Sernik

Polish sernik is made from twarog, the dry-pressed white curd cheese sold everywhere here, put through a sieve or mill several times and beaten with eggs, sugar and butter, which gives a texture quite different from the cream-cheese cheesecakes made elsewhere - lighter, drier, and with more of the sour dairy taste showing. There are established versions. Sernik krakowski has a shortcrust base and a lattice of pastry strips across the top and often raisins or candied peel in the filling. Sernik wiedenski is richer and smoother, made without a base or on a thin one. There are baked versions and set ones, versions with a chocolate glaze, with poppy seed, with a meringue top. It is one of the two standard Polish cakes along with the apple szarlotka, and it is a fixture at Christmas and Easter tables and in every cafe.

The main sights

• Made from twarog - dry curd milled fine, not cream cheese.
• Sernik krakowski - shortcrust base with a lattice of pastry across the top.
• A drier, more sour texture - the main difference from cheesecakes elsewhere.
• A fixture on holiday tables - alongside szarlotka at Christmas and Easter.

When to go

All year. An hour.

What to expect

The texture surprises people expecting a New York-style cheesecake - it is firmer and less sweet. Cafe versions vary widely. Home-baked is generally better than bought.

Nearby

Any Polish cafe; Krakow's cake shops for the lattice version.

Key facts