Polish Sausages

Variety of Polish sausages.

Polish sausages have always displayed a consistent quality. Take for example the finest meat stick in the world, the Kabanosy. This pork sausage has been made the same way for a few hundred years and every person loves it and most people in Poland are familiar with the recipe. Unfortunately, today, kabanosy is made from chicken, turkey, beef, or other meat combinations. Although the communist government was a step back, they did create rigid standards for making meat products and sausages and those standards were stictly enforced. This forced the state run meat industry to produce great products which were the same all over the country. There is probably no other country in the world that has created national standards for making sausages and enforced them for 50 years. The disliked sytem is long gone but it has left behind the legacy of wonderful meat products which are still made and sold in Poland. Although the sausage recipe may remain close to the original, the modern methods of production and chemicals that are used produce products that might look pretty but do not taste the same as before. The only way to experience the taste of those original sausages is to make them yourself at home.

Poles love smoked meat and sausages are not an exception. Polish government archives list hundreds of smoked sausages and ONLY one fresh sausage called White Sausage (Kiełbasa biała surowa) which is traditionally served on Easter. Of course special sausages such as liver, blood or head cheese are usually not smoked. It must be mentioned that we are writing about the golden period of Polish sausage making which lasted until Poland became a member of Common Europe. When the Russian empire broke up and Poland changed from a communist state to a capitalist system in 1989, trade flourished and western countries brought modern meat processing equipment and supplies. Now meat is injected with solutions of water, chemicals like phosphates or curing accelerators and the traditional methods of producing sausages without chemicals has become obsolete. The situation deteriorated further when in 2004 Poland became a member of the European Union. The European Union not only allowed the usage of many chemicals, but forced its member countries to follow newly created standards and procedures. As a result great sausage making countries like Poland or Germany started to produce products as cheaply as possible.

Until around 2000 the manufacturing process of making Polish sausages was relatively simple: the meat was cured, ground, mixed with spices, stuffed, smoked and usually cooked, then briefly cooled in water or sometimes baked in a smokehouse. The baked sausages were cooled in air. Some baked sausages were additionally air dried making them semi-dry or dry sausages. It should be noted that even smoked and cooked sausages will not spoil if kept at temperatures of about 12-15° C (54-59° F). In most apartments people had a designated and isolated pantry or root cellar capable of maintaining such temperatures so food was stored there year-round.

Nowadays there is a large number of commercially produced low quality products such as hot dogs or bologna and more fresh sausages that end up barbecued or grilled. In the past fresh sausages were not in high demand as people did not have refrigerators, besides grills were not available to a common person. What has not changed is the preference for smoked products and a wide assortment of products: fresh sausages, smoked sausages, liver and blood sausages, head cheeses and the list goes on. In addition there is a huge variety of quality products available to consumers that were made in other countries such as France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Hungary and others. Due to short distances among European countries food products are being transported by trucks in a matter of hours.

Most Polish sausages derive their name from:

• the part of Poland where they were once originally made and (you may call it invented) and then became popular all over the country, most likely because they tasted so good and people liked them everywhere: Bydgoska Sausage (Kiełbasa bydgoska), Lithuanian Sausage (Kiełbasa litewska), Krakowska Sausage (Kiełbasa krakowska), Pomerania Head Cheese (Salceson pomorski).
• the name of the meat part or other ingredient that plays a dominant role in the recipe- Pork Sausage, Beef Sausage, Bacon Sausage, Garlic Sausage, Juniper Sausage, Liver sausage with Semolina and so on.

This naming convention is practiced by other European countries such as Germany, Russia, England and more and a person familiar with a particular language immediately knows what kind of sausage he is dealing with.

Polish sausages can be classified as:

• long life (trwałe), less than 35% water - dry and semi-dry sausages - cold smoked, not cooked but ready to eat, Metka (Metka), Polish Smoked Sausage (Cold Smoked) (Polska Kiełbasa Wędzona, zimnym dymem)
• semi - life (półtrwałe), less than 60% water - dry and semi-dry sausages-smoked and cooked (baked or poached), Kabanosy (Kabanosy), Mysliwska Sausage (Myśliwska)
• short life (nietrwałe), 60-75% water) - regular smoked sausages, smoked and poached in water, Ham Sausage (Kiełbasa Szynkowa), Garlic Sausage (Kiełbasa Czosnkowa)
• emulsified sausages (and smoked) -like our hot dogs or bologna, Serdelowa Sausage, Bacon Sausage
• fresh sausages-not smoked, need to be cooked before consumption, White Sausage
• Fresh, emulsified and special group sausages belong to short-life sausages.

Then each sausage, including special group sausages, is further broken down by the permissible amount (in percent) of protein, fat, salt and water it can contain. We are not going to study Polish sausages in such a detail as this is not a meat technology book and it may create unnecessary confusion.

There is also a special group of sausages:

• head cheeses
• liver sausages
• liver pate sausages
• blood sausages

Pate, liver and blood sausages are commonly known as kiszka sausages. Sausages in the special group are made from less noble parts of the animal: organ meat (liver, heart, lung, brain, spleen, tripe, casings, jowls, dewlap, skins, snouts and blood). When you see the word kiszka in the name it signifies the fact that organ meats and/or blood were used as materials. Our beloved hot dogs, bologna or its American version known as boloney are made from such meats. The special group of sausages are fully cooked (boiled) sausages which are normally not smoked. However, at your discretion liver sausages can be cold smoked for this characteristic smoky flavor. Some head cheeses were also smoked to extend their keeping qualities.

Fermented Sausages

Fermented sausages of an Italian non-smoked dry salami or Spanish dry chorizo were not popular in Poland as a cold climate did not offer proper drying conditions. However, some sausages were never cooked but cold smoked for a long time, for example Polish Cold Smoked Sausage, Bydgoska Sausage and Kindziuk. This qualifies them to be called salami although they were called by a different name. The manufacturing technology was, however, the same. The drying was simply performed with cold smoke.

The following Polish sausage recipes come from the official Polish Government Archives and are listed in our Sausage Recipes Index:

All Beef Sausage-Polish (Kielbasa wolowa krajana, pieczona) - cooked, smoked
All Trimmings Head Cheese (Salceson podrobowy) - cooked, head cheese
Bacon Sausage (Kielbasa boczkowa) - cooked, smoked
Baltycka (Kielbasa baltycka) - cooked, smoked
Beef Ham Sausage (Kielbasa szynkowa wolowa) - cooked, smoked
Beer Sausage (Kielbasa piwna) - cooked, smoked
Beer Sausage with Goose (Kielbasa piwna z gesina, parzona podsuszana) - cooked, smoked
Belzka (Kielbasa belzka, parzona podsuszana) - cooked, smoked
Bialostocka (Kielbasa bialostocka, parzona podsuszana) - cooked, smoked
Bialostocka with Goose Fat (Kielbasa bialostocka, parzona podsuszana z gesim tluszczem) - cooked, smoked
Bielska (Kielbasa bielska) - cooked, smoked, semi-dry
Bieszczadzka (Kielbasa bieszczadzka parzona) - cooked, smoked
Black Head Cheese (Salceson czarny) - cooked, head cheese
Blood Sausage with Bread Crumbs (Kiszka bulczana krwista) - cooked, blood sausage
Blood Sausage Supreme (Kiszka kaszana wyborowa) - cooked, blood sausage
Blood Sausage with Rice (Kiszka krwista z ryzem) - cooked, blood sausage
Bologna-Polish (Polska bologna) - cooked, smoked
Brain Sausage (Kiszka mozgowa) - cooked
Brunszwicki Head Cheese (Salceson brunszwicki) - cooked, head cheese
Bydgoska (Kielbasa bydgoska) - cooked, smoked
Bydgoska-Dry (Kielbasa bydgoska surowa) - fermented, dry
Bytomska (Kielbasa bytomska) - cooked, smoked
Camp Sausage (Kielbasa wczasowa pieczona) - cooked, smoked
Caraway Sausage (Kielbasa kminkowa) - cooked, smoked
Debowiecka (Kielbasa debowiecka) - cooked, smoked, semi-dry
Frankfurters - Smoked (Frankfurterki wedzone) - fermented, cold smoked
Garlic Sausage (Kielbasa czosnkowa) - cooked, smoked
Glogovska (Kielbasa glogowksa) - cooked, smoked
Gniezno Sausage (Kielbasa gnieznienska) - cooked, smoked
Ham Sausage-Polish (Kielbasa szynkowa) - cooked, smoked
Hungarian Smoked Sausage (Kielbasa wegierska wedzona) - fermented, dry
Mysliwska - Hunter's Sausage (Kielbasa mysliwska) - cooked, smoked
Husarska (Kielbasa husarska) - cooked, smoked
Hutnicka (Kielbasa hutnicka parzona podsuszana) - cooked, smoked
Italian Head Cheese (Salceson wloski) - cooked, head cheese
Jowl Sausage (Kiszka podgardlana) - cooked
Juniper Sausage (Kielbasa jalowcowa) - cooked, smoked
Kabanosy (Kabanosy) - cooked, smoked
Knyszynska (Kielbasa knyszynska) - cooked, smoked
Kolska (Kielbasa kolska) - cooked, smoked
Krakowska (Kielbasa krakowska) - cooked, smoked
Krakowska Cut Sausage (Kielbasa krakowska krajana) - cooked, smoked
Krakowska Dry Sausage (Kielbasa krakowska trwala) - cooked, smoked, dry
Krolewiecka (Kielbasa krolewiecka parzona) - cooked, smoked
Kujawska (Kielbasa kujawska parzona podsuszana) - cooked, smoked
Lemon Sausage (Kielbasa cytrynowa) - cooked, smoked
Limanowska (Kielbasa limanowska) - cooked, smoked
Lithuanian Sausage (Kielbasa litewska) - cooked, smoked
Liver Pate Sausage (Kiszka pasztetowa) - cooked, liver sausage
Liver Pate Sausage with Semolina (Kiszka pasztetowa z manna) - cooked, liver sausage
Liver Sausage-Polish (Kiszka watrobiana) - cooked, liver sausage
Liver Sausage with Jowls (Kiszka podgardlana) - cooked, liver sausage
Lodzka Blood Sausage (Kiszka lodzka) - cooked, blood sausage
Loin Sausage (Kielbasa poledwicowa pieczona) - cooked, smoked
Lubuska (Kielbasa lubuska) - cooked, smoked
Mazovia Head Cheese (Salceson Mazowiecki) - cooked, head cheese
Metka (Metka) - uncooked, fermented, smoked, spreadable
Metka Brunszwicka (Metka brunszwicka) - uncooked, fermented, cold smoked, spreadable
Metka Pomorska (Metka pomorska) - uncooked, fermented, cold smoked, spreadable
Metka Sausage-Salmon Style (Metka lososiowa) - uncooked, fermented, cold smoked, spreadable
Mortadella-Polish (Mortadela) - cooked, smoked
Mortadella-Veal (Mortadela cieleca) - cooked, smoked
Obornicka Liver Sausage (Kiszka Watrobiana Obornicka) - cooked, liver sausage
Olawska (Kielbasa olawska) - cooked, smoked
Opolska (Kielbasa opolska) - cooked, smoked
Ordinary Sausage (Kielbasa zwyczajna) - cooked, smoked
Podhalanska Sausage (Kielbasa podhalanska) - cooked, smoked
Podkarpacka (Kielbasa podkarpacka pieczxona poltrwala) - cooked, smoked
Podlaska (Kielbasa podlaska) - cooked, smoked
Polish Delicatessen Sausage (Kielbasa delikatescowa) - fermented, dry
Polish Sausage-Cold Smoked (Polska kielbasa wedzona) - fermented, cold smoked
Polish Sausage-Hot Smoked (Polska kielbasa wedzona) - cooked, smoked
Pomerania Black Head Cheese (Salceson czarny pomorski) - cooked, head cheese
Popular Blood Sausage (Kiszka kaszana popularna) - cooked, blood sausage
Ring Sausage (Kielbasa wiankowa) - cooked, smoked
Rural Sausage (Kielbasa wiejska) - cooked, smoked
Rzeszowska (Kielbasa rzeszowska) - cooked, smoked
Salami Polish-Traditional (Polskie salami) - fermented, cold smoked
Salmon Sausage (Kielbasa lososiowa) - fermented, cold smoked
Sausage Links (Kielbaski porcjowe) - cooked, smoked
Serdelki (Serdelki) - cooked, smoked
Serdelowa Sausage (Kielbasa serdelowa) - cooked, smoked
Serdelowa with Veal (Kielbasa serdelowa cieleca) - cooked, smoked
Servolatka (Serwolatka pieczona) - cooked, smoked
Servolatka (Serwolatka miekka) - fermented, cold smoked
Silesian Sausage (Kielbasa slaska) - cooked, smoked
Silesian Head Cheese (Salceson slaski) - cooked, head cheese
Silesian Krupnioki (Krupnioki silaskie) - cooked, blood sausage
Simple Blood Sausage (Kiszka krwista zwyczajna) - cooked, blood sausage
Sluzewiecka (Kielbasa sluzewiecka parzona) - cooked, smoked
Starowiejska (Kielbasa starowiejska) - cooked, smoked
Steamed Sausage (Kielbasa parowkowa) - cooked
Steamed Sausage Links (Parowki) - cooked, smoked
Suvalska (Kielbasa suwalska) - cooked, smoked
Tarnogorska Sausage (Kielbasa tarnogorska parzona podsuszana) - cooked, smoked
Tarnovska Sausage (Kielbasa cieleca tarnowska pieczona) - cooked, smoked
Tomaszovska Sausage (Kielbasa tomaszowska) - cooked, smoked
Tongue Head Cheese (Salceson ozorkowy) - cooked, head cheese
Torunska (Kielbasa torunska parzona podsuszana) - cooked, smoked
Tourist Sausage-Polish (Kielbasa turystyczna pieczona) - cooked, smoked
Tuchowska Sausage (Kielbasa tuchowska) - cooked, smoked
Ukrainian Sausage (Kielbasa ukrainska) - cooked, smoked
Vavelska (Kielbasa wawelska) - cooked, smoked
Warsaw Sausage (Kielbasa warszawska) - cooked, smoked
Supreme White Head Cheese (Salceson bialy wyborowy) - cooked, head cheese
White Sausage (Kielbasa biala surowa) - fresh
Wolsztynski Head Cheese (Salceson wolsztynski) - cooked, head cheese
Zulavska Sausage (Kielbasa zulawska pieczona) - cooked, smoked
Zyviecka Sausage (Kielbasa Zywiecka) - cooked, smoked

Other Polish Sausages, not from the official government archives

Finger Sausage (Palcowka) - cooked, smoked
Kindziuk (Kindziuk) - fermented, cold smoked
Polish White Liver Sausage (Biala kiszka pasztetowa) - cooked, liver sausage
Rural Head Cheese (Salcescon wiejski) - cooked, head cheese
Salami-Polish with Culture (Polskie salami with culture) - fermented, cold smoked

We would like to mention the fact that it is possible to make different types of a particular sausage not changing its original recipe but employing different manufacturing techniques. And the same sausage will have a different texture, will have a different degree of saltiness and will have different degree of preservation qualities. White Sausage and Polish Smoked Sausage (cold or hot smoked) are made up of the same ingredients but are different products. Smoked variety is cured and has nitrite added, all the rest remains the same. In everyday life people will simply drop the noun Kielbasa altogether and will ask in a store for: Szynkowa, Wiejska, Serdelowa, Krakowska, Mysliwska etc. This is all that is needed as everybody is pretty much familiar with those names hearing them around from childhood. The word kielbasa (a sausage) has a little meaning if you do not follow it with the proper name of the sausage.

The Official Classification of Polish Sausages

Polish sausage classification sounds very technical and is somewhat confusing. It divides sausages by the size of the minced meat. You may say that the the size of the grinder plate establishes sausage type:

Variety of Polish sausages.

• homogenized
• finely minced - meat particles below 5 mm (3/16")
• finely minced uncooked
• finely minced "wysokowydajne" - gain of the finished sausage is more than 135 % in relation to the original meat weight
• medium minced - meat particles between 5-20 mm (3/16 - 3/4")
• medium minced uncooked
• medium minced "wysokowydajne" - gain of the finished sausage is more than 120 % in relation to the original meat weight
• medium minced semi-dry
• coarse minced - meat particles over 20 mm (over 3/4")
• coarse minced uncooked
• coarse minced
• coarse minced high yield - gain of the finished sausage is more than 115 % in relation to the original meat weight.
• coarse minced dry

Note to produce a high yield sausage ("wysokowydajna") which weighs much more the original weight of meat used requires the addition of water and chemicals that will hold this water inside. Note that there is no upper limit.

Almost all sausages that will belong to one of the above groups will be called by its general name Kielbasa and will be followed by its proper name, for example: Kielbasa Szynkowa, Kielbasa Wiejska, Kielbasa Serdelowa, Kielbasa Krakowska, Kielbasa Mysliwska etc.

The Official List of Polish Sausages

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The Practical Guide to Making Salami is a companion book to The Art of Making Fermented Sausages, published in 2008. Since then, more information has become available; safety standards have been updated and tightened, new cultures have appeared, and getting supplies and newer equipment online has become more accessible. The most relevant theory has been transferred from The Art of Making Fermented Sausages. Still, The Practical Guide to Making Salami includes plenty of new materials such as fermented spreadable sausages, acidified sausages, or combining acidulants with natural fermentation. The recipes section has been expanded and includes 264 selected recipes from different countries so the reader can immediately produce sausages.