Kolbász

Hungarian sausage. The smoked sausages may contain bacon, ground pork, beef, boar or lamb, paprika, salt, garlic, black pepper, allspice, white pepper, caraway, nutmeg, zest, marjoram, cayenne pepper, sugar, white wine or cognac. 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. Fresh sausages may have additional ingredients like liver, mushroom, bread, rice, lemon juice, eggs, cream or milk. The unsmoked sausages are typically roasted with sauerkraut or red or green cabbage, and served with mashed potatoes.

The best known and most popular versions are:

"Csabai" - sausage. The Csabai kolbász is made in the town Békéscsaba. There are several variations in size and type, but it is a spicy sausage with a lot of paprika.

"Gyulai" - sausage is a different sausage, using different spices. It is named after the Hungarian town of Gyula. At the World Exhibition of Food in Brussel 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 and Potato/Egg Casserole (Rakott Krumpli).

"Debreceni Sausage" is usually unsmoked or more mildly smoked, with a strong paprika flavour and used for cooking.

Recipes

 * Homemade Kolbász