Poland's iconic sausage — a coarsely ground pork sausage heavily seasoned with garlic, marjoram, and black pepper, smoked over hardwood for a deep, earthy flavour; eaten grilled, boiled in bigos stew, or sliced cold; as central to Polish food culture as bratwurst is to German.
Polish sausage tradition
Kielbasa (pronounced kyel-BAH-sah) is the Polish word for sausage — but in Poland, the term refers specifically to the traditional smoked pork variety that has become the national food. Historically made at home from scratch using every part of the pig, kielbasa production was a social event marking celebrations, slaughter season, and holidays. Poland has over 100 classified varieties of kielbasa, each with regional character.
The garlic and smoke
Two flavours define authentic kielbasa: garlic and smoke. Garlic is added generously and distinguishes kielbasa from many Western European sausages. Smoking over hardwood (alder, oak, or cherry) for several hours gives the sausage its characteristic dark colour and earthy, complex flavour. The cold-smoking process also helps preserve the sausage.
Bigos — the hunter’s stew
Kielbasa’s most important culinary context is bigos — Poland’s national dish of slow-braised sauerkraut and fresh cabbage with various meats, including kielbasa. Bigos improves with reheating and is traditionally made in large quantities and eaten over several days. It is the dish Polish emigrants are most nostalgic for.
In North America
Polish immigrants to North America, particularly to Chicago and Pennsylvania, brought kielbasa with them in the 19th and early 20th centuries. American kielbasa is now ubiquitous, sold pre-cooked in supermarkets and grilled at baseball games and summer cookouts across the Midwest.
Find more foods by letter
Kielbasa starts with K and ends with A. Browse other foods along the same letter.
Foods that contain a letter from "Kielbasa":