Doctor's Sausage
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Doctor's sausage () is a popular variety of emulsified boiled sausage in
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
and the former Soviet republics, corresponding to
GOST GOST () refers to a set of international technical standards maintained by the Euro-Asian Council for Standardization, Metrology and Certification (EASC), a regional standards organization operating under the auspices of the Commonwealth of I ...
standard 23670-79, similar in size to
bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
,
mortadella Mortadella () is a large made of finely hashed or ground cured pork, which incorporates at least 15% small cubes of pork fat (principally the hard fat from the neck of the pig). It is traditionally flavoured with Black pepper, peppercorns, bu ...
or Jagdwurst but much lower in fat. It is considered a diet product, with pale pink color and low fat content. In accordance with the legislation of the
Eurasian Economic Union The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU or EEU)EAEU is the acronym used on thorganisation's website However, many media outlets use the acronym EEU. is an economic union of five post-Soviet states located in Eurasia. The EAEU has an integrated single ...
, no meat products may be released using names that are similar to the names of meat products established by interstate (regional) standards, with the exception of meat products manufactured according to these standards. In the technical regulations, as an example of such a name, "Doctor's sausage" (along with some others) is given.


History

This sausage was first produced in 1936, after the All-Russian Research Institute of the Meat Industry developed a recipe for sausage and the technology for its production. Its first production run was carried out at the Moscow Meat Processing Plant named after Anastas Mikoyan. The sausage was intended to be a dietary supplement for people exhibiting signs of prolonged
starvation Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy intake, below the level needed to maintain an organism's life. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, de ...
(specifically "patients with compromised health as a result of the
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
"), hence its name. Because it was a mild-tasting, inexpensive and relatively healthy source of meat, Doctor's Sausage became very popular in the USSR. It is still produced today in Russia and many post-Soviet states.Sorokina, Anna
"Why the Soviets' favorite bologna was called 'doctor's sausage'"
''Russia Beyond,'' 3 November 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2020.


Recipe

The exact recipe for Doctor's Sausage, which was used as an industry standard from 1936 to 1974: * 15 kg beef * 25 kg fatty pork * 60 kg lean pork * 2.5 kg salt * 30 grams
potassium nitrate Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with a sharp, salty, bitter taste and the chemical formula . It is a potassium salt of nitric acid. This salt consists of potassium cations and nitrate anions , and is therefore an alkali metal nit ...
or 3 grams
sodium nitrite Sodium nitrite is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a white to slightly yellowish crystalline powder that is very soluble in water and is hygroscopic. From an industrial perspective, it is the most important nitrite sa ...
* 100 grams sugar * 30 grams
cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genus (biology), genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indon ...
or
nutmeg Nutmeg is the seed, or the ground spice derived from the seed, of several tree species of the genus '' Myristica''; fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg ('' M. fragrans'') is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fru ...
"ГОСТ 3324-46 Колбасы вареные," page 4
''All-Union Committee on Standards of the Council of Ministers of the USSR'' 1947. Retrieved 22 August 2023.


Later changes

Starting in 1974, due to food shortages and other economic downturns in the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, the industry standard for Doctor's Sausage was altered to include fillers and other low-cost ingredients to stretch the meat. The alteration of the Doctor's Sausage recipe is sometimes cited as one of the events presaging the eventual downfall of the Soviet Union."Kolbasa – The Food Symbol of The USSR."
''Understanding Russia,'' 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2023.


References

{{reflist Sausages Russian cuisine Soviet cuisine Food and drink in the Soviet Union