Sausage is a must for succulent scrambled eggs, lecsó, sandwiches and cold cuts. It is the alpha and omega of Hungarian cuisine, and you can still get good quality at a good price.
For tourists and ourselves too, after a long time in Hungary smoked sausage is what we immediately pull out and evoke Hungarian gastronomy in one bite. Paprika, light, cumin, not too dry, but still very meaty, and actually a little spicy, although not everyone likes that. Smoked dry sausage can be a sure point in our breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
Misconceptions - Which is a good sausage?
It is rare to be able to ask for a sample of the cold cuts or smoked meats of your choice in a shop. Sometimes the butcher at the market will offer you a slice, but this is becoming less and less common. It's better to know what to look at, observe and smell on a sausage when you're shopping. The first misconception among self-proclaimed sausage makers, and also when buying sausages, is that they are looking for the higher the meat content in the product. In this case, this can be a disadvantage above a certain percentage, as sausages are constantly drying, so it's important to have something that will keep it juicy. A high lean meat content will make it increasingly dry and eventually inedible after a few months. A good sausage has a fat content of around 30%, even if we make it ourselves, even if we buy it. It is mostly made from thighs and sometimes loin, then minced by adding lard and finally mixed. It is then put on hot or cold grass to dry. A characteristic of a good dry sausage is that it is not too hard, not too thin and not too dark, black in colour. It has a medium soft, smoky but not pungent smell.
The secret of sausage
It is prepared with a variety of seasonings, but the basic seasoning is always a nice ground red pepper, cumin, pepper and garlic. Without these, you can't get the sausage flavour we know. Some people, however, use a secret spice mix that they have already mixed in, and even use it during a pig slaughter to flavour the sausage. In my research, cayenne pepper, cloves, cinnamon, alcohol, marjoram and nutmeg were among the secret spices that were repeatedly mentioned. The basic spices are to my taste, but it's also worth trying the specialities. The Hungarian for dry, smoked sausages but has no partner. Smoked meat products are made in many parts of the world using a similar process, but none of them reproduce the incredibly intense, unforgettable sausage flavour we know so well.
The sausage trick
Hungarian fairy tales have instilled in us from an early age the indispensability of sausage in the kitchen. We understood early on that smoked sausages could be used for everything. Sliced up, it's ready for a wine tasting or breakfast, and bitten into, it can be a hearty lunch for travel or work. Perfect as a gift, as a reserve in the fridge and in all dishes that aren't sweet: on flatbreads, between potatoes, in eggs, baked, in hot sandwiches and of course in soups. Speaking of soups, the well-known folk tale of Kőleves (Stone Soup) is a testament to this. You can put vegetables, chips, sour cream or just a stir-fry in the soup, and if a piece of smoked sausage is added, the dish will be the real thing.#
