We were having a enlightened discussion about the origins of kielbasa. Some were saying it was Rusyn because it had to have came from Sub-Carpathia. But the Ukrainians said that Sub-Carpathia is in Ukraine therefore Kielbasa had to be noted as being originally from Ukraine. The Polish guy said, "no, no, no! Kielbasa was invented in Warsaw and taken to the Carpathian mountains by Jesuits in the 1600's therefore kielbasa is Polish in origin.
I'm confused, what do you all think?
Is kielbasa Polish, Ukrainian, or Rusyn?

How about all three? I cannot believe that sausage did not exist before 1600.
I am sure there is a lot of cross-cultural borrowing in Eastern Europe.
Who invented cabbage rolls? Borscht? How can any of this be proved?

Who cares anyway?

Jusy enjoy the food.

Actually, since Carpatho Russia, Ukraine and Poland all belong to Russia, kielbasa is actually Russian!


Alexandr, ducking for cover!!!

Matvey,

You crack me up, man!

X.B. B.B.!

Ung

This is as futile as debating if baklava and stuffed Grape leaves are Greek, Lebanese or Turkish? Who cares? Just choose the particular recipe you like best and eat...

Alice

I thought Sts. Cyrill and Methodius and their disciples introduced kolbassy (kovbassi, kielbassy, I forget the Hungarian name, etc.) to Greater Moravia, So. Poland, and Pannoia in c.863 A.D., and later brought it to Kyiv in c. 988 A.D. Soon after, the Germanic Holy Roman Emperor denounced this act, and forced these Slavs to eat "Bratwurst" instead. This was only cleared up after the Pope recalled Cyrill and Methodius to Rome to straighten out this culinary heresy!

X.B.! B.B.! Smachnoho!

Ung

It's Welsh in origin and was known as Cyllbasedd. It was carried to Eastern Europe by two brothers, Cyryl and Mawrthyd.

A much more important question: Who stole the kishka?

I can't tell the difference between Kolbasi or Italian sausage. I get heartburn from both! But boy are they delicious!

You have to experience homemade or at least made at a specialty shop kielbasa to really experience it. The stuff you buy at the supermarket doesn't compare to home made nor the two or three varieties they have at the Eastern European Store near here...
But to be fair the Russian... err.. Eastern European shop sells Carpathian Kielbasa, let me think how they write it, Karpatskya I think... not karpatska though
homemade beats all though.
That supermarket stuff is greasy.

None of the above. I was always taught that kielbasa was a bad Italian sausage recipe that was sold cheaply to the Slavs in Krakow. You know those Florentine merchants could not pass up an opportunity to make a quick bit of change on an otherwise useless recipe. I understand the British came in second place on the bidding for the recipe.

I have to say I wonder how well it would do in certain areas of Scotland - bearing in mind that the Italians opened the Fish and Chip shops that sell deep fried Mars Bars.

We have plenty of Poles here - I wonder how they would look on deep fried Kielbasa

Xpucmoc Bockpec

Is kielbasa Rusyn, Ukrainian or Polish?

Who cares but it is simply DELICIOUS!

Kolya

Dear Rusyns,

Kielbassa was actually a pagan food that was offered to honour the wild boar-god of the forests in pre-Christian times among the East Slavs.

Historically and culturally, the Slavs were deathly afraid of the forests. It was in the forest that all sorts of evil existed and the pagan Slavs felt the need to placate embodiments of such evil, such as the dangerous wild boar, with rites and sacrifices. Enter - kielbassa which when offered to the wild boar god was then consumed as a formm of "communion."

The form of kielbassa used in such rites persisted and the Orthodox Patriarchs were all too painfully aware of its pagan roots. They wrote several times to the Kozaks (now what were they - Ukrainian, Rusyn or Polish?)to ask them to refrain from bringing kielbassa for the Church blessing of Easter foods etc.

Of course, the Kozaks never obeyed such commands . . . Some pagan traditions were definitely worth keeping (and which true Slav could disagree with them?). If anything, this made the Kozaks even more "pro-kielbassa."

So the kielbassa tradition is basically that of Rus' and the Rusyny descended from the Eastern Slavs. The material culture is largely shared with Poland and south eastern Poland in particular (we do know that Poland received Christianity from the East and only later became RC). And the Poles took much from the Rusyn-Ukrainian tradition. Just ask any Pole to say the word "two" in Polish . . .

But the Poles have improved on the Rusyn kielbassa (as we always feared they would . . .).

They have mastered the tradition of frying kielbassa on an open pan by slicing a piece lengthwise and putting the two pieces down and over - rather than the primitive Rusyn way of slicing kielbassa in many pieces that only dries them out by the time they are ready to be served.

In Williamsville, NY there is a pancake house, run by a wonderful Polish family, that prepares kielbassa with pancakes that tastes like nobody's business!

One more reason to salute our Kozak heritage!

Alex

Actually I would think that the national affiliation of the stuff depends on how one spells its name!

Fr. Serge