Debrecener

The debrecener is a finely textured pork sausage with a reddish-orange colour, named after the Hungarian city of Debrecen in the east of the country. Its defining feature is the heavy use of paprika, which makes it one of the most recognisable sausages of Central Europe.

History

The sausage takes its name from Debrecen, the eastern Hungarian city where it originated. It began as a regional product before its reputation spread across the country and beyond.

With the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the debrecener travelled throughout much of Central and Eastern Europe. It is now popular in Austria, Northern Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, western and central Romania and western Ukraine, where it has been absorbed into local cooking. In Poland it is called debreczyńska.

In Austria the name is usually written Debreziner, and it is also eaten in Bavaria. In Bulgaria a derivative known as debartsini is widely sold by mass-market charcuterie.

Culture

The debrecener is a familiar part of everyday eating in the countries that once formed the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where it often accompanies Hungarian dishes. In some of them, such as Debrecziner Goulasch, it is the main ingredient.

Traditionally it is made from pork, often with pork fat, seasoned generously with sweet paprika and garlic, pepper and marjoram, with a slight heat from chillies in the original Hungarian versions. It is unsmoked or lightly smoked and sold in pairs joined at one end. It is cut crosswise before cooking, so the casing curls and forms a linked series of sausage coins.

Today it remains a common choice in markets and butchers across the region, where it is grilled, fried or baked.