Kielbasa

File:Hormel Kielbasa.jpg

Wiejska kielbasa

Various brands of kielbasa

Kielbasa (in English usually pronounced /kiːlˈbɑːsə/ or /kɪlˈbɑ:sə/; in Polish spelled kiełbasa and pronounced [kʲewˈbasa] listen) is the generic Polish word for sausage.

Sausage is a staple of Polish cuisine, and comes in dozens of varieties, smoked or fresh, but almost always based on pork (although in some areas, it is possible to get it in beef, horse, lamb, turkey, or even bison). Every region has its own speciality. Popular types include kabanosy (thin, air dried sausage flavoured with caraway seed), krakowska (a thick, straight sausage hot smoked with pepper and garlic - name comes from Krakow), and wiejska (a large U-shaped pork and veal sausage with marjoram and garlic - name meaning "a country one", pronounced in Polish /ˈvʲejska/). In the U.S., "kielbasa" or "Polish sausage" almost always means some form of wiejska (although often not U-shaped and seldom containing veal), which may be fully- or part-smoked or unsmoked.

A wiejska recipe can be found at the Wikimedia Cookbook.

Trivia

• The world's largest Kielbasa is located in Mundare, Alberta.
• 'Kielbasa' is also the name of a song by Tenacious D. It contains sexual connotations, likening Kielbasa sausage to an edible phallus.
• 'Kielbasa Posse' is a song by rapper Righteous B, who is Polish.