Awarded the 'Best in the World’ prize at the 2012 Gourmand Awards.
Delightful on so many levels, firstly, the book is a visual feast, highlighting the beauty of rural Poland, tempting too, with illustrations of many of the author’s dishes. The childhood memories contrast with her return to Poland in recent years, alas, her beloved grandmother no longer there to welcome her home but there is still family to find and memories to relive. There are also many traditional recipes to try – and after reading the text it’s hard not to be enthused over the food, so glowingly does Beata Zatorska describe the traditional dishes.
Rose Petal Jam : Recipes and Stories from a Summer in Poland Synopsis
Beata Zatorska learned to make pierogi and other Polish recipes in her grandmother's farmhouse kitchen, in the remote village in the foothills of the Karkanosze mountains where she grew up. When she returned years later her beloved grandmother was gone, but she found her handwritten recipes for preparing traditional Polish dishes, and for preserving the precious fruit and vegetables grown in the family garden. Those recipes make up this charming book, together with Beata's memories of her childhood in Poland in the '60's and '70's, and the story of her journey with her husband Simon to discover Poland today.
Beata Zatorska was born in Jelenia Góra in southwest Poland. She started her medical studies in WrocÅ‚aw but graduated from the University of Sydney, and now works as a family doctor in Australia. Her fascination with medicine began on long mountain walks with her grandmother back in Poland – a professional chef who taught her the use of herbs and wildflowers in cooking and healing. Like many Poles who live away she has kept her country close to her. When she finally returned to Poland, the first thing she did was leap into a wild rose bush to smell the petals – the scent of her Polish childhood.
