Bigos, known in the U.S. as Hunter’s Stew, is a mish-mash of cabbage, meats, vegetables, and spices that was typically consumed by nobility after an exhilarating day of hunting. Generally served with mashed potatoes or rye bread, it constitutes a staple of the Polish cuisine, as it is immensely filling and hearty. Its richness in vitamin C, year-long availability of most ingredients, as well as its warming and robust qualities have made hunter’s stew (bigos) an essential part of the cold winter diet in Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Romania, Lithuania, and various Eastern European countries alike.
According to an age-old recipe, hunter’s stew (bigos) took time and care to reach its utmost perfection. It is not a whimsical dish. It requires a slow, steady, and uninterrupted process of preparation, where it is heated for hours, even days. Each ingredient is mixed into this pot of piquant and savory flavor at exactly the right time, without rush, so as to bring out the utmost essence of each and every ingredient. Hunter’s stew (bigos) was cooked for up to four days, to reach its maximum quality and allow the vegetables, meats, and spices to intertwine and really saturate with extraordinary flavor. Often times red wine was added into the composition as well to intensify the dish and make it all the more profound.
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