The Mystery of Polish Sausage - What is Kielbasa?

Without a doubt the word Kielbasa has worldwideyou like to your sausage, but it will no longer be the
recognition, yet it is also often misunderstood.original Polish Smoked Sausage (Polska Kielbasa
Kielbasa is the general Polish name for sausage. YouWedzona) or any other brand named sausage. Once
cannot walk into a Polish store and say: please giveyou start changing ingredients, you create your own
me a pound of kielbasa. The sales lady, surroundedrecipe and you may as well come up with your own
by 50 different kinds of kielbasa, will inevitably reply:name.
yes, but which one? There are well over 100 types1. For centuries Polish Smoked Sausage was made of
of kielbasa, and the word itself is meaningless unlesspork, salt, pepper, garlic and marjoram (optional).
followed up with the proper name: KielbasaThen in 1964 the Polish Government introduced a
Rzeszowska, Kielbasa Krakowska, Kielbasasecond version of the sausage that was made of
Tuchowska, Kielbasa Mysliwska, etc. It is like going80% pork and 20% beef. All other ingredients: salt,
into a deli and asking for some cheese. Sure, butpepper, sugar, garlic, and marjoram remain the same
which one: American, Provolone, Swiss, Gorgonzola,in both recipes. The marjoram is optional but the
Gouda, Muenster - you have to provide some details.garlic is a must.
There is no specific sausage called kielbasa but there2. The meat is cured before it is mixed with spices. In
are many sausages that carry the word kielbasa asthe US Cure #1 (sodium nitrite plus salt) is used, in
part of the name.Europe Peklosol (sodium nitrite plus salt) is common.
We know of only one sausage that carries the word3. The sausage is stuffed into a large hog casing: 36 -
"Polish" in its name and that is the Polish Smoked38 mm and formed into 12" (35 cm) links.
Sausage (Polska Kielbasa Wedzona). This is probably4. The traditional way was to cold smoke it for 1 to
what the first immigrants brought with them to1.5 days (it had to last for long time).
America. The problem we face here is that you can5. In most cases it is hot smoked today
find Polish Smoked Sausage in almost everyA little test was performed to see how large
supermarket in the US, and no two are made theAmerican manufacturers make Polish Sausage. Four
same way. Yet Polish Smoked Sausage has been wellsausages called Polish Kielbasa or Polish Sausage were
defined for centuries and everybody in Poland knowsbought at the local supermarket in Florida and each
what goes inside. We do not intend to becomeof them was produced by a large and well known
judges in this matter, but instead rely on Polishmeat plant. The number of ingredients and chemicals
Government Standards for Polish Smoked Sausage.used varied from 10 to 20 and different combinations
These rules have remained unchanged for the last 60of meats were used: pork-beef-turkey, beef only,
years.pork-beef. Except the name, none of the sausages
Before we anger many people who have beenhad anything to do with the original.
making Polish Smoked Sausage in their own way forIt seems that for the manufacturers any sausage
years, let's clarify something further. It's perfectlythat is smoked (or have liquid smoke added) and
fine to add an ingredient that you or your children likestuffed into a 36 mm one foot long casing can be
into your sausage. You still have the full right to saycalled Polish Smoked Sausage or Polish Kielbasa. It
that you made a better sausage than the famousbecomes quite clear that manufacturers put any
Polish Smoked Sausage. You may say that youringredients they like inside of the casing and the
grandfather who came from Poland made the bestname Polish Kielbasa is used just for credibility and to
Polish sausage in the world and we honor that. Maybegain the trust of the consumer.
he used chicken stock instead of water or maybe heThe problem is futher magnified by various sites on
added something else. What we are trying to say isthe Internet that provide countless recipes for
that he was making his own version of the knownmaking Polish sausages. Yet the mysterious Polish
classic or some other Polish sausage and it could haveSmoked Sausage is embarrassingly simple to make
tasted better for you and your family. We do notand all it needs is pork, salt, pepper and garlic.
dispute that fact. You can of course add anything