Polish Blood Sausage (Kiszka) Recipe

By
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek is a former chef who became a cooking school instructor and award-winning food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 12/12/22
A plate of Polish Kiszka (blood sausage)

The Spruce / Barbara Rolek

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 2 hrs
Total: 2 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
559 Calories
29g Fat
19g Carbs
54g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 559
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29g 37%
Saturated Fat 10g 52%
Cholesterol 278mg 93%
Sodium 741mg 32%
Total Carbohydrate 19g 7%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 54g
Vitamin C 12mg 58%
Calcium 58mg 4%
Iron 11mg 61%
Potassium 550mg 12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Polish kiszka (KEESH-kah), also known as kaszanka or krupniok, is sausage made with fresh pig's blood.

Before you turn up your nose at the mere idea of a sausage made with blood, know that most cuisines around the world have a similar version—even French haute cuisine.

It was originally made to use up the scraps after slaughtering a pig—ears, snouts, and organ meats—to which spices and some grain, usually barley or buckwheat groats, were added.

Today, as is true with Pennsylvania Dutch scrapple, it can be made with other cuts of pork, as we've done here.

Kiszka can be eaten multiple ways, whether cold or heated; cooked whole on a grill or nonstick skillet; cut into rounds and fried; or removed from the casing and heated like hash.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds well-marbled pork shoulder

  • 1 large pork liver

  • 2 teaspoons salt, divided

  • 7 cups water, more as necessary

  • 3 cups buckwheat groats, or barley

  • Large, clean hog intestines (casings)

  • 2 cups strained pork blood, mixed with 2 tablespoons vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 teaspoon dried marjoram

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a large ovenproof saucepan, place pork and pork liver, and cover with water. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil.

  3. Reduce heat and simmer until meat falls off the bones, adding more water as necessary so it is covered at all times.

  4. Remove meat from pot and reserve liquid.

  5. When meat is cool enough to handle, remove bones, veins, and gristle, and grind coarsely. Set aside.

  6. Skim fat off the reserved liquid and add enough water to make 7 cups. Add 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.

  7. Gradually add buckwheat groats or barley, stirring constantly.

  8. Bring back to the boil and simmer until water is absorbed.

  9. Heat oven to 375 F.

  10. Cover buckwheat or barley and bake 30 minutes.

  11. Have large, clean hog intestines ready for stuffing. Mix hot buckwheat or barley with reserved ground pork and pork liver. Taste and adjust seasonings.

  12. Add pork blood, to which vinegar has been added to keep it from clotting. Add 1 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon or more marjoram, mixing well.

  13. Stuff the hog casings and tie ends with butcher's twine or wooden skewers.

  14. Place kiszka in a Dutch oven or large pot with warm water.

  15. Gently bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 40 minutes.

  16. Remove from water, and hang to let it dry before refrigerating.

  17. Can be eaten cold or heated.

  18. Enjoy!

Where to Get Fresh or Frozen Pig's Blood

If you know of a reputable farmer who slaughters his own hogs, you might get pig's blood and hog casings there. Otherwise, commercial mom-and-pop butcher shops will be your best bet. If you butcher your own animals, remember to mix 1 tablespoon vinegar with every 1 cup of harvested blood so it won't clot and become unusable.

Blood Sausage Common in Most Cuisines

In England and Ireland, black pudding rules. The Germans have blutwurst, while morcilla is popular in Spain. Boudin noir is favored in France and xue doufou is a Chinese favorite.