2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Bigos is a traditional dish for Polish, Lithuanian and Belarusian cuisine, a dish prepared with cabbage and meat.
Origin of the word bigos
According to Andrzej Bankowski, the origin of the word bigos is unclear. It can be borrowed from the German participle begossen or beigossen from the verbs begießen (pour, water) and beigießen (to top up). It is also possible to originate from the Italian bigutta (a vessel for cooking broth). It is possible that the name is a combination of both.
Initially, this name was used for the method of cutting (I cut something into pieces in 1534), a little later it was called jelly cut meat (1588). By the 18th century, this was already a dish of cooked cabbage and chopped meat. Since the seventeenth century, the word has been used more broadly as cutting, and figuratively used in the sense of cutting into small pieces.
According to the authors of the German cookbooks the word bigos comes from Latin and means two tastes. The first syllable would mean double, and the second - goss, derived from taste. And it is these two flavors that should be the basis of bigos - sauerkraut and white fresh cabbage.
How is bigos prepared?
There are many ways to prepare bigos / see the gallery /. But they all adhere to the same basic ingredients, differing only in some additives and the order of their addition. The main ingredients of Old Polish bigos are sauerkraut, fresh cabbage (sometimes only sauerkraut is used), various types of meat and sausages, dried mushrooms, prunes, onions and spices.
All this is suffocated for at least a few days (the longer the better). The finished dish should have a thick consistency and a dark brown color, after being served on a plate, the sauce should not leak. It tastes spicy, slightly sweet and sour (but not too sour), with a strong smell of smoked bacon, plums and even venison.
During the stew you can add dry red wine, which further enhances the taste of bigosa. According to tradition, a certain amount of sweet wine, such as Malaga, is added to improve the taste. Today, honey is used for this purpose, but it is not present in the old cookbooks.
The taste of bigos depends largely on the quality and variety of meats and sausages. In the old Polish kitchen for bigos the valuable leftovers from the roast were used, which enriched the taste a lot. At that time, the bigos was served without a stuffing.
Nowadays in some areas of Poland are added tomato paste, as well as herbs and various spices: cumin, marjoram, allspice. According to tradition, plum jam is also added. According to some recipes - the amount of meat should be as much as that of cabbage.
Made only with sauerkraut, bigos is much more sour. If prepared in this variant, sauerkraut is washed under running water or even pre-boiled.
Ways of serving bigos
Traditionally, bigos is most often served as a hot appetizer, served with wholemeal bread and vodka (pure or herbal - a matter of preference).
Bigos is one of the few dishes that does not lose its taste after repeated reheating, but on the contrary - with each subsequent heating the taste becomes even better. In winter, for example, you can leave the bigos even on the outside of the window sill, which also contributes to its taste. Reheating bigosa, should be watered with red wine, which enriches its sour-wine qualities and aroma.
Variations of bigos
• Lithuanian bigos - with cabbage and as a supplement - sour, wine apples;
• Hultayski (Old Polish) bigos - with a predominant content of finely chopped meat and bacon;
• Hungarian bigos - seasoned with hot pepper and cream;
• Bigos in hunting style - with pieces of roasted venison, venison or rabbit and with the addition of dried juniper cones;
• Vegetarian bigos - meat is replaced by soybean pieces and vegetarian sausage;
• Bigos with zucchini - here the cabbage is replaced by zucchini.
Recommended:
The Most Delicious Lamb And The Most Appetizing Fish
We have prepared two different recipes for roast meat that you can make for your family or special guests. Our first suggestion is for roast lamb leg. To make your recipe, you will need the following products: Spicy lamb leg with sesame Necessary products :
The Delicious Secrets Of Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is a typical product for Bulgarians, which we like to eat in the winter. They say that it is good only when we do it in Bulgaria. Many Bulgarian emigrants say they have tried to do so sour cabbage , but unsuccessfully. But what is the secret of good sauerkraut?
Homemade Tricks For Delicious Cabbage Sauerkraut
Sarma - these are stuffed leaves of sauerkraut or blanched fresh cabbage, or vine leaves. Aromatic, juicy and very popular dish in Balkan cuisine. Every housewife has her own secret secrets and tricks in the preparation of sarma . To prepare delicious cabbage sauerkraut first choose healthy and flexible cabbage leaves by removing the rough part.
The Secret Of The Delicious Pork Shank
Pork knuckle is an extremely appetizing dish, as long as you know how to prepare it. One of the biggest difficulties you will face is finding the shank itself. It must be as large as possible, correctly cut in the shape of a truncated cone and necessarily with skin on it.
The Three Most Delicious Recipes For Sauerkraut
Sarma are among the most commonly prepared dishes in winter, when wrapped with sauerkraut leaves. At the same time, however, nothing prevents them from being prepared in the summer with fresh cabbage leaves, dock leaves, vine leaves, etc. In this case we present 3 recipes for the preparation of stuffed cabbage leaves , from which you can choose depending on which season you will consume them:
