Kielbasa
Encyclopedia
Kielbasa, kołbasa, kobasa, kovbasa, kobasa, kobasi, and kubasa are common North American anglicization
s for a type of Eastern Europe
an sausage
. Synonyms include Polish sausage, Ukrainian sausage, etc. In English, these words refer to a particular genre of sausage, common to all Eastern European countries but with substantial regional variations. In the Slavic languages
, these are the generic words for all types of sausage, local or foreign.
In the United States, the form kiełbasa (usually k or k) is more often used and comes from the Polish
kiełbasa kʲewˈbasa "sausage". In New Jersey, Pennsylvania and most areas of Greater New York City, a derivative of the Polish word is used, pronounced k or .
In addition to kiebasa, Canadians also use the word kubasa (k or ˈ), a corruption of the Ukrainian kovbasa , and Alberta
ns even abbreviate it as kubie to refer to the sausage eaten on a hot dog bun
.
is a staple of Polish cuisine
and comes in dozens of varieties, smoked or fresh, made with pork
, beef
, turkey
, horse
, lamb, veal
, or bison
, with every region having its own speciality. Of these, the Kiełbasa Lisiecka, produced in Małopolskie, has, since late 2010, PGI
protection. There are official Polish government guides and classifications of sausages based on size, meat, ready-to-eat or uncooked varieties.
Originally made at home in rural areas, there are a wide variety of recipe
s for kielbasa preparation at home and for holidays. Kielbasa is also one the most traditional foods served at Polish weddings. Popular varieties include:
The most popular kiełbasa is also called "Polska kiełbasa" (for "Polish Sausage") or "Kiełbasa Starowiejska" known as "Old Country Style Sausage". This one comes closest to what is generally known in America as "kiełbasa" (a Polish sausage). Nowadays, many major meat packers across America offer a product called "kiełbasa," usually somewhat different from the original.
In Poland, kiełbasa is often served garnished with fried onions, and – in the form of cut pieces – smoked kiełbasa can be served cold, hot, boiled, baked or grilled. It can be cooked in soups such as biały barszcz
(sour rye soup), kapuśniak (cabbage soup), or grochówka (pea soup), baked or cooked with sauerkraut
, or added to bean dishes, stews (notably bigos
, Polish national dish), and casserole
s. Kiełbasa is also very popular served cold as coldcuts on a platter, usually for an appetizer at traditional Polish parties.
A less widely available variety of kielłbasa is the White Fresh (biała), which is sold uncooked and unsmoked, then usually prepared by boiling, frying or cooking in a soup in place of raw meat. This variety of kiełbasa's taste is similar to mild Italian sausage
, but is a bit leaner.
, "kielbasa" can be bought in most Polish stores all over the USA which may be unsmoked ("fresh") or fully or partly smoked.
Polish sandwich is a sandwich with kielbasa, a pickle spear, sauerkraut
and mustard
on rye bread
.
, where the Slavic cultural presence is particularly strong. The world's largest display model of a Ukrainian sausage is a roadside attraction
in Mundare, Alberta
, the home of Stawnichy's Meat Processing.
"kovbasa" is properly pronounced kowbɑˈsɑ, but in English is usually pronounced ˈ.
(spelled "колбаса", i.e. "kolbasa"), the Czech Republic
(spelled "klobása", or regionally "klobás"), Slovakia
(spelled "klobása") and Slovenia
(spelled "klobása"). In Bosnia and Herzegovina
, Croatia
, Montenegro
, and Serbia
, this sausage is called "kobasica", while in Macedonia it's called "kolbas".
In Iran
, the sausages are referred to as Kalbas (Ka'l-BUS) (Persian: کالباس).
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
s for a type of Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an sausage
Sausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
. Synonyms include Polish sausage, Ukrainian sausage, etc. In English, these words refer to a particular genre of sausage, common to all Eastern European countries but with substantial regional variations. In the Slavic languages
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
, these are the generic words for all types of sausage, local or foreign.
Etymology and usage
The terms entered English simultaneously from different sources, which accounts for the different spellings. Usage varies between cultural groups, but overall there is a distinction between American and Canadian usage.In the United States, the form kiełbasa (usually k or k) is more often used and comes from the Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
kiełbasa kʲewˈbasa "sausage". In New Jersey, Pennsylvania and most areas of Greater New York City, a derivative of the Polish word is used, pronounced k or .
In addition to kiebasa, Canadians also use the word kubasa (k or ˈ), a corruption of the Ukrainian kovbasa , and Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
ns even abbreviate it as kubie to refer to the sausage eaten on a hot dog bun
Hot dog bun
A hot dog bun is a type of soft bun shaped specifically to contain a hot dog. The original purpose of this bun was to make it possible to eat hot dogs without burning ones hands....
.
Poland
SausageSausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
is a staple of Polish cuisine
Polish cuisine
Polish cuisine is a style of cooking and food preparation originating from Poland. It has evolved over the centuries due to historical circumstances. Polish national cuisine shares some similarities with other Central European and Eastern European traditions as well as French and Italian...
and comes in dozens of varieties, smoked or fresh, made with pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
, beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
, turkey
Turkey (bird)
A turkey is a large bird in the genus Meleagris. One species, Meleagris gallopavo, commonly known as the Wild Turkey, is native to the forests of North America. The domestic turkey is a descendant of this species...
, horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
, lamb, veal
Veal
Veal is the meat of young cattle , as opposed to meat from older cattle. Though veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed, most veal comes from male calves of dairy cattle breeds...
, or bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
, with every region having its own speciality. Of these, the Kiełbasa Lisiecka, produced in Małopolskie, has, since late 2010, PGI
Protected Geographical Status
Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...
protection. There are official Polish government guides and classifications of sausages based on size, meat, ready-to-eat or uncooked varieties.
Originally made at home in rural areas, there are a wide variety of recipe
Recipe
A recipe is a set of instructions that describe how to prepare or make something, especially a culinary dish.-Components:Modern culinary recipes normally consist of several components*The name of the dish...
s for kielbasa preparation at home and for holidays. Kielbasa is also one the most traditional foods served at Polish weddings. Popular varieties include:
- kabanosKabanosKabanos is a long thin stick of Polish dry sausage made of pork. They are smoky in flavor, and can be soft or very dry in texture depending on freshness. Typically they are quite long, but very thin, with a diameter of around , and folded in two, giving them a very characteristic appearance...
y, a thin, air-dried sausage flavoured with carawayCarawayCaraway also known as meridian fennel, or Persian cumin is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe and Northern Africa....
seed, originally made of pork - krakowskaKrakowskaKrakowska is a type of Polish sausage , usually served as a cold cut. The name derives from South-East Poland’s city of Kraków . It is made from cuts of lean pork, seasoned with pepper, allspice, coriander, and garlic, packed into large casings, and smoked...
, a thick, straight sausage hot-smoked with pepper and garlic; its name comes from KrakówKrakówKraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life... - wiejska (ˈvʲejska), a large U-shaped porkPorkPork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
and vealVealVeal is the meat of young cattle , as opposed to meat from older cattle. Though veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed, most veal comes from male calves of dairy cattle breeds...
sausage with marjoramMarjoramMarjoram is a somewhat cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours...
and garlicGarlicAllium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
; its name means "rural" or (an adjectivalAdjectivalAdjectival may refer to:* Adjective, a part of speech that modifies a noun or a pronoun* Adjectival noun or sometimes "adjectival", a noun that functions as an adjective, especially in Japanese grammar...
use of) "country", or (adjectivalAdjectivalAdjectival may refer to:* Adjective, a part of speech that modifies a noun or a pronoun* Adjectival noun or sometimes "adjectival", a noun that functions as an adjective, especially in Japanese grammar...
use of) "village". - weselna, "weddingWeddingA wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
" sausage, medium thick, u-shaped smoked sausage; often eaten during parties, but not exclusively
The most popular kiełbasa is also called "Polska kiełbasa" (for "Polish Sausage") or "Kiełbasa Starowiejska" known as "Old Country Style Sausage". This one comes closest to what is generally known in America as "kiełbasa" (a Polish sausage). Nowadays, many major meat packers across America offer a product called "kiełbasa," usually somewhat different from the original.
In Poland, kiełbasa is often served garnished with fried onions, and – in the form of cut pieces – smoked kiełbasa can be served cold, hot, boiled, baked or grilled. It can be cooked in soups such as biały barszcz
Sour rye soup
The sour rye soup is a soup made of soured rye flour and meat . It is specific to Poland, where it is known as żur or żurek, and a variant is known as barszcz biały which is made with wheat flour instead of rye...
(sour rye soup), kapuśniak (cabbage soup), or grochówka (pea soup), baked or cooked with sauerkraut
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut , directly translated from German: "sour cabbage", is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid...
, or added to bean dishes, stews (notably bigos
Bigos
Bigos , known as a Hunter's Stew, is a traditional meat stew typical of Polish, Lithuanian, Belarusians and Ukrainian cuisine, considered to be the Polish and Ukrainian national dish....
, Polish national dish), and casserole
Casserole
A casserole, from the French for "saucepan", is a large, deep dish used both in the oven and as a serving vessel. The word casserole is also used for the food cooked and served in such a vessel, with the cookware itself called a casserole dish or casserole pan...
s. Kiełbasa is also very popular served cold as coldcuts on a platter, usually for an appetizer at traditional Polish parties.
A less widely available variety of kielłbasa is the White Fresh (biała), which is sold uncooked and unsmoked, then usually prepared by boiling, frying or cooking in a soup in place of raw meat. This variety of kiełbasa's taste is similar to mild Italian sausage
Italian sausage
In the United States, Italian sausage most often refers to a style of pork sausage noted for being seasoned with fennel and/or anise as the primary seasoning...
, but is a bit leaner.
United States
In the U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, "kielbasa" can be bought in most Polish stores all over the USA which may be unsmoked ("fresh") or fully or partly smoked.
Polish sandwich is a sandwich with kielbasa, a pickle spear, sauerkraut
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut , directly translated from German: "sour cabbage", is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid...
and mustard
Mustard (condiment)
Mustard is a condiment made from the seeds of a mustard plant...
on rye bread
Rye bread
Rye bread is a type of bread made with various percentages of flour from rye grain. It can be light or dark in color, depending on the type of flour used and the addition of coloring agents, and is typically denser than bread made from wheat flour...
.
Canada
In Canada, varieties typical of Poland, Ukraine, and elsewhere are available in supermarkets, and more specific varieties can be found in specialty shops. This type of sausage is particularly associated with the Prairie ProvincesCanadian Prairies
The Canadian Prairies is a region of Canada, specifically in western Canada, which may correspond to several different definitions, natural or political. Notably, the Prairie provinces or simply the Prairies comprise the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as they are largely covered...
, where the Slavic cultural presence is particularly strong. The world's largest display model of a Ukrainian sausage is a roadside attraction
Roadside attraction
A roadside attraction is a feature along the side of a road, that is frequently advertised with billboards to attract tourists. In general, these are places one might stop on the way to somewhere else, rather than being a final or primary destination in and of themselves. The modern...
in Mundare, Alberta
Mundare, Alberta
Mundare is a small town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located east of Edmonton and west of Vegreville, at the intersection of Highway 15 and Highway 855, north of the Yellowhead Highway...
, the home of Stawnichy's Meat Processing.
Hungary
Kolbász is the Hungarian word for sausage. Hungarian cuisine produces a vast number of types of sausages. The most common smoked Hungarian sausages are Gyulai Kolbász, Csabai Kolbász, Csemege Kolbász, Házi Kolbász, Cserkész Kolbász, lightly smoked, like Debreceni Kolbász (or Debrecener) and Lecsókolbász, a spicy sausage made specifically for serving as part of the dish Lecsó, a vegetable stew with peppers and tomatoes. Hungarian boiled sausages are called "Hurka", Liver Sausage, "Májas", and Blood Sausage, "Véres". The main ingredient is liver and rice, or blood and rice. Spices, pepper, and salt are added.Ukraine
In UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
"kovbasa" is properly pronounced kowbɑˈsɑ, but in English is usually pronounced ˈ.
Elsewhere
Similar sausages are found in other Slavic nations as well, notably RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(spelled "колбаса", i.e. "kolbasa"), the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
(spelled "klobása", or regionally "klobás"), Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
(spelled "klobása") and Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
(spelled "klobása"). In Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
, and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, this sausage is called "kobasica", while in Macedonia it's called "kolbas".
In Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, the sausages are referred to as Kalbas (Ka'l-BUS) (Persian: کالباس).