The Carniolan sausage ( sl, kranjska klobasa; en-AU, Kransky, german: Krainer Wurst, Italian dialect of Trieste: ''luganighe de Cragno'') is a

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

n sausage similar to what is known as kielbasa or Polish sausage in North America. The noun ''klobasa'' refers to a small sausage generally served whole (in contrast to ''salama'') in Slovene. The adjective ''kranjska'' derives from the region of Carniola (''Kranjska'' in Slovene, ''Krain'' in German), which used to be a duchy of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...

. The earliest mention of the Carniolan sausage in German is found in Katharina Prato's renowned cookbook ''Süddeutsche Küche'' (South German Cooking, 1896, first edition 1858). The Slovene term ''kranjska klobasa'' was first mentioned in the sixth edition of ''Slovenska kuharica'' (Slovene Cookbook) by Felicita Kalinšek in 1912. The Carniolan sausage contains at least 75 to 80%

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

(aside from bacon) and at most 20% bacon. It may contain as much as 5% water, the

sea salt Sea salt is salt that is produced by the evaporation of seawater. It is used as a seasoning in foods, cooking, cosmetics and for preserving food. It is also called bay salt, solar salt, or simply salt. Like mined rock salt, production of sea sa ...

from Sečovlje salt pans, little garlic,

saltpetre Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . This alkali metal nitrate salt is also known as Indian saltpetre (large deposits of which were historically mined in India). It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitra ...

and

black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in dia ...

. No other ingredients are permitted. The meat must be cut in small pieces 10 to 13 mm and bacon 8 to 10 mm. The filling is stuffed into pork intestine with a diameter of 32 to 36 mm. They are formed in pairs of lengths and a weight of 180 to 220 grams. Pairs are linked together with a wooden skewer. The sausages are hot smoked and heat-cured at about .

Variations and preparation

The '' Käsekrainer'' is a variation of this sausage made with small chunks of cheese – it contains 10% to 20% cheese (e.g., Emmentaler) cut into small cubes. ''Käsekrainer'' were first made in Austria in the early 1980s. they are a standard offering at sausage stands ( Würstelstände). ''Käsekrainer'' can be boiled, baked or grilled. It is essential to keep them on low to medium heat; otherwise the outside may get burned and the inside remains cold. Care should be taken when preparing them, because the cheese can become quite hot; the sausages should not be cut or poked while cooking, otherwise the melting cheese would be released. The sausage can be served with

mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, seeds of the mustard p ...

ketchup Ketchup or catsup is a table condiment with a sweet and tangy flavor. The unmodified term ("ketchup") now typically refers to tomato ketchup, although early recipes used egg whites, mushrooms, oysters, grapes, mussels, or walnuts, among o ...

and a piece of dark bread; or – in the most common form in Austria – as a ''Käsekrainer-Hot-Dog''. (By ''Hot Dog'' Austrians mean the bun, not the sausage.) The bread used is somewhat similar to a French

baguette A baguette (; ) is a long, thin type of bread of French origin that is commonly made from basic lean dough (the dough, though not the shape, is defined by French law). It is distinguishable by its length and crisp crust. A baguette has a dia ...

, but shorter ( long) and has different texture and a recipe, hence not called a baguette but a bun. The bun is cut open at one end and a hole is poked into it with a warm metal rod. The next step is to put sauce in the hole. Austrians usually select from the following three sauces: sharp mustard, sweet mustard and ketchup. In the late 1940s and the 1950s post-war immigrants from Croatia and Slovenia introduced ''kranjska klobasa'' into Australia, where it became known as ''Kransky''. Cheese Kransky is very popular in Australia and in New Zealand.

Protection regime

In January 2015, Slovenia successfully entered it into the register of protected geographical indications (PGIs), despite objections by Austria, Croatia and Germany. * Protected geographical indication (PGI) in the European Union

References

External links

''Kranjska klobasa'' with photos, in English
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kranjska Klobasa Slovenian cuisine Cooked sausages Bacon dishes Carniolan culture

Variations and preparation

Protection regime

See also

References

Further reading

External links