A Rare Find

A reliable butcher in Warsaw? That’s a rare find, least of all one offering high quality beef, lamb and venison. But that’s exactly what you get at Befsztyk – operating for 19 years, the philosophy of the Prokopowicz family that runs it is uncompromising when it comes to excellence. Which explains why many insiders refer to it as the best butchery in the capital.

And it’s just about this time of year that newcomers to Wa-wa will start learning to value them. With Americans prepping for Thanksgiving, and Brits fretting about Christmas, the great big turkey hunt is on. In fairness, you’ll be able to find the sacred indyk in pretty much every high street supermarket. But will it win you friends? Maybe yes, maybe no. So why take the risk.Myself, I’ve been using Befsztyk for a while, and can vouch for the pedigree of their produce. Specifically, I can vouch for their turkey, which you’ll find retailing at zł. 24.90 / kg – the fresh stuff, which tips the scales at 6-8 kilos is from Poland, while their frozen birds are 2.5-5 kilos and flown in from France.  

Touting fluent English-speaking service, most ex-pats connect to Łukasz, a font of knowledge when it comes to eating animals and the right way to do it. “I love turkey for the taste, which is definitely more complex to that of chicken. But you need to the right turkey, so bear in mind fatty turkey is totally suited to baking as it remains juicy even after being a cooked a while. We recommend cooking it with herbs such us rosemary, thyme, salvia and spices; and nutmeg, salt and pepper, all mixed up with butter which we use to coat our turkey with from the outside and in.”

Any more tips Łukasz? “I fill the turkey with pieces of orange, sprigs of rosemary and thyme bay leaf. After that, bake it at 180 Celsius for approximately 40 minutes for each kilo of its weight – and don’t forget to pour the liquid gathering in the pan over it every thirty minutes or so.” Let the festivities begin…

Befsztyk ul. Puławska 176/178, tel. 22 843 6110. Home delivery and internet ordering available at: www.befsztyk.pl