Silesian Dumplings and Beef Roulade

Ask in Upper Silesia what people eat on a Sunday and the answer comes as a set: kluski slaskie, rolada and modra kapusta. The dumplings are made from cooked potato and potato starch, rolled into flattened rounds with a thumbprint dimple in the middle that holds the gravy. The roulade is a thin beaten slice of beef rolled around bacon, onion and pickled cucumber, tied and braised slowly until it cuts with a fork. The cabbage is red, cooked down with apple and a little vinegar until it is dark and slightly sweet. It is a heavy plate designed for people who worked underground, and portions still assume that.

Highlights

• The dimple - the thumbprint in each dumpling that catches the gravy, the local signature.
• The roulade - beef rolled around bacon, onion and pickle, braised for hours.
• The blue cabbage - red cabbage cooked with apple and vinegar, sweet and dark.
• Sunday timing - the plate is a Sunday dinner first, and kitchens make most of it then.

When to go

Any time of year, though it suits cold weather far better than a hot afternoon. Sunday lunch is when it is cooked properly and when local families eat it, so kitchens are at their best and busiest between about one and three. Booking helps on a Sunday. Weekday canteen versions are cheaper and plainer.

What to expect

It is a very heavy meal and the afternoon afterwards is a write-off. Standards vary widely; the dumplings can be gluey and the roulade dry if it has been sitting. Vegetarians will find nothing here at all. Portions are large, prices are low by Polish city standards, and the setting is usually a plain inn rather than anything designed.

Nearby

The Silesian Museum in Katowice, the Nikiszowiec miners' estate and the mine museums at Zabrze.