Tatra Mountains

In the folds of the Carpathian Mountains, hunters marinate wild boar with gin, and porcini mushrooms in the forest sizzle in butter. Beekeepers in the Bialowieza Primeval Forest drip linden honey into the pores of rye bread. This candied fruit, known as "forest gold", is an offering to the gods by Slavic ancestors. Fishermen in the Masurian Lake District catch zander in the early morning, coat them with flour, fry them in a cast iron pan until golden, and serve them with dill sour cream. Every bite brings the coolness of the lake water.