Sytocha: Unveiling the rustic culinary gem

Regional cuisines hide dishes that surprise with their simplicity and taste. This is no different from sytocha, which is well-known to the former residents of Poland, Urzecze.

The name of this dish perfectly reflects what we get. After a bowl of this dish, your stomach will undoubtedly stop grumbling, and even the loudest rumbling belly will quiet down. Sytocha resembles a soup and a thick pudding; its base is grated potatoes. A hearty bowl is the best way to satisfy a big hunger.

Regional cuisines are becoming increasingly popular. We gladly searched granny's recipe books and discovered dishes enjoyed years ago. Sytocha was a delicacy of Urzecze, an ethnographic micro-region near Warsaw.

Sytocha is a dish consisting of grated potatoes, water, spices, and additions. The simple recipe conceals a unique flavour. The most popular topping is pork jowl or bacon cracklings, often fried with onions. The combination of crunchy cracklings with creamy sytocha will appeal to lovers of traditional flavours.

Ingredients:

• 2 kilograms of potatoes
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 2 litres of water

Preparation:

1. Peel the potatoes, wash them thoroughly, and grate them on a fine grater.
2. Place a sieve over a pot and lay the grated potatoes on it. Rinse thoroughly with cold water to remove excess starch. This will prevent the dish from sticking during cooking.
3. Press out the excess water and transfer the potato mass to a bowl. Do not pour out the water.
4. Set aside the potato water for an hour to settle the starch.
5. Boil the water with salt in a pot.
6. Put the pressed potato pulp into the boiling water and mix thoroughly.
7. Cook for 15-20 minutes until the potato mass thickens and stops crunching between your teeth. The cooking time may vary depending on the type of potatoes.
8. Drain the water from the bowl, scooping off the settled starch at the bottom.
9. Dissolve the starch in a small amount of cold water, like a pudding.
10. Pour the starch mixture into the boiling potatoes in a thin stream, stirring vigorously to prevent lumps from forming.

Serve the cooked sytocha with fried pork jowl or raw bacon with onions topped. You can also sprinkle it with fresh greens. Enjoy!