It is the Pomeranian regional good, the sign that represent Pomerania and it is the reason why every year, at the beginning of July hundreds of people come to Kashuby, to Brodnica Gorna, to celebrate this special event. Ladies and gentlemen: Kashubian Strawberry!
In ancient times fruits in a shape of a heart, strawberry is one of them symbolised the goddess of love. This love continues and everyone is waiting for the first Kashubian strawberries – Renata Horczak says, the owner of Poraj Palce. Everybody loves strawberries for its colour, taste and the smell. The diversity of strawberry use would be enough for a solid cook book – Mrs. Renata is laughing.
In the most popular strawberry region in Poland, in Pomeranian Chmileno, there are 44 % of certified Kashubian strawberry plantations. They have special European Union marks and special ways of growing along with European Commission rules. Kashubian Strawberry ( its kinds like: honeoye, senga, sengana, elsanta) or in Kashubian language Kaszebsko Malena is registered into the European name system and geographical signs. According to the European Union Ordinance from 2009 this name is registered as the Protected Geographical Indication.
Kashubian strawberry is unique because its aroma and juicy red colour is associated with the most beautiful part of the year – summer. I just add that strawberries we use come from our local, next to the restaurant garden. We use only natural fertilizers that with the combination of the sun give the products with unforgettable taste – says Dariusz Potrykus, the chef of Nordowi Mol restaurant.
During the season in the Nordowi Mol restaurant there is always a traditional strawberry cold drink served. This year strawberries will be also present in dumplings, meringue cake with mascarpone and strawberries and as a main course a cold strawberry soup with porridge.
As the experts say, Kashubian strawberry has its unique taste thanks to the climate here. Cold nights and warm days preserve this fruit very well. It grows slower and have more fructose. This is why Kashubian strawberries are so sweet, juicy and simply very tasty.
Renata Horczak from Poraj Palace mentions some other advantages of Kashubian strawberry- it is ideal almost to all dishes, starting from cocktail on prosecco base with white chocolate, through the cols soup with the watermelon, millet pudding with strawberries, 30 ways of preparing cheese cake, salads, pancakes, ending with a strawberry jam, that goes before the winter ends, because guests like to take some jars with them.
As a curiosity I can add, that my grandmother with my mother, before the war ware making a little hole in each strawberry and put them in pure alcohol later put them is a hot sugar syrup. Next day they fried strawberries on a small fire and when cold put them into jars. They used also white strawberries (called white ones) which were the best for jams due to their smell and bright pink colour, after frying that colour was very much wanted.
the Kashubian Strawberry Festival in Brodnica Górna and Chmielno take a place on summer time.