Kociewie Culture
Kociewie Identity
In the 2002 Polish census, no individuals identified themselves as Kociewian. However, by the 2011 census, 3,065 people declared themselves as Kociewians, almost all combining this identification with Polish nationality. While very small in number, this indicates a growing sense of distinct Kociewian identity in recent years.
Kociewie Heritage Day
International Kociewie Day is an annual celebration that takes place on February 10th each year. The date is commemorated as the first known mention of Kociewie in the historical records.
- Nowe, Świecie County, in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, holds an annual Kociewian Day.
- The Festival of Kociewie takes place every year in Tczew, Tczew County, in the Pomeranian Voivodeship.
Articles about Kociewie
Wikipedia information about Kociewie Culture
Settlement in Kociewie
Overview of Kociewie and its Culture
Kociewie Cuisine
The food of Kociewie historically has been characterized by hearty, high-calorie dishes that often feature ingredients sourced from the fertile lands and rivers of the region. Influenced by German culinary traditions, dishes were based on vegetables, fruits, forest products, and fish. Meat was traditionally reserved for festivals.
Kociewie’s food is a product of various tastes, and the cuisine itself is not uniform. The menu in the forests differed from that near the rivers and lakes, with still-different customs in the lowlands. For many years the Polish countryside was self-sufficient, and own livestock, feed and forests served as sources of food.
The menu of villagers was not very diversified. It was dominated by plant products, primarily vegetables, fruit, and bread (home-baked), undergrowth, and dairy produce.
In seaside regions and villages located by the banks of stocked lakes fish were an important element of the diet. As for meat, the most popular was pork, but mutton and beef were also eaten. It was definitely due to the fact that pork is the easiest to process. Ham, similar to other cured meat, was made in Pomerania at the slaughter of pigs, which was performed mainly for important church holidays (Easter and Christmas) and significant family events (baptisms and weddings). The pig was shared out according to the kind of meat.
Kociewie people also kept poultry, which gave them a daily ration of eggs. Pâté was also made from poultry, and goose gravy prepared for St. Martin’s day enjoyed particular popularity.
Garden vegetables were staples – primarily potatoes, beans, cabbage, carrots, and turnips. Cabbage, prepared in a variety of ways, was undoubtedly one of the most popular vegetables in Kociewie’s cuisine. It was made into salads and soups and pickled for winter in large wooden barrels. Soups were also very common.
Kociewians are known for sweet treats also – baked kołaczek (round cake), szneka z glancem (iced sweat rolls), kuchy (cakes), kuszki (cookies), purcle (buttery rolls), pómle (doughnuts), and ruchanki (fritters). Cakes were decorated with sweet crumble toppings, with added fruit – apples, pears, plums, berries.
Other common Kociewie foods are:
- Marinated herring (often prepared with goat’s milk and onions) and Herring Rolls
- Parzybroda (cabbage soup), which is also common in the Poznan area
- Szarpak – Potato soup with vegetables, sauerkraut and pieces of fried bacon with onions.
- Golce (potato noodles typically served with sauerkraut and mushrooms)
- Szandar (a dish made from smashed potatoes baked with bacon)
- Szpajza (a dessert resembling lemon marshmallow)
The Kociewie region is home to one of Poland’s most famous vodka distilleries, the Sobieski Vodka Distillery, which is located in the regional capital of Starogard Gdański.
Websites about Kociewie Cuisine
Overview of Kociewie Food
Article about fish in Kociewie
Article about Kociewie Food
Kociewie Language
The Kociewie are also known for their specific dialect, which has a vowel system that is similar to other Polish dialects. The Kociewian language is considered quite different from the Kashubian language and is considered to be closer to Kuyavian than Kashubian. Some scholars even consider it to be a variant of the Kuyavian language. Due to its location, it also shares features with the Masovian dialect.
Kociewie Genetics
Article about Kociewie Genetics
In an article about a 2013 study of genetics, Y-DNA haplogroups among the Polish population indigenous to Kociewie (n=158) were reported as follows:
56.3% R1a, 17.7% R1b, 8.2% I1, 7.6% I2, 3.8% E1b1b, 1.9% N1, 1.9% J and 2% of other haplogroups.