There are tastes that cannot be replaced. You can live in Norway for five, ten, or even twenty years, get used to the local life, weather and everyday customs, and yet sometimes the scent of fresh bread, the taste of real curd cheese or a piece of well-seasoned sausage is enough to bring back memories of Poland.
To mom's kitchen. To Sunday breakfast at grandparents'. To the neighborhood shop where you used to buy still-warm rolls.
That is why Polish shops abroad are more than just places to do the shopping. And Polish Shop BAZA in Lillestrøm, at Nesgata 6C, is one of those places where everyday life in Norway meets the flavors of our family home.
You can't forget the taste of Poland that easily
Anyone who lives in Norway knows that feeling. In local supermarkets you can find almost everything, but not always what you happen to crave.
After all, not every bread tastes like Polish bread. Not every cheese is suitable for dumplings. Not every sausage resembles the one we remember from the family table. Even an ordinary cucumber can stir longing for summers spent in Poland.
And it's not that Norwegian products are worse. They are simply different. They have their own tradition, their own recipes and their own place on the table.
But we have also brought our habits, family recipes and culinary memories to Norway.
That is why the ability to buy ingredients for a simple Polish dinner is so pleasing. One that you don't have to explain to anyone.
From fresh bread to doughnuts and sweet yeast buns. Scents we know
Let's start with bread, because for many Poles it is one of the most recognizable tastes of home.
A fresh loaf of bread, a crispy crust, a soft interior. Add butter, curd cheese, a slice of good cold cut and a tomato. Apparently nothing special, yet such a breakfast can improve the whole day.
At BAZA you will find Polish bread and baked goods, including doughnuts and sweet yeast buns. These are products that for some are an everyday treat, and for others evoke childhood: the walk to school, a visit to grandma, or a Saturday morning at the local market.
It is especially pleasant to know that you no longer have to drive hundreds of kilometers or pack supplies into your suitcase after every visit to Poland to get such things.
Polish flavors are here, locally, in Lillestrøm.
Cold cuts, cheeses and dairy. Our Polish breakfasts and dinners
In Polish cuisine, products that often seem completely ordinary are of great importance.
Sausage for a sandwich. Cold cuts for fresh bread. Curd cheese with chives. Cheese for casseroles. Dairy products from which you can prepare favorite dishes without searching for substitutes.
In BAZA's assortment there are Polish cold cuts, sausages, cheeses and dairy products. Alongside them you will find preserves, spices and other ingredients associated with everyday cooking in Poland.
This is especially important for families trying to preserve Polish traditions at the shared table.
Because sometimes the greatest pleasure is not an elaborate dish, but an ordinary supper: fresh bread, a favorite cold cut, a cucumber and tea.
Just like it used to be.
Raspberry tomato and garden cucumber. Small things, big memories
Can a tomato remind you of childhood?
Of course it can.
Just think of a large, juicy raspberry tomato, sliced for sandwiches and lightly sprinkled with salt. Or of a crunchy garden cucumber, from which a creamy cucumber salad with sour cream and dill will soon be made.
Such vegetables are part of BAZA's assortment. The shop offers fresh products and seasonal deliveries, thanks to which items associated with Polish cuisine appear on the shelves.
Tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables are part of something larger: our family habits.
For some it will be the taste of summer holidays in the countryside, for others a parent's garden, and for still others a Sunday dinner with potatoes and a breaded pork cutlet.
In Norway we can also prepare such dishes. The important thing is that we have access to the ingredients we remember.
Friday at BAZA. Another batch of familiar flavors arrives from Poland
Friday for many Polish families in Norway means the start of preparations for the weekend.
Some finish work, others plan a family dinner, a meeting with friends or cooking together. In the Polish Shop BAZA in Lillestrøm, Friday has one more meaning.
It is the day of the regular, fresh delivery from Poland.
Goods arrive in the morning, and the shop opens at 10:00. New products reach the shelves, the assortment is replenished, fresh items appear and what customers have been waiting for during the week.
This does not mean that you can only come for Polish products on Fridays. BAZA operates six days a week, and the shelves are regularly restocked.
However, the Friday delivery is something worth knowing about, especially when planning larger weekend shopping.
It's good to be aware that familiar flavors come to us regularly, not only on holidays.
Not just food. Such places matter for the Polish community
Polish shops abroad also serve an informal social function.
You can hear your native language in them, exchange a few words, meet a neighbor or simply feel at home. For many people, especially those who have lived in Norway recently, such little things matter.
This does not replace life in Norwegian society. On the contrary, it can help maintain a balance between the new place of residence and one’s own roots.
Poles work here, raise children, start businesses, learn the language and build their future. At the same time, they do not have to give up the traditions they brought from their family home.
It's also worth remembering the youngest ones.
A child born or raised in Norway gets to know Poland not only through language, family stories and holiday trips. They also get to know it through flavors.
Through pierogi for dinner, Polish bread for breakfast, a doughnut on Fat Thursday or traditional dishes prepared together with parents.
These are small everyday elements that help maintain a connection with Polish culture.
What can be found on BAZA's shelves today?
The assortment of the Polish Shop BAZA in Lillestrøm includes both products needed for everyday use and items bought with the weekend, family gatherings or holidays in mind.
You can find, among others:
Polish bread and pastries – bread, doughnuts, sweet buns and other bakery products.
Cold cuts and sausages – products for sandwiches, hot dishes and for the grill.
Cheeses and dairy – including quark and other products known from Polish cuisine.
Fresh vegetables – including raspberry tomatoes, garden cucumbers and seasonal products.
Preserves and meal accompaniments – items useful for preparing traditional dishes.
Spices – flavors closely associated with Polish dishes.
Sweets and snacks – favorite products from Poland, also for afternoon coffee.
Beverages and food items – complementing everyday shopping.
The assortment changes with deliveries and the season. Not every product therefore has to be available every day.
And after all, part of the pleasure is also finding something we haven't eaten for years.
Poles in Norway have their own places. It's worth knowing them
In Lillestrøm and nearby towns such as Strømmen, Rælingen and Lørenskog, there are people who in various ways combine life in Norway with their Polish roots.
Some arrived recently, others have spent most of their adult lives here. Some speak only Polish at home, others raise children in multilingual families.
But some tastes we understand without translation.
That is why we are pleased that places like BAZA operate in Norway. Not because everything has to be Polish, but because it is good to have a choice.
You can like Norwegian brunost, salmon and traditional waffles, and at the same time occasionally long for Polish curd cheese, Polish sausage or a piece of cheesecake.
One does not exclude the other.
And maybe this is what daily integration looks like: we discover new tastes without forgetting our own.
BAZA Lillestrøm – where is the store located?
The Polish Store BAZA is located at Nesgata 6C, 2004 Lillestrøm.
The store is open from Monday to Saturday from 10:00–19:00. It is closed on Sundays.
Regular Friday deliveries from Poland allow restocking the assortment before the weekend. It is worth remembering that the availability of specific products depends on the delivery.
Contact phone: +47 455 89 336.
The exact address, photos, information about the store and readers' reviews can be found in the business profile of the Polish Store BAZA Lillestrøm on Twoja Norwegia.
Sometimes one familiar taste is enough
We don't always long for big things.
Sometimes for a simple breakfast. For the smell of bread. For a tomato that tastes the way we remember. For the sweet yeast pastry once bought on the way to school.
Living in Norway, we build a new life, but we take with us a whole lot of memories. Some of them live in tastes.
That's why it's good to know that in Lillestrøm, at Nesgata 6C, there is a place where you can find at least a small piece of Poland.
Because home is not only an address.
Sometimes home smells like fresh bread.
