Pyry z Gzikiem

Pyry z gzikiem is the dish Poznan puts forward as its own, and both words are Wielkopolska dialect: pyry are potatoes, called ziemniaki almost everywhere else in Poland, and gzik is curd cheese - twarog - mashed with soured cream, chopped onion, chives, salt and pepper. The dish is boiled potatoes, often in their skins, with a bowl of the gzik alongside or spooned over, and that is all of it. It is farm food, cheap and filling, and it survives because Wielkopolska is stubborn about its dialect and its habits. The regional food vocabulary here differs enough from standard Polish that visitors from other parts of the country need explanations - a source of local pride. It is served in Poznan restaurants that specialise in regional cooking, and it appears at the city's food festivals alongside the other Poznan speciality, St Martin's croissants filled with white poppy seed.

What to look for

• Potatoes and curd - boiled pyry with twarog mashed with cream and chives.
• Dialect on the plate - both words are Wielkopolska, not standard Polish.
• Farm food - cheap, filling and unchanged.
• Regional restaurants - where Poznan serves its own vocabulary back to visitors.

When to go

All year. An hour.

Practical notes

It is extremely plain - that is the dish, not a shortcoming, but visitors expecting something elaborate are surprised. Curd cheese is an acquired taste for some. Portions are large and heavy.

Nearby

Poznan's old market square and Ostrow Tumski are close by.