Drinking Water in Poland

In English we call this carbonated water

Click here to  Being somewhat familiar with Poland, I was very happy to have the opportunity to come to the country again. There is a lot to see, the people are nice, and I enjoy challenging myself with trying to speak better and better Polish. Of course, there were certain food items that I was excited for as well. Tasty pączki, well-made żurek, all the varieties of kiełbasa, and the many different types of drożdżówki. All of these foods are very good, please don't get me wrong. However, there was one food, or drink rather, that I was the most excited to drink. It was not Książęce, my favorite Polish beer, nor was it Żubrówka, a good Polish vodka. No, the one drink that I was most excited for was woda gazowana. In English we call this carbonated water, but I am of the opinion that calling woda gazowana simply 'carbonated water' does not do it justice.

I know what you may be thinking; don't they have woda gazowana in America? Yes, we do. However, the varieties available across Poland and Europe are only available in specialty stores or markets and they are not wide-spread or common. We do have a popular brand of carbonated water called La Croix. It is o.k. and this company does offer a few interesting flavored waters such as coconut and raspberry. Yet, try as they might, it just does not compare to the crisp, clean, refreshing taste of woda gazowana. My love for woda gazowana is actually a little bit ironic because when I first tried this water, I did not like it. However, one day while in Poland, my friend and I had only one bottle of woda gazowana between us. The sun was high in the sky and it felt like it was 34 degrees Celsius that day. With only the woda gazowana to drink we had little choice. On that hot and sun-scorched day my love for woda gazowana was born, and I have not looked back since.

​ I am happy that I discovered that there are even different varieties of woda gasowana to drink. Gazowana or lekko gazowana are both good and I drink them both from time to time. Although if I had to choose I would choose normal gazowana over lekko. Throughout my time in Poland I will of course eat żurek, kiełbasa, and the occasional pączek. Yet, the one small thing that I will always enjoy is my dear woda gazowana. Perhaps when I return to America I will have to find a source of some good Polish brands, or else invest in a water carbonator and try and make my own, but I doubt it would be the same.