• Listen

  What it means

  “Better peas and cabbage at home than a fat hen at war.” Simple, humble food enjoyed in peace and safety at home is worth more than rich fare obtained at the cost of danger and conflict.

  English equivalent

  Better a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.

  Vocabulary

  • groch — peas
  • kapusta — cabbage
  • wojna — war
  • kura — hen, chicken
  • tłusta — fat, rich

  Grammar note

  'Na wojnie' is the locative of 'wojna' with the preposition 'na'. 'W domu' is the locative of 'dom'.

  Cultural context

  Peas and cabbage were staple peasant foods; a fat hen was a luxury. The contrast underscores the value of peace over material gain.

  Intermediate

Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!