The Polish street food consisting of an open-faced baguette topped with mushrooms, cheese, and ketchup, then baked is zapiekanka.
A typical zapiekanka is made by slicing a baguette or long bread roll lengthwise, covering it with sautéed white mushrooms and grated cheese, and baking or toasting it until the bread crisps and the cheese melts. Ketchup is usually added after cooking, often in a generous zigzag.
Zapiekanki first appeared as Polish street food in the 1970s. They became popular during the Polish People’s Republic, when baguettes and limited available ingredients could be turned into an inexpensive, filling snack. The singular is zapiekanka; zapiekanki is the plural.
Modern versions may include ham, bacon, pickles, olives, pineapple, or spicy sauces, leading to the nickname “Polish pizza.” The name comes from the Polish verb zapiekać, meaning to bake a dish until its ingredients combine and a browned crust forms. Bigos, pierogi, and kiełbasa are important Polish foods, but none has this open-faced baked format.