Food - Drink
The 2 Different Meanings Of À La Polonaise On A Menu
By HEATHER LIM
À la Polonaise, French for "in Polish style," can be described as a French take on Polish cooking. The term likely originated during the reign of Louis XV, who married Polish-born Queen Marie Leszczynska and introduced Polish-style cooking to France in the 18th century, however, if you see this term on a menu, it could mean two different things.
The most well-known version of an à la Polonaise dish is vegetables garnished with toasted breadcrumbs, hard-boiled eggs, and herbs such as thyme, parsley, and basil. However, there is another dish called sauce à la Polonaise which is a spin-off of the French mother sauce velouté with the addition of horseradish, lemon, and sour cream for a Polish flavor.
If you see à la Polonaise on a menu and it includes vegetables, they’ll likely come topped with buttery breadcrumbs and finely chopped egg, while a meat dish will likely be topped with a creamy sauce à la Polonaise. Dishes like hard-boiled eggs, boiled potatoes, French fries, and meatballs seem to suit both types of preparation, so it's best to ask your server.