Petrovački kulen is a traditional Serbian sausage originating from Bački Petrovac, hence the name. The sausage is made from pork, and the only additions include hot paprika and salt. However, some producers still use garlic and cumin in the production process.
A whole pig is commonly used to produce Petrovački kulen, usually with a ratio of 80% meat to 20% back fat. This meat product has a strong Slovakian culinary influence because they moved to Petrovac in the late 18th century. It's recommended to serve this spicy sausage sliced and paired with homemade bread and local cheese.
Slavonski kulen is the best-known delicacy of eastern Croatian cuisine. It is a cured sausage made from prime cuts of pork combined with carefully selected spices including red paprika and garlic. Kulen has a strong smoky flavor with the aromas of paprika and pepper.
Slavonian type of kulen must be produced using the meat of pigs that have been raised in Slavonia. Only the premium cuts of pork are used in the making of this sausage and every step of the production process is kept separated from that of all other sausages.
VARIATIONS OF Slavonski kulen
Baranjski kulen is a premium cured meat sausage made from the best cuts of pork meat combined with salt, hot and mild red paprika, and garlic. Kulen has been traditionally produced in the northeastern part of Croatia for generations and is known for its unique spicy and smoky flavor.
This type of kulen may (but need not) be produced using pork meat and fat from pigs that have been raised in Baranja. The kulen matures for at least nine months, during which it gets smoked and dried. Sometimes, to make it even more dry, kulen sausages mature covered in ashes.
Csabai kolbász or Csabai vastagkolbász is a cylindrical sausage made with pork from pigs that have been fattened to a minimum weight of 135 kg. What makes this sausage unique is the manual boning method during the production, where all of the sinews are removed, thus ensuring the best quality of the meat.
The pork meat and fat are minced, then combined with paprika, garlic, caraway, and salt and filled into casings, after which the sausage is smoked, cured, and dried. It slices easily and has a hot, smoky and spicy flavor (due to the paprika and the smoke treatment).
Known as sujuk to the rest of the world, afyon sucuġu is a dry-fermented, spicy sausage, traditionally produced in Afyonkarahisar, a Turkish province nestled inland from the Aegean Sea coast. Sucuġu is a halāl-certified product consisting of ground beef that's typically flavored and seasoned with cumin, sumac, garlic, salt, pepper, red paprika, and (often) thyme.
To start your day with a proper Turkish breakfast, Afyon sucuġu should be simply fried with eggs and accompanied by a hot cup of black tea, but it can also be cooked with haricot beans or enjoyed in a Turkey-style grilled sandwich called sucuġu ekmek.
Pirotska peglana kobasica or Pirot ironed sausage is made with the meat of older animals such as sheep, goats, and donkeys. Beef is also commonly used, and while the ratio of different types of meat has never been strictly defined, pork is never used.
The sausage is flavored with a combination of different spices, and even though they are a secret of every individual producer, it is known that garlic and crushed pepper are frequently used, because this sausage should be hot, or at least slightly spicy.
Beja paio sausage is a smoked meat product made from pork of the Alentejo breed of pigs. Roughly 70-90% of the sausage consists of lean meat, while the remaining 10-30% is fat. The pork meat and fat are diced and mixed with water, garlic, paprika, and salt before being stuffed into sausage casings.
The smoking process lasts for several days, and is carried out at a low temperature using local oak wood. Paio has a firm consistency and a pleasant, delicate flavor that is savory and slightly spicy. Served with bread, this sausage is a traditional meal that is brought to the fields by local farmers during the harvest.
This Italian delicacy from Spilinga, Calabria is a cured, chili-spiced pork salami that has a texture similar to that of a pâté. It is usually bound with string in a section of pork intestine. There are numerous ways to enjoy nduja - spread on grilled, roasted, or seared meat and fish, or added to pasta sauces and egg-based dishes.
The most popular way to consume nduja, however, is to spread it on grilled or toasted bread and enjoy it with fresh ricotta or burrata cheese.
Ventricina is a renowned Italian cured sausage, produced in the regions of Abruzzo and Molise. There are two main, significantly different varieties of this Italian delicacy produced in Abruzzo. Ventricina del Vastese is a hard, cured sausage made with coarsely chopped lean pork, garlic, sweet and spicy pepper, black pepper, and wild fennel seeds - it is usually enjoyed thickly sliced and paired with crusty bread.
On the other hand, ventricina Teramana is a soft, spreadable variety made with fattier parts of pork, lard, garlic, rosemary, fennel seeds, peperoncini, orange zest, and salt. It is best enjoyed spread over slices of homemade bread and paired with a glass of local red wine.
VARIATIONS OF Ventricina
Made in accordance with a recipe more than a 100 years old, salam de Sibiu is a type of cured, smoked pork sausage produced in the Romanian province of Sibiu. It is made with coarsely ground bacon and carefully selected pork cuts such as fillet and haunch, flavored with a traditional selection of spices, including salt, pepper, and garlic.
Sibiu salami must be matured for at least 90 days, until it reaches the desired flavor qualities and develops a distinctive white covering from the Penicillium Nalgiovensis noble mold. The salami exudes a unique aroma of smokiness with delicate garlicky notes.
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