Local Drinks

1. kompot

   Kompot — fruit drink made by cooking fruit

   Usage

   Fresh or dried fruit cooked into a drink — apple, cherry, currant, sour cherry, strawberry, pear or rhubarb, sometimes with sugar or clove. Milk bars and canteens serve it as the drink that comes with a set meal. It is the liquid you drink, not a bowl of stewed fruit

   Grammar Note

   Masculine ("ten kompot"). The Christmas Eve table has a dried-fruit version, "kompot z suszu"

2. herbata

   Tea

   Usage

   Ordered plain, this usually means strong black tea, often served in a glass. Fruit tea is "herbata owocowa", green tea "herbata zielona", mint tea "herbata miętowa"

   Grammar Note

   Feminine ("ta herbata")

3. herbata z cytryną

   Tea with lemon

   Usage

   Black tea with a slice of lemon — the most common way tea is taken in Poland, rather than with milk

   Grammar Note

   The preposition "z" ("with") takes the instrumental, so "cytryna" becomes "cytryną". "With milk" is "herbata z mlekiem"

4. kawa

   Coffee

   Usage

   Cafés serve espresso-based drinks — "kawa czarna" (black), "kawa z mlekiem" (with milk). In some local canteens you may still get "kawa sypana", grounds with hot water poured straight over them, leaving sediment at the bottom of the glass

   Grammar Note

   Feminine ("ta kawa"). In an order it takes the accusative: "Poproszę kawę"

5. woda niegazowana

   Still water

   Usage

   Restaurants always ask whether you want your water fizzy or not. This is the still one, and the words appear on bottle labels too

   Grammar Note

   A feminine adjective agreeing with "woda". "Nie-" is the negative prefix, written as one word with an adjective

6. woda gazowana

   Sparkling water

   Usage

   Carbonated water. Lightly sparkling versions are labelled "woda lekko gazowana"

7. sok jabłkowy

   Apple juice

   Usage

   Poland is a major apple grower and apple juice is everywhere. Cloudy pressed juice is usually labelled "sok tłoczony"

   Grammar Note

   Masculine ("ten sok"). "Jabłkowy" is the adjective from "jabłko" (apple); orange juice is "sok pomarańczowy"

8. oranżada

   Oranżada — sweet carbonated soft drink

   Usage

   An intensely sweet orange-flavoured fizzy drink. It came from France in the 18th century and became a fixture of the communist era in powdered and pouch form. White ("biała") and red ("czerwona") versions are still made and taste different

   Grammar Note

   Feminine ("ta oranżada"). Keep the dot on "ż" — never write "oranzada"

9. maślanka

   Maślanka — buttermilk

   Usage

   A fermented milk drink, historically the liquid left from churning butter. Refreshing, slightly sour and nutty; a traditional summer drink sold in cartons in the dairy aisle, often flavoured with fruit

   Grammar Note

   Feminine ("ta maślanka"), from "masło" (butter)

10. kefir

    Kefir — fermented milk drink

    Usage

    A tart fermented milk drink; along with "maślanka" one of the traditional summer dairy drinks, and an ingredient of the cold beetroot soup "chłodnik"

    Grammar Note

    Masculine ("ten kefir")

11. mleko

    Milk

    Usage

    To add it to coffee use the instrumental: "z mlekiem". Plant milk is "mleko roślinne", soy milk "mleko sojowe"

    Grammar Note

    Neuter ("to mleko"); the instrumental is "mlekiem"

12. lemoniada

    Lemonade

    Usage

    Lemon, water and sugar. Cafés often serve a house version, "lemoniada domowa", by the jug

    Grammar Note

    Feminine ("ta lemoniada")

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