Nothing beats having a chilled hard-boiled egg topped with Polish beets with horseradish spread. This is all about a Ćwikła recipe that will become part of your Easter tradition.
See what I did there? Beats… beets. But enough of the play on words.
This thick, flavourful concoction will stain your fingers and anything it contacts. It will make your eyes water if there’s enough fresh, hot horseradish added to it. And it will make hard boiled eggs taste so much better!
Called Ćwikła (Chweek-wa – or chew-we-kwa), its a staple accompaniment to Polish Easter dishes and often used throughout the year.
Chrzan – horseradish is one of the staple ingredients in Polish foods around Easter time, reminding us of the bitterness and pain of Christ’s suffering on the Cross.
As beets are super-healthy and full of anti-oxidants, they’ve been in the spotlight in the past 10 years. Although you can get a quick fix using them in salads or roasting them, ćwikła can be enjoyed longer. Seal it in a jar and it will last several weeks in the refrigerator.
Polish Easter Traditions And Ćwikła
While often paired with hard boiled eggs, Polish beets with horseradish can also be a topping for ham slices and other meats.
Ćwikła is one of the foods included in Polish Easter Baskets that get blessed by a priest with Holy water on the Saturday just before Easter Sunday.
We always made it on Good Friday so it would be ready for blessing on Saturday morning.
You’ll find a little jar nestled in with other foods such as eggs, ham, kielbasa, a mini-babka, cheese, and butter.
Even though it’s traditionally an Easter food, I like to eat cwikla at any time of the year. I love it at Thanksgiving time with a huge slice of turkey breast. It’s also yummy at Christmas with a Christmas ham.
The more horseradish the better! My Ćwikła recipe leaves it up to you to make it as hot as you like it.
The Family Cwika Traditions
My grandparents would make a fairly strong Ćwikła, adding in vinegar and horseradish to taste. Much like Japanese wasabi, Polish beets with horseradish can clear out your sinuses and make you yelp in surprise at its bite.
This recipe is one that we’ve used in my family. There are variations – some people use balsamic vinegar or add spices. We like to keep it standard.
An important tip for boiling the beets, try to pick ones that are similar in size for even boiling.
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Polish Beets With Horseradish – Cwikla Recipe
This cwikla recipe is traditional and simple. You can experiment with amounts of salt, horseradish, lemon, vinegar and sugar to make it perfect for you.
1 lb beets (about 4-5 medium-sized)
1 horseradish root, finely grated, to taste
1 tsp salt, to taste
1 lemon (juiced), to taste
1 tsp vinegar, to taste
1 to 2 tsp sugar, to taste
- Prepare the beets by boiling with their skins on for about one hour until soft.
- Check with a fork until it can smoothly enter until it reaches the centre of the beets. Don’t overcook them.
- While beets cool, peel horseradish and grate finely into a bowl. Once cooled, peel and grate the beets finely into a medium bowl.
- Combine beets and horseradish; add remaining ingredients to taste.
- Mix well and store in a refrigerator overnight for the best flavour.
TIP 1: This cwikla recipe is traditional and simple. You can experiment with amounts of salt, horseradish, lemon, vinegar and sugar to make it perfect for you.
TIP 2: If you can’t find a horseradish root in your grocery store, use prepared horseradish.
Check to see if the beets are boiled – but don’t make too many holes so that the juice doesn’t run out if you have to keep boiling the beets.
Peel them when they are cool.
How To Serve Cwikla
You can use this Ćwikła recipe as a condiment for many different types of meats. We like to add it to ham, kielbasa, beef or turkey.
Other foods you can pair Cwikla with include hard-boiled eggs, or as a topping on sandwiches. For example, at Easter, we take our blessed bread and top it with blessed ham slices and a bit of the cwikla. It makes for a scrumptious open-faced sandwich.
Here’s the recipe once again in a handy recipe card you can print out:
Polish Beets With Horseradish - Cwikla Recipe
This cwikla recipe is traditional and simple. You can experiment with amounts of salt, horseradish, lemon, vinegar and sugar to make it perfect for you.
Ingredients
- 1 lb beets (about 4-5 medium-sized)
- 1 horseradish root, finely grated, to taste
- 1 tsp salt, to taste
- 1 lemon (juiced), to taste
- 1 tsp vinegar, to taste
- 1 to 2 tsp sugar, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the beets by boiling with their skins on for about one hour until soft. Check with a fork until it can smoothly enter until it reaches the centre of the beets. Don’t overcook.
- While beets cool, peel horseradish and grate finely into a bowl.
- Once cooled, peel and grate the beets finely into a medium bowl.
- Combine beets and horseradish; add remaining ingredients to taste. Mix well and store in a refrigerator overnight for the best flavour.
Notes
TIP 1: This cwikla recipe is traditional and simple. You can experiment with amounts of salt, horseradish, lemon, vinegar and sugar to make it perfect for you.
TIP 2: If you can’t find a horseradish root in your grocery store, use prepared horseradish.
Nutrition Information
Yield 10 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 26Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 270mgCarbohydrates 6gFiber 1gSugar 5gProtein 1g
Zmacznego Jajka!
QUESTION: If you’ve had Polish beets with horseradish, what do you pair it with? How do you like your cwikla – hot or mild?
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8 Comments
. I bought a jar of Cracovia’s beet and horseradish salad and fell in love with it. I have not been able to find a replacement jar since, so the next logical step is to make my own. I have not made it yet but plan on making it this week, wish me luck ;)
Good luck! The general recipe will be the same. All you need to do is figure out the sweetness factor and perhaps how much horseradish you add.
Im giving your Beet & Horseradish recipe a try. A favorite Easter side dish.
Let me know what you thought of it!
Have you ever canned it?
Personally, I haven’t. It will store in the refrigerator for several weeks.
If using prepared horseradish in a jar, how much? Thanks
If you’re following the recipe, start with half a jar (250 ml jar). And add to taste from there.