| Without a doubt the word Kielbasa has | | | | changing ingredients, you create your own |
| worldwide recognition, yet it is also often | | | | recipe and you may as well come up with your |
| misunderstood. Kielbasa is the general Polish | | | | own name. |
| name for sausage. You cannot walk into a | | | | |
| Polish store and say: please give me a pound | | | | 1. For centuries Polish Smoked Sausage was |
| of kielbasa. The sales lady, surrounded by 50 | | | | made of pork, salt, pepper, garlic and |
| different kinds of kielbasa, will inevitably | | | | marjoram (optional). Then in 1964 the Polish |
| reply: yes, but which one? There are well | | | | Government introduced a second version of the |
| over 100 types of kielbasa, and the word | | | | sausage that was made of 80% pork and 20% |
| itself is meaningless unless followed up with | | | | beef. All other ingredients: salt, pepper, |
| the proper name: Kielbasa Rzeszowska, | | | | sugar, garlic, and marjoram remain the same |
| Kielbasa Krakowska, Kielbasa Tuchowska, | | | | in both recipes. The marjoram is optional but |
| Kielbasa Mysliwska, etc. It is like going | | | | the garlic is a must. |
| into a deli and asking for some cheese. Sure, | | | | |
| but which one: American, Provolone, Swiss, | | | | 2. The meat is cured before it is mixed with |
| Gorgonzola, Gouda, Muenster - you have to | | | | spices. In the US Cure #1 (sodium nitrite |
| provide some details. There is no specific | | | | plus salt) is used, in Europe Peklosol |
| sausage called kielbasa but there are many | | | | (sodium nitrite plus salt) is common. |
| sausages that carry the word kielbasa as part | | | | |
| of the name. | | | | 3. The sausage is stuffed into a large hog |
| | | | casing: 36 - 38 mm and formed into 12" (35 |
| We know of only one sausage that carries the | | | | cm) links. |
| word "Polish" in its name and that is the | | | | |
| Polish Smoked Sausage (Polska Kielbasa | | | | 4. The traditional way was to cold smoke it |
| Wedzona). This is probably what the first | | | | for 1 to 1.5 days (it had to last for long |
| immigrants brought with them to America. The | | | | time). |
| problem we face here is that you can find | | | | |
| Polish Smoked Sausage in almost every | | | | 5. In most cases it is hot smoked today |
| supermarket in the US, and no two are made | | | | |
| the same way. Yet Polish Smoked Sausage has | | | | A little test was performed to see how large |
| been well defined for centuries and everybody | | | | American manufacturers make Polish Sausage. |
| in Poland knows what goes inside. We do not | | | | Four sausages called Polish Kielbasa or |
| intend to become judges in this matter, but | | | | Polish Sausage were bought at the local |
| instead rely on Polish Government Standards | | | | supermarket in Florida and each of them was |
| for Polish Smoked Sausage. These rules have | | | | produced by a large and well known meat |
| remained unchanged for the last 60 years. | | | | plant. The number of ingredients and |
| | | | chemicals used varied from 10 to 20 and |
| Before we anger many people who have been | | | | different combinations of meats were used: |
| making Polish Smoked Sausage in their own way | | | | pork-beef-turkey, beef only, pork-beef. |
| for years, let's clarify something further. | | | | Except the name, none of the sausages had |
| It's perfectly fine to add an ingredient that | | | | anything to do with the original. |
| you or your children like into your sausage. | | | | |
| You still have the full right to say that you | | | | It seems that for the manufacturers any |
| made a better sausage than the famous Polish | | | | sausage that is smoked (or have liquid smoke |
| Smoked Sausage. You may say that your | | | | added) and stuffed into a 36 mm one foot long |
| grandfather who came from Poland made the | | | | casing can be called Polish Smoked Sausage or |
| best Polish sausage in the world and we honor | | | | Polish Kielbasa. It becomes quite clear that |
| that. Maybe he used chicken stock instead of | | | | manufacturers put any ingredients they like |
| water or maybe he added something else. What | | | | inside of the casing and the name Polish |
| we are trying to say is that he was making | | | | Kielbasa is used just for credibility and to |
| his own version of the known classic or some | | | | gain the trust of the consumer. |
| other Polish sausage and it could have tasted | | | | |
| better for you and your family. We do not | | | | The problem is futher magnified by various |
| dispute that fact. You can of course add | | | | sites on the Internet that provide countless |
| anything you like to your sausage, but it | | | | recipes for making Polish sausages. Yet the |
| will no longer be the original Polish Smoked | | | | mysterious Polish Smoked Sausage is |
| Sausage (Polska Kielbasa Wedzona) or any | | | | embarrassingly simple to make and all it |
| other brand named sausage. Once you start | | | | needs is pork, salt, pepper and garlic. |