A Greater Poland soup of duck or goose broth thickened with the animal's blood, soured with vinegar and sweetened with dried fruit, served with kluski lane (egg noodles).
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Czernina is the most Wielkopolska of all dishes and the most polarising of all Polish soups. The dish dates to at least the 17th century, when blood-thickened soups were common across Slavic Europe, and survived in Greater Poland after they faded elsewhere. The sweet-sour balance from vinegar and dried plums or pears distinguishes the Poznań version. In folk tradition, a serving of czernina was the signal a suitor's marriage proposal had been declined.
Common allergens: Gluten, Eggs
Why locals love it: On the Śródka side of the river, this Wielkopolska room is the city's most local regional kitchen but tourists rarely cross from Stary Rynek to find it.
Tip: Book by phone a day ahead and ask for the small room upstairs.
Podkoziołek on Stary Rynek in Poznań is a Wielkopolska restaurant opposite the Koziołki, with handmade pierogi, plendze, czernina and golonka in a vaulted dining room with regular live music.
Signature: Plendze, Pierogi, Golonka
Order: Plendze (Greater Poland potato pancakes) with mushroom sauce.
Tip: Time your visit to 12:00 to catch the Koziołki, the mechanical goats above the town hall, butting heads.
Ratuszova on Stary Rynek 55 in Poznań is a modern-Polish room in a historic tenement, in business since 1954, with roast duck, czernina and game on a seasonal menu.
Signature: Kaczka pieczona z jabłkami, Czernina, Dziczyzna
Order: Roast duck with apples and red cabbage.
Tip: Sit in the vaulted cellar room for the proper Stary Rynek atmosphere; the upstairs is brighter but less characterful.
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