- Iga Świątek’s go-to meal during tournaments is a nostalgic Polish dish: pasta with strawberries.
- The dish combines pasta, mashed strawberries, yogurt, honey, and vanilla for a light, sweet meal.
- Rich in nutrients and easy to make, it’s a refreshing summer option packed with health benefits.
Watching tennis phenom Iga Świątek play on the courts of Wimbledon has been a treat for die-hard tennis fans and casual spectators alike. But while it’s pretty sweet to see the Polish tennis star win lots of matches, it’s her even sweeter post-match meal that’s currently in the news. In a TikTok posted to the official Wimbledon account, an interviewer asked the world No. 4 about her favorite meal to eat while competing.
“For sure not fish and chips because it’s too heavy,” she responded, presumably because the fried food classic is popular in London, where Wimbledon is located. “But my team has been eating every day like a cheat meal—you know? And I’m just looking at them like: ‘Guys, really, that’s not helpful.’”
Still, Świątek has her own delicious favorites that she leans on during intense competition periods.
“I have my favorite, actually,” Świątek admitted. “I ate it as a kid. It’s pasta with strawberries—pasta, strawberries, a little bit of yogurt—it’s just great.”
The internet instantly became curious about the tennis great’s pasta preference, with commentators at ESPNW posting their attempt at “trying Iga Świątek’s post-game meal” to Instagram. But Świątek, a good sport on and off the court, was quick to jump in and share the correct way to make the dish. “No, no, no … you need to smash [the] strawberries and have different proportions! Less pasta, more strawberries,” she commented on the post.
Turns out, Świątek’s favorite pasta dish is pretty common in her home country of Poland. Food blogger The Polonist shared their recipe for makaron z truskawkami (pasta with strawberries) and shared that the dish “brings back nostalgic memories” for Polish people, since it was often served in school cafeterias or as a treat to kids visiting their babcia’s (grandmother’s) house.
Making this traditional Polish dish requires only five ingredients: pasta, strawberries, honey, yogurt and vanilla. While cooking your choice of pasta on a stovetop in boiling water, simply rinse and hull some strawberries and place them into a bowl with honey, vanilla and yogurt, then mash everything together to form a pretty, pink sauce. Once the pasta is cooked, top it with the creamy strawberry sauce. Optional toppings like fresh mint or an extra drizzle of honey can also be added to taste, as can a few sliced strawberries.
Since she spends lots of time on her feet, it’s no surprise Świątek’s go-to pasta dish is light and healthy. Since strawberries have anti-inflammatory properties and offer benefits for your heart, brain and gut microbiome, makaron z truskawkami is a great dish for grabbing before a workout or when you need a light-and-quick weeknight meal. And, since yogurt is handy for improving digestion, supporting a healthy heart and upping your protein intake, it can make a fun, benefit-packed addition to pasta sauce.
While noshing on pasta with strawberries may not turn us all into tennis greats, Świątek’s fave sounds perfect for summer and worth cooking up next time strawberries are on sale on your grocery store’s produce aisle. The dish is also a great excuse to stock up on frozen strawberries on your next Costco run—just let some berries thaw, then mash them with yogurt, honey and vanilla to create a Wimbledon-worthy pasta meal.
