When you think of Polish food, you probably think of pierogies.
That’s OK — but Dorota Magdziorz wants you to know that there is so much more to the food of her homeland.
At her family’s new food truck, ZAPS Polish Street Food, you won’t find a single pierogi on the menu. In fact, the truck’s motto is “Poland is way more than just pierogies and cabbage rolls.”
The menu at ZAPS, located at Oshawa Food Truck Corral, 2867 Bridle Rd. — features zapiekanka, Polish pancakes and soups.
Zapiekanka, zaps for short, is traditional Polish street food that’s essentially a toasted baguette with toppings and cheese.
“You will find them on every corner,” says Magdziorz, who came to Canada from Poland about seven years ago. “The mushroom, onion and cheese one is the most classic that every Polish person knows.”
The mushroom, onion and cheese version appears on the ZAPS menu as the Classic Polak.
There’s also a long list of other zaps like the What a Pickle (cheese, pickles, bacon and garlic sauce), Angry Polak (tomato sauce, cheese, pepperoni, green olives and jalapenos) and Fish Likes to Swim (tomato sauce, black olives , tuna and cheese).
The containers the zapiekanka are served in are shipped from Poland for added authenticity, while the names of dishes on the menu are nods to Polish expressions.
For example, “fish likes to swim” is an old saying that references the tradition of chasing a shot of vodka with some pickled herring.
So far, Durham residents are loving zapiekanka.
“The first weekend that we opened people came up and read the menu and didn’t know what it is — it involves a lot of me taking to the customers. Polish people show up and know exactly what they want, with Canadians it takes a little bit of encouraging — but once they try it they love it,” Magdziorz says.
ZAPS also serves up Polish pancakes four ways — potato pancakes topped with either sour cream or meat sauce, zucchini pancakes with basil dip and sweet apple pancakes with icing sugar, which are a breakfast favorite for Magdziorz’s children.
The soup lineup includes dill pickle soup, a Polish favorite.
“People appreciate that this is homemade food, they can taste the difference,” says Magdziorz, who makes as much as possible from scratch including the sauces and pickles. “I want to introduce Canadians to new food that people will love the way we do.”
We want to hear about your favorite places to eat in Durham! Old favourites, hidden gems, new restaurants opening, awesome food trucks. Send your great eats to reporter Jillian Follert at [email protected]
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