Cooking Polish kiszka

Kaszanka (as it's called in Poland) or kiszka (by the US Polonia) is not raw but sold fully cooked. Most people fry or bake it and serve it warm but it can be consumed like any cold cut.

And the thought of eating kaszanka raw is frankly disgusting.

I think it tastes dreadful, just saying

Kaszanka is most certainly not for eating raw 'like any cold cut'. It must be cooked first and can only then be eaten cold.

Kiszka (as made and eaten here in Poland) and kaszanka are very different things by the way.

No, what is called kaszanka in Poland is sold at butcher's across Polish Amewrica as kiszka. There was even a comical hit back when called 'Who stole the kiszka from the butcher's shop?'

And contrary to your erroneous information, kaszanka is fully cooked. Most prefer it warmed up, even crusty, but it can be eaten just as it comes (not raw -- it''s fully cooked). Same wioh parówki (wieners), Most eat them hot off the grill but they too are fully cooked and can be eaten just as they are.

If your American kiszka is anything like our Polish kaszanka, that would be a very bad idea. Even worse to eat Polish kiszka uncooked.

If you haven't tried it, don't knock it! Admittedly a nip of 50% wódka is highly recommended to promote digestion.

Never a bad thing.

Worth mentioning that it's always a good idea to wash any kind of kielbasa before eating.

Sounds like a tasy combo. Will the recipe work with compote style apples?

It could work well like that but the result would be different. I just add big chunks of apple (red ones seem to work better than cooking apples) to the frying pan. I think that's how the French sometimes cook their version of kaszanka. It works with the potato filled Polish kiszka too.

Lots of good suggestions for kiszka (barley sausage). It reminded me of a song sung by the leader of a Chicago polka band about 50 years ago; his name was Frank Wojnarowski and the song was entitled 'Who Stole the Kiszka'.

My dad had the record by Frank Yankovic. He bugged the crap out of my mom, when he'd sing that silly Kiszka song :)

So then Kiszka CAN be eaten right from the package and it doesn't have to be fried first?

Kaszanka/kiszka lovers check this out:
easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/polishsausages/r/kiszka.htm

I've also never heard of eating it raw. I even just asked my Tato about this (who learned to cook from his mother, the best cook in the world). He said "Yuuuuck!" to translate from the Polish version (phew!). To each their own.

wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-recipes/kaszanka
I found this link in English explaining how Kaszanka is made.

If something is fully cooked, then it cannot be raw. It may be warm or cold but not raw!

Fry it in a table spoon of butter and a table spoon of olive oil,
when cooked crack some eggs ontop, cover , cook utill eggs look done. GREAT!!!

I LIVE IN CAPE CORAL,FL,AND COME FROM THE POLISH COMMUNITY OF BUFFALO,N.Y. I HAPPEN TO BE DRIVING IN FT MYERS,AND HAPPEN TO SEE A POLISH INTERNATIONAL MARKET SO I STOPPED...WHAT NOSTALGIA, ANYWAY, I CAME OUT WITH KISZKA AND PIEROGI, AND POLISH TEA., AND I CANT HARDLY WAIT TO TRY THE KISZKA,WHICH I HAVENT HAD SINCE I WAS A CHILD.FROM READING ALL THE POSTS, I REMEBER HOW MY MAMA USE TO MAKE IT...THANKS..ALEXA

Kiszka is great fried and served with sunny side up eggs and a potato pancake or 2 or 3 or....! If you want to have a real treat fry some onions and a few softened zyby,( Polish dried mushrooms), and add as a garnish. One more thing, if you are frying kiszka use a screen to cover it. It can snap, crackle and pop! I'm getting very hungry now and I just might have to take a drive to Greenpoint!!!

I love Kiszka raw with a little salt. It's a fast start to your day. Just cut off a chunk and go. If you want something more filling add butter and bread or a few crackers. When I do cook Kiszka I like to sauté some onions in a small amount of oil, then add 3/4 inch slices of the Kiszka (about 1/2 the link) and cook till the casing starts to come lose and easy to remove. I then add it all to a bowl of hot, buttered egg noodles and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste. Wonderful for lunch or dinner.

Slice in half in pieces, fry in a little oil until krispy on each side. Add a couple or more eggs and scramble together. That's how I've had it since I was a kid. I grew up in an all Polish family. Oh! take the skin off before frying.

Just eat it cold.

I purchase my KISZKA from Andies deli in Chicago and have it shipped to me in Idaho.. The sausage is great and I really like how it is packaged and shipped, especially in the warmer months. My Polish families live in Omaha..Fry it uncased with chopped green onions..

Jim Sempek

From frozen state, cover the bottom of a pan with vegetable oil; bake 350F for 30-40 minutes. As the kiszka starts to soften poke one side with a large needle flip and poke again. This will prevent the kiszka from exploding. Your kiszka will be brown and crispy on the outside and moist and delicious on the inside.

I like to cut off a piece about 4 inches long, slice it in half the long way, remove the skin, and fry it on high ( for about seven minutes). I flip it a few times and mash it up to get most of it crispy. I serve it on toast or a roll. I either put a slice of American cheese on it (while in the pan) or I put ketchup on it. Either way, it is delicious. I fail to see why people bake it for long periods of time. It is already cooked and just needs a few minutes to heat it up. I like it crispy, which is why I cook it on high. If you don't want it crispy, you could fry it on medium, covered, and it would be done in about 3 minutes. Grilling or boiling is not the way to cook Kiszka because it is made with liquids that will cause it to pretty much just fall apart when heated. Kiszka is a lot like pieces of meat and barley all mixed up with jello and stuffed in a sausage skin...........you wouldn't grill that and expect it to stay together, would you?

Sawa Market at Colorado Blvd. and Illif in Denver Coloradoa has Kishka and many other Polish Sausages and various Polish Products... Just google it for the actual address!

Having grown up in Chicago with Polish ancestors, we would get kiszka and eat it raw (on crackers or on bread as a sandwich) or else my mom would fry some up in a pan for a few minutes. Normally it would come in a ring, but I still remember one time as a kid 40+ years ago we were at my great aunt's house and she brought one one warm from the market and it reminded me of a beating heart. I was a little afraid to eat it but I remember it being oh so good.

What the hell is this stuff, anyway - must be some regional thing? The name itself in Polish is enough to make one vomit - especially a vegetarian ;-)

Yes, very much from the east. Nice in a stodgy way but not a big part of the diet here in Poland.

Cut in 4" pieces. Slash casing, microwave on a covered plate 2 minutes per 4" piece.