
Hungarian sausages are
sausages
A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with Edible salt, salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs, may be included as fillers or ex ...
found in the
cuisine of Hungary. Hungary produces a vast number of sui
sausage types. They may be boiled, fresh or dried, and smoked, with different spices and flavors, "hot" or "mild". Many were influenced by their neighbors and brethren.
These sausages may be eaten like a cold cut or used in a main course.
Hungarian cuisine
Hungarian or Magyar cuisine (Hungarian language, Hungarian: ''Magyar konyha'') is the cuisine characteristic of the nation of Hungary, and its primary ethnic group, the Hungarians, Magyars. Hungarian cuisine has been described as being the P ...
uses these different types of sausages in many ways such as in stews, soups, potato stews like "
paprikás krumpli" (paprika-based stew with spicy sausage and potatoes), bean soups like
Jókai bableves, some goulash soup variations, pastry dishes, or even in salads.
The smoked sausages may contain bacon, ground pork, beef, boar or lamb,
paprika
Paprika is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers, traditionally ''capsicum annuum''. It can have varying levels of Pungency, heat, but the peppers used for hot paprika tend to be milder and have thinner flesh than those used to produce ...
, salt,
garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...
,
black pepper
Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diameter ...
, allspice, white pepper,
caraway
Caraway, also known as meridian fennel and Persian cumin (''Carum carvi''), is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe, and North Africa.
Etymology
The etymology of "caraway" is unclear. Caraway has been ...
,
nutmeg
Nutmeg is the seed, or the ground spice derived from the seed, of several tree species of the genus '' Myristica''; fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg ('' M. fragrans'') is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fru ...
, zest, marjoram, cayenne pepper, sugar, white wine or
cognac
Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the Communes of France, commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the Departments of France, departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime.
Cogn ...
. Sausages may have additional ingredients like liver, mushroom, bread, rice, lemon juice, eggs, cream or milk.
The meat is coarsely ground and salted. If garlic is added, it is mashed in water to produce a slurry and added to the meat along with spices. The sausage is then stuffed into natural casings in 1-foot links - usually using the small intestine of the pig. This traditionally took place outside on the fall day when a pig was slaughtered. The sausage is then hung overnight to allow the flavors to meld and some of the grease to drip out. It is now ready to be used fresh and unsmoked. The unsmoked sausages are typically roasted with sauerkraut or red or green cabbage, and served with mashed potatoes.
The dry sausages are cold smoked and hung to cure before consumption.
Cooked sausages
Kolbász
''Kolbász'' () is a traditional Hungarian smoked sausage seasoned with
paprika
Paprika is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers, traditionally ''capsicum annuum''. It can have varying levels of Pungency, heat, but the peppers used for hot paprika tend to be milder and have thinner flesh than those used to produce ...
. The best known and most popular versions are:
*''Gyulai'' sausage is named after the Hungarian town of
Gyula, and has
PGI protection. It is slow cooked while being beech wood smoked. It is made from pork, '
szalonna' (Hungarian bacon fat), garlic, pepper, caraway, and a Hungarian red
paprika
Paprika is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers, traditionally ''capsicum annuum''. It can have varying levels of Pungency, heat, but the peppers used for hot paprika tend to be milder and have thinner flesh than those used to produce ...
. At the World Exhibition of Food in Brussels 1935, the Gyulai kolbász was awarded a gold diploma. The sausage may be cut into thin slices and eaten alone or with bread. They are also added to many Hungarian dishes including
lecsó
Lecsó ( , ; Czech and ; ; ; ; , ), also anglicized as lecho, is a Hungarian thick vegetable ragout or stew which traditionally contains yellow pointed peppers, tomato, onion, salt, and ground sweet and/or hot paprika as a base recipe. The o ...
and potato/egg casserole (rakott krumpli).
*''Csabai'' sausage is made in the town
Békéscsaba
Békéscsaba (; ; see also #Name, other alternative names) is a city with county rights in southeast Hungary, the capital of Békés County.
Geography
Békéscsaba is located in the Great Hungarian Plain, southeast from Budapest. Highway 44, 47 ...
, and also has
Protected Geographical Status
Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG), promote and protect na ...
(PGI) protection. It is similar to Gyulai, but somewhat spicier. There are several variations in size and type, but it is a spicy sausage with a lot of paprika.
*''Csemege kolbász'' is an mildly spiced cooked smoked sausage
*''Cserkész kolbász'' is a cooked smoked sausage made from beef and pork.
*''
Debreceni kolbász'' is usually unsmoked or more mildly smoked, with a strong paprika flavour and used for cooking.
*''Lecsókolbász'', a spicy cooked smoked sausage made specifically for serving as part of the dish
lecsó
Lecsó ( , ; Czech and ; ; ; ; , ), also anglicized as lecho, is a Hungarian thick vegetable ragout or stew which traditionally contains yellow pointed peppers, tomato, onion, salt, and ground sweet and/or hot paprika as a base recipe. The o ...
,
[page 100] a vegetable stew with peppers and tomatoes.
Hurka
''Hurka'' () are boiled sausages that come in two main types "májas" (liver sausage), and "véres" (
blood sausage
A blood sausage is a sausage filled with blood that is cooked or dried and mixed with a filler until it is thick enough to solidify when cooled. Most commonly, the blood of pigs, sheep, lamb, cow, chicken, or goose is used.
In Europe and the ...
). The main ingredient is liver and rice, or blood and rice. Spices, pepper and salt are added.
Other cooked sausages
*''Virsli'' (), a
hot dog
A hot dog is a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term ''hot dog'' can also refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a frankfurter ( Frankfurter Würs ...
–like long and thin sausage, consumed boiled with bread and mustard.
*''Párizsi '' (, Parizer or Paris sausage), is a much larger, thicker version of virsli. It is very similar to the
Bologna
Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
.
Uncooked sausages
Szalámi
Hungary's most famous
salami
Salami ( ; : ''salame'') is a ''salume'' consisting of fermented and air-dried meat, typically pork. Historically, salami was popular among Southern, Eastern, and Central European peasants because it can be stored at room temperature fo ...
is téliszalámi (
winter salami
Winter salami () is a type of Hungarian salami produced according to a centuries-old tradition. Made from Mangalitsa pork and spices ( white pepper, allspice, and others), winter salami is cured in cold air and smoked slowly. During the dry ri ...
).
See also
*
List of dried foods
This is a list of dried foods. Food drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from the food, which inhibits the growth of bacteria and has been practiced worldwide since ancient times to preserve food. Where or when d ...
*
List of smoked foods
This is a list of smoked foods. Smoking (cooking), Smoking is the process of seasoning, flavoring, cooking, or food preservation, preserving food by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering material, most often wood. Foods have been smoke ...
References
Csabai Kolbász
External links
Hungarian sausage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hungarian Sausages
Dried meat
Smoked meat