I strongly encourage all South Dakota State University students to travel and discover this world, and in the process, learn even more about yourself.

Each new experience makes us stronger, so take advantage of such opportunities while you can. Summer will be upon us soon, so perhaps during your trips to Europe, and maybe even Poland, you can try Polish cuisine.

You’ll usually only visit a tourist attraction once, but through that visit you will remember for years the taste of dishes tried during the trip. When you compare investments, you can pay more for a good-value lunch than for tickets to some attraction or a souvenir.

When I talked with U.S. students, some of them recognized and used the Polish word “pierogi” and told me a story of how they ate it in Cracow or another Polish city. That is why following culinary trails has started to become a tourist attraction and pastime — culinary tourism.

A special form of culinary tourism  is  tasting local specialties or visiting places where regional products are made. The success of culinary tourism has been determined by two basic components: travel and food. Aside from the climate, landscape and accommodation, food has become the most important element of a tourist trip. It should not surprise us because, wherever we go, we try new dishes and discover new flavors.

Some examples of traditional Polish dishes to try:

BIGOS

– brined cabbage with a variety of meats including smoked sausage and a handful of mushrooms

PIEROGI

– stuffed with meat, mushrooms, potatoes and cottage cheese or fruits

GOŁĄBKI

– stuffed cabbage rolls

KROKIETY

– pancakes stuffed with sauerkraut and mushrooms, fried, usually served with beetroot soup

In the mountains, I recommend trying “oscypek,” a sheep’s milk cheese, which is the first Polish local product with the EU-protected designation of origin.

I also recommend stopping in the capital city of Warsaw, where you will find a wonderful place — Americans will say an awesome place. That place is the campus of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGW, one of the most modern university campuses in Europe, both for its architecture and research equipment.

Let’s meet in Poland.

Michal Wojtaszek, Warsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGW.