'd love to hear about it! Share your story with me over on Facebook, or tag me in your own heritage-inspired dishes!