Christmas dinner is one of the most valued celebrations in Poland. The meal is usually a time to enjoy the company of family members and partake in the sumptuous polish christmas eve food. It is not uncommon, though, for them to welcome friends or even vagrants to their Christmas dinner table. Guided mainly by custom than by faith, the traditions are not exclusive to just one religious denomination and the Christmas Eve practices are done by almost everyone in Poland. This culinary tradition is a union of ancient pagan Customs, local traditions, various folk cultures and the religious customs of the Catholic church.

The Eve is celebrated with traditional cuisine, excluding meat. The recipes depend highly on the available traditional and seasonal produce during the winter months. There is the typical exchange of gifts, but not after a hearty supper of the twelve traditional Christmas Eve dishes lasting for a couple of hours. The Christmas Eve menu is multicultural, with influences from Jews, Germans, Lithuanians and another present in Poland.
The Beetroot Soup, the most popular one on Christmas Eve, opens the dinner. The beetroot soup on ordinary days differs from the Christmas version since the one used in Christmas uses a sour base that has to be prepared days in advance. The dish is composed of raw beets, peeled, sliced and fermented with or without garlic for four to five days, in water that has been boiled and then chilled. It is then mixed with other broths, such as dried wild mushroom broth and vegetable broth. The dish is traditionally served with ceps and onion dumplings.