Food is amazing and plays a huge part in the culture of every single country. In the United States alone, certain food items are associated with certain states. For the country of Poland, their most popular food is easily kielbasa. It’s a sausage made with meat that’s always of the highest quality.
What Is Kielbasa?
This tasty, filling Polish sausage is made of pork meat in the traditional sense. There are also other types available in Poland: kielbasa made with chicken and other poultry. Kielbasa can also be made of fish. Vegans and the like, on the other hand, can enjoy kielbasa made with tofu.
Popular Polish sausages include, but are not limited to:
- zwyczajna – Kielbasa in its most basic form and extremely affordable. It’s typically brownish or orange in color.
- wiejska – Kielbasa that’s smoked. It’s typically dark brown in color.
- biala kielbasa – Kielbasa that is not smoked. This is why its color is usually white. It’s commonly served during Easter.
- parowki – Kielbasa that’s typically known as Vienna sausage. Commonly found in Polish hotels and hostels as a breakfast staple.
- serdelki – Kielbasa that’s essentially a thicker version of parowki. It’s typically made of veal and pork.
- kabanosy – Kielbasa that’s long, thin, and smoked. It’s typically dark brown in color, always cold.
- kaszanka – Kielbasa also known as kiszka. Basically the Polish blood sausage)
- krakowska sucha – Kielbasa made of ground meat that’s very thick. It’s typically sliced very thinly and commonly served on sandwiches.
There Are Many Ways of Cooking Kielbasa
A good starting point is to remember that almost every single kielbasa out there doesn’t need to be cooked. It can all be eaten cold with no issues, with the exception of raw, white Polish kielbasa. It can then be sliced and used in a sandwich. Another way of doing it is, much like an American hot dog, to dip it in ketchup and bite into it directly.
That said, kielbasa is much better when it’s warm.
This is one of the most common ways of cooking Polish sausage. Keep these in mind:
- Let it boil for 10 minutes.
- Keep it in hot water for at least five minutes.
- Serve with bread, ketchup, and mustard.
This is generally cooked and eaten around the warmer months of May to October. Keep these in mind:
- Grill for at least five and at most 15 minutes per side.
- Don’t let the skin get dark. Within a minute or two, the temperature might become too high.
- Serve when crispy and dark brown.
This way of cooking is ideal when add-ons like mushrooms, onions, and kapusta kiszona (sauerkraut) are present. Keep these in mind:
- Fry for at least five and at most 10 minutes per side.
- Keep heat a medium.
- Serve as desired, ideally as dinner meat with mashed potatoes, salad, and bread.
Conclusion
Kielbasa is a very popular Polish sausage made with high-quality meat. Well-known types include parowki, zwyczajna, and kabanosy. It’s best cooked through boiling, grilling, or pan-frying.
Looking for Polish dogs and hot dogs near Valparaiso, IN? Check out George’s Gyros Spot today! We have Chicago dogs, cheeseburgers, Italian beef, gyros, and, yes, Polish dogs too.