Kaszanka
Polish pudding of buckwheat groats (kasza), blood and offal. The presence of buckwheat, absent from the puddings of Western Europe, attaches the kaszanka to a set of Eastern European cereal puddings (see the verivorst in Estonia, the hurka in Hungary).
| Fresh pig’s blood | 400 ml |
| Cooked buckwheat groats (kasza) | 300 g |
| Pork liver | 150 g |
| Cooked pork rind | 100 g |
| Fatback | 100 g |
| Cooked onion, chopped | 80 g |
| Fine salt | 15 g |
| Ground black pepper | 3 g |
| Dried marjoram | 3 g |
| Ground allspice | 1 g |
| Wide hog casing (Ø 40–50 mm) | — |
- Preparing the groats: Cook the buckwheat, then leave to cool.
- Preparing the offal: Poach the liver for 10 minutes, then chop finely. Cook the rind until tender, then chop into small pieces. Cut the fatback into small dice and fry lightly with the onion.
- Mixing: In a large bowl, mix the blood with the cooled groats, the chopped offal, the fatback, the onion and all the seasonings. Mix well until homogeneous.
- Stuffing: Stuff without packing too tightly (the pudding swells in cooking). Form portions of 15–20 cm.
- Poaching: Poach in barely simmering water (75–80 °C) for 30–40 minutes until the pudding is firm.
- Cooling: Cool in the cooking water, then refrigerate.
- Serving: Slice and fry in lard, or grill until crisp.
- The buckwheat may be replaced by pearl barley in some regions. It keeps for 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator. Serve with sautéed apples or fried onions.
The name kaszanka derives from the Polish word kasza, meaning ‘groats’. It is also known as kiszka, a Slavic term for the intestine. In Poland, kaszanka remains the dominant name. Buckwheat constitutes the most characteristic structuring ingredient of the blood puddings of Central Europe.
The origin of the kaszanka is poorly documented. Several contemporary sources advance an introduction from Denmark or Germany in the seventeenth century, but the thesis rests on little evidence: the technique of the blood pudding with groats has been common to the whole of northern Europe since the Middle Ages, and the Polish peasantry had long possessed the blood, buckwheat, barley and casings required.
Its making is bound to the świniobicie, the traditional pig slaughter in Polish villages, a collective event that brings family and neighbours together under the direction of a masarz (a butcher summoned for the occasion). The slaughter was practised two or three times a year in winter. The blood, highly perishable, had to be transformed within hours; the kaszanka preserved it in a stable form for several days. A share of the fresh products was distributed to the neighbours according to a usage of reciprocity common to all of Central and Slavic Europe.
The regional variants are documented. In Upper Silesia, the preparation is called krupniok, from the Silesian dialect krupa (groats), or żymlok (small bread roll), in reference to the breadcrumb added in some local variants. The buckwheat may be replaced by pearl barley in other regions. These distinct regional names testify to highly localised practices predating any national standardisation.
It is eaten cold in slices or fried in lard, then served with sautéed apples or fried onions. It is present in every Polish artisanal butcher’s as well as in national mass retail.
In the Polish communities of North America, Australia and Western Europe, it is sold under the name kiszka in the grocers specialising in Polish products.
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