6533b7cffe1ef96bd1257d9a

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Od zupy głodowej do regionalnego symbolu

subject

description

The subject of the study is one of the characteristic Silesian soups - wodzionka, which has since 2007 been on the List of Traditional Products kept by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The reference literature and the current field research indicate that the characteristic soup with bread and garlic is consumed throughout Upper Silesia - both in rural and industrial communities. The genesis of its consumption, just as that of other traditional dishes, is directly associated with once meager nutrition. Wodzionka, in the past synonymous with “Silesian poverty,” was a universal dish, served for breakfast, lunch, and often even dinner. In particular sections of the region, it was called different names: wodzianka, chuda zupa [thin soup], zupa z chleba [bread soup], sznelka, brotzupa, “kura górnicza [mining hen],” as well as prepared with the use of a variety of methods. It was believed to have health benefits and protective properties and recommended for sickly people or women in childbed, who-as impure-were particularly vulnerable to evil forces. Today, the belief that wodzionka should be eaten “because it is healthy” remains strong-the soup is recommended to everyone in fall and winter, as well as to pregnant women at all times. Over the last two centuries the status of wodzionka has changed from a lent (starvation) soup to a culinary attraction (Wodzionka Festival, culinary and cultural events with wodzionka in the lead role), one of the distinguishing culinary artifacts of the Silesian cuisine, which has undergone a metamorphosis from a product to a symbol.