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A Polish Expat’s Guide to Eating Polish Food in London

With an estimated 830,000 Poles living in Britain, London is awash with handmade pierogi, beetroot borsch, and proper Polish wódka. You just have to know where to look.

This article originally appeared on VICE Poland .

There are thousands of Poles—like me—who live and work in the UK. Polish is Britain's most widely spoken immigrant language and the number of Polish business events and entrepreneurial awards proves that the Polish construction worker is little more than a lazy stereotype.

Mass migrations influence the economics of a country, but also its food culture (there's a reason why curry is the most popular dish in the UK.) Given the size of Britain's Polish community, I figured that London must be home to some amazing (and cheap, since my fellow countrymen are not known for lavishly spending on eating out) Polish food. I set out to find it.

I start at somewhat contested North London food spot: Camden Market. The stalls sell food from all over the world—alongside a large selection of cyber goth outfits. My boss, who also happens to be Polish, had tipped me off about a stand famous for its pierogi, Polish dumplings. (The word "pierogi" is plural already, so no need for the additional "s.")

Ignoring your superiors' advice is never a wise choice, and I was curious to find out how Polish food stands up against Camden's other food offerings. Unfortunately, after checking the whole market, I find absolutely no pierogi. Was my boss wrong? I ask other stall owners and it turns out that the Polish food spot disappeared last July, right after the Brexit vote.

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