A group that hikes for several hours every day eats differently from a group touring a city: it gets up early, has only packed food during the day and comes back very hungry in the evening. We plan the kitchen around that rhythm, and Shabbat around a day without the trail.
1. The rhythm of a mountain day
- From dawn: hot water, coffee, tea, lemon and something sweet. Religious participants get up early to pray and should not have to wait for breakfast without a cup of tea. An urn and a coffee machine in the dining room are enough.
- Breakfast: at the time agreed with the group leader, followed straight away by packing food for the whole day.
- During the day: packed food only. There is nowhere to eat kosher on the trail.
- In the evening: a filling, hot meat dinner. After a full day of walking it is the most important meal.
Meal times on site often change with the route and the weather. We confirm the next day's plan with the group leader in the evening.
2. Packed food for the trail
After breakfast we set up a packing table: everyone takes what they like and as much as they will eat. Paper and zip bags, small containers for sauces and hummus, wax paper for sandwiches, labels and napkins. Groups really like this table. In the mountains one more thing matters: the food has to be filling, light and not get squashed in a backpack.
We never combine meat and dairy in one meal - breakfast included; with a dairy breakfast the packed food is dairy or parve. On request we prepare sealed lunch boxes with compartments and water bottles, also with the group's logo; these are ordered a few weeks ahead. More on packs, heat and water: kosher packed food for long days.
3. Dinner after the trail
A group that has eaten only packed food all day needs a proper meal. Our standard mountain dinner: hot soup (chicken soup with noodles and shkedei marak works well on cold days), two main dishes, two sides, three salads, sauces and bread. With coffee after a meat dinner we serve plant-based milk.
4. How much food
It depends on the group, not on a table. Young people eat a lot of bread, seniors little, even though they are just as active in the mountains. We agree quantities before arrival and adjust them after the first day based on what was left or what ran out. That way we do not throw food away, and nobody goes short.
5. A kitchen in the mountains
In the mountains you more often find guesthouses and apartments than large hotels with an exclusive kitchen. Before the contract we check whether the venue has a kitchen that can be koshered, or space for ours. We bring kosher meat, cold cuts and products with a hechsher; fresh vegetables and fruit we buy locally every day. The kitchen works from dawn until late evening, so the team includes not only a cook but also someone for washing up and serving. How koshering works: koshering a kitchen, step by step.
6. Shabbat in the mountains
On Shabbat groups usually do not go out on the trail. We plan the meals and the rhythm of the day according to the group's customs and what is agreed with its rabbi: groups differ in times, in the number of meals and in what is served. Hot dishes stay on platas from Friday. On Friday we plan the return from the trail with a wide margin before candle lighting: a late coach on Friday afternoon can put the whole Shabbat at risk. What to agree with the venue: Shabbat for a group in a hotel - 10 things to agree.
Checklist for the organizer
- Times: prayer, breakfast, start of the hike, return, dinner; who confirms the next day's plan.
- Packed food: packing table or ready packs; meat, dairy or parve; diets and allergies.
- Kitchen at the venue: there is one that can be koshered, or ours is needed; a room for meals and for prayer.
- Shabbat: meals and times according to the group's customs; on Friday, back from the trail well before candle lighting.
- Weather: what happens if the group stays at the venue (an extra hot meal).
- Lunch boxes, bottles, items with the group's logo: ordered in advance.
Frequently asked questions
Does SEBIR book accommodation and transport in the mountains?
No. The organizer books accommodation, transport and the program. We are responsible for the kitchen, meals, packed food and Shabbat, and we can recommend venues and carriers.
In which mountains can you cook?
In Poland and in other European countries, wherever the venue has a kitchen or one can be set up. We discuss the kitchen of a specific venue before the organizer signs the contract.
What if the group comes back from the trail late?
We confirm dinner time with the group leader the day before. If the group is late, dinner waits for them hot.
Is a lunch during the day necessary?
Usually not. Groups that hike for several hours prefer filling packed food from breakfast and a proper dinner. If the weather keeps the group at the venue, we add a hot meal during the day; how we price it is agreed before the trip.
SEBIR runs kosher kitchens for groups in the mountains in Poland and elsewhere in Europe: breakfasts, packed food for the trail, dinners and Shabbat, to the standard set by the group's rabbi.
Prepared by the SEBIR team. Since 2023 we have been running kosher kitchens and Shabbat for Jewish groups in Poland and Europe. Last updated: October 2026. If something here is out of date, write to info@sebir.pl - we will check and correct it.