Smoked kielbasa and butter-fried pierogi: the everyday food of Chicago's Polish neighbourhoods, served with sauerkraut, sour cream and rye bread on the side.
Chicago has had the largest Polish population of any city outside Warsaw since the 1900s, anchored along Milwaukee Avenue from West Town up through Avondale, Jefferson Park and Portage Park. Smoked kielbasa and pierogi are the everyday foods of the neighbourhood: pork-and-veal sausage, garlic-and-marjoram seasoned, smoked at small Polish butchers like Bobak's, Andy's, Joe's and Wally's Market. Pierogi run in two camps: ruskie (potato and farmer's cheese) and savoury meat. Staropolska in Belmont Cragin, Smak-Tak in Jefferson Park and Pierogi Heaven downtown carry the standard. Easter morning at Pulaski Park is when the whole community queues for fresh-baked babka.
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