''Rød pølse'' (, "red sausage") is a type of brightly red, boiled pork sausage very common in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. Since hot dog stands are almost everywhere in Denmark, some people regard ''røde pølser'' as one of the

national dish A national dish is a culinary Dish (food), dish that is strongly associated with a particular country. A dish can be considered a national dish for a variety of reasons: * It is a staple food, made from a selection of locally available foodstuffs ...

es. They are made of the Vienna type and the skin is colored with a traditional red dye (

carmine Carmine ()also called cochineal (when it is extracted from the Cochineal, cochineal insect), cochineal extract, crimson Lake pigment, lake, or carmine lake is a pigment of a bright-red color obtained from the aluminium coordination complex, compl ...

).Reinhold Carle, Ralf Schweiggert: ''Handbook on Natural Pigments in Food and Beverages: Industrial Applications for Improving Food Color'', Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition, 2016. Pages 409 and 415. .

Traditional preparation

''Rød pølse'' are to be heated in hot water and are commonly served with remoulade, mustard, ketchup, fried onions and pickled sliced cucumber (gherkin). A common legend says that it was once ordered that day-old sausages be dyed as a means of warning. Another interpretation is that starting in the 1920s, vendors used red dye to disguise the diminished quality of older sausages.

Other Scandinavian sausages

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

n sausages are usually made of 60–80% finely ground

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

, spiced with pepper, nutmeg, allspice or similar sweet spices (ground mustard seed,

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...

s and

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

may also be added). Water, lard, pork rind,

potato starch Potato starch is starch extracted from potatoes. The cells of the root tubers of the potato plant contain leucoplasts (starch grains). To extract the starch, the potatoes are crushed, and the starch grains are released from the destroyed cells. Th ...

flour and

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed. Soy is a key source o ...

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

are often added as fillers. Nearly all commercially available sausages are industrially precooked to be subsequently fried or heated in boiling water.Nichola Fletcher (text), Caroline Bretherton (recipes): ''Sausage – A country-by-country photographic guide with recipes'', London, Dorling Kindersley, 2012. Page 94. . In

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, sausages are most often served in white buns or with the traditional potato flat-bread "lompe" which is similar to

lefse Lefse () is a traditional soft Norwegian flatbread. It is made with riced potatoes, can include flour, all purpose (wheat) flour, and includes butter, and milk, cream, or lard. It is cooked on a large, flat griddle. Special tools are used to pr ...

. The sausages are grilled or heated in lightly seasoned hot water, and they are normally served with ketchup and mustard. Many different

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to enhance the Flavoring, flavour, to complement the dish or to impart a specific flavor. Such specific flavors generally add sweetness or pungency, or sharp or piquant ...

s can be added, such as dry, fried onion, shrimp-salad, potato-salad or mashed potatoes. In

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

, the sausages may contain mutton, giving them a distinct taste.Fidel Toldrá, Iciar Astiasarán: ''Handbook of Fermented Meat and Poultry'', Wiley-Blackwell, 2014. Page 340. .

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Polser Danish cuisine Danish sausages

Traditional preparation

Other Scandinavian sausages

See also

Notes