Poland
The country where the sandwich is one slice of bread laid open with whatever the fridge holds, or half a baguette buried in mushrooms and melted cheese.
Sandwiches
Showing of 235 sandwiches
Kanapki Koktajlowe
Cocktail sandwiches; small decorated kanapki for receptions.
Kanapki Bankietowe
Banquet sandwiches; decorated open-faced sandwiches for parties and special occasions.
Kanapka ze Smalcem i Cebulką
Kanapka ze smalcem i cebulką puts raw onion on cold lard bread -- not as garnish but as the second named ingredient, the sharp note that earns its place in the title and clears each bite for the next.
Kanapka ze Śledziem
Kanapka ze śledziem is the open herring sandwich: cured śledź soaked back from brine, laid cold on buttered dark rye with raw onion. The weekday face of the fish at the heart of Poland's Wigilia.
Kanapka z Żółtym Serem
Yellow cheese sandwich; Gouda, Edamer, or similar sliced cheese on bread with butter.
Kanapka z Wędliną
Cold cut sandwich; general term for any cured meat sandwich.
Kanapka z Twarożkiem i Szczypiorkiem
Twaróg alone is dry and nearly flavorless; cream loosens it into a spread, and fresh chives supply the only sharp note in this mild Polish breakfast kanapka.
Kanapka z Twarożkiem i Rzodkiewką
Twaróg curd and sliced rzodkiewka on open bread: a spring sandwich decided by a fast chemical clock, since cut radish loses its peppery snap within minutes.
Kanapka z Szynką
Ham sandwich; bread with butter, ham slice, often with cheese or vegetables.
Kanapka z Szynką i Serem
The Polish kanapka is named for a sofa: a little kanapa, from French canapé, the topping seated on one open slice. The ham-and-cheese version is the buttered breakfast staple of most Polish mornings.
Kanapka z Smalcem
The kanapka z smalcem is its spread: pork lard rendered with skwarki, onion, apple and marjoram, set firm on rustic rye. A zakąska eaten with a sour ogórek kiszony and a cold shot of vodka.
Kanapka z Smalcem i Ogórkiem
A slab of cold rendered pork fat needs something to cut it. Here that's ogórek kiszony, a salt-brined, lactofermented cucumber, sour and alive, never dunked in vinegar.
Kanapka z Serem Białym
White cheese sandwich; twaróg (fresh curd cheese) spread on bread, often with chives or radish.
About these families
The Polish sandwich is, more often than not, open. The everyday form is the kanapka: a single slice of bread, buttered, with one or two things laid on top and eaten with a knife and fork or in the hand. The street form is the zapiekanka: half a baguette toasted under sauteed mushrooms and cheese, finished with a zigzag of ketchup. Both are built on the same logic, good bread and a clear topping, with no second slice to hide behind.
The catalog of 251 sorts along those forms. The largest single force is the kanapka and its endless toppings, ham, cheese, egg, herring, pate, twarog, radish, the cold-cut counter on bread. Around it stands the zapiekanka in its dozens of versions, the Polish kebab that took over the late-night street, the burger and the tost, the sausage in a roll from an outdoor grill, the Krakow obwarzanek ring and the pretzel, the soup served in a hollowed loaf, and the deep-fried pasztecik. The bakery supplies the roll and the loaf themselves, and the table supplies the mustard, horseradish, pickle and sauce that go beside all of it.
The categories below capture how the catalog actually sorts. The two giants are the kanapka and the zapiekanka; the roll, the loaf and the sausage anchors carry the everyday meal. Below the anchors, the full filterable catalog lets you browse every entry by name or category.
Browse by family
Zapiekanka
Poland's iconic open-faced street food: half a baguette toasted under sauteed mushrooms and melted cheese, finished with a zigzag of ketchup. · 30 sandwiches
Kanapka
The Polish open-faced sandwich: one slice of buttered bread with a single clear topping, ham, cheese, egg, herring, pate, twarog, the everyday staple. · 61 sandwiches
Kebab
Poland's late-night street kebab: doner meat in a roll or rolled in lavash with cabbage, salad and a choice of garlic, mild or hot sauce. · 15 sandwiches
Burger & Hamburger
The patty in a bun, from the plain Polish hamburger to the craft scene: Angus beef, pulled pork, the oscypek burger and the schnitzel-patty fusion. · 14 sandwiches
Tost & Grzanka
The Polish toasted sandwich and the topped toast: ham-and-cheese tost pressed hot, plus garlic grzanka and pate or cheese on toasted bread. · 11 sandwiches
Hot Dog & Parówka w Bułce
The Polish hot dog: a frankfurter-style parówka in a roll with fried onions and sauce, sometimes baked into the bread itself. · 5 sandwiches
Kiełbasa w Bułce
Polish sausage in a roll: a grilled or fried kiełbasa, Kraków or Silesian style, in bread with mustard, fried onion or sauerkraut. · 11 sandwiches
Obwarzanek Krakowski
Kraków's braided ring bread, boiled then baked and crusted with poppy, sesame or salt, eaten plain or split and filled with ham, cheese or twaróg. · 7 sandwiches
Bajgiel
The Polish bagel, historically from Jewish communities, split and filled with cream cheese or smoked salmon. · 3 sandwiches
Precel
The Polish pretzel, a twisted lye bread eaten plain or split with butter or cheese. · 3 sandwiches
Zupa w Chlebie
Soup in a hollowed bread bowl: żurek, barszcz or tripe soup poured into a round loaf, the bread eaten as it soaks. · 4 sandwiches
Pasztecik, Krokiet & Pączek
The fried filled-dough family: the Szczecin pasztecik, the breaded krokiet crepe roll, and the savoury pączek, stuffed with meat, cabbage or mushroom. · 9 sandwiches
Oscypek & Bundz z Chlebem
The Tatra highland sheep's cheese with bread: smoked oscypek grilled and served on bread with cranberry, and fresh bundz with a slice. · 3 sandwiches
Imported Sandwiches
The international imports kept recognisably foreign: BLT, club, croque, panini, Philly, Reuben, the baguette sub, halloumi and the wrap. · 16 sandwiches
Bułka z…
The wheat roll and what goes in it: the kajzerka and its kin split and filled with schnitzel, egg, cheese, ham or fried fish. · 20 sandwiches
Chleb & the Polish Loaf
The loaf itself and the simplest open breads: rye, sourdough and wholegrain, bread with butter, lard, honey, jam or twaróg, plus eggs on bread. · 24 sandwiches
Przy Kanapce: Sosy i Dodatki
The Polish table that frames the sandwich: mustard, horseradish, ćwikła, pickle, mayonnaise, garlic and tartar sauce, and the skewered koreczki. · 15 sandwiches