Suska sechlońska

What it is

Suska sechlońska is a dried plum that is rather smoked than dried. It has a firm, meaty flesh and a wrinkled, sticky skin of dark blue to black color. The taste is slightly sweet, with a distinct smoky aroma.

The name consists of two words: 'suska' — dried and smoked plum, 'sechlońska' — from the village of Sechna, where plum orchards with several hundred trees existed as early as the 18th century.

Suska is eaten as a delicacy, added to the Christmas Eve compote, and used in meat dishes and sauces. The area around Sechna features a tourist 'Plum Route'.

You can immediately distinguish suska from regular dried plums by the smell of smoke, which can be detected even before you open the package. Look for the EU protected geographical indication sign on the packaging: under this name, only plums from seven municipalities are sold.

History and name

Smoking plums is an ancient method of preserving the harvest in the humid mountain climate, where fruits do not dry in the sun. The 'sus' dryers are still part of the landscape of these villages.

In the EU register: protected geographical indication (PGI), registered name «Suska sechlońska», registered in 2010. Sources

Ingredients and allergens

PlumsVarieties 'uhorka', 'bystrytsia', 'nemtudom' are used for lekvar, hombovtsi, and slivovitsa.

Contains allergens: none of the 14 major allergens in the traditional recipe
Diet: lenten · vegan · gluten-free · no cooking

Ingredients of the traditional recipe; every cook and every place may do it differently — please ask when ordering. We cannot guarantee the absence of allergens or traces.

How it is made

Ripe plums are placed on racks in the 'sus' — the dryer, under which beech wood is burned. The temperature must be maintained between 45–60 °C, and the entire process lasts from four to six days: the plums simultaneously lose moisture and absorb smoke.

Where it is eaten

The area is approximate and based on the sources below. The dish is cooked outside it too, and ethnographic borders are blurred.

Seven municipalities on the border of the Ostry Beskid and its foothills: Chrzanów, Gnojnik, Iwkowa (Brzesko County), Łososina Dolna, Grudek nad Dunajcem (Nowy Sącz County), Lipnica Murowana (Bochnia County), and Łaskowa (Limanowa County). The counties are shown in full on the map — the area is approximate.

When it is eaten

Occasions: Christmas Eve · Harvest

In tradition

Smoked plums are an ingredient in the Christmas Eve compote with dried fruits, which is served in Poland on Wigilia.

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