Pölsa

Pölsa is considered part of Swedish traditional cuisine. Many people still prepare and serve their own pölsa, but it is also produced industrially and sold in convenience stores. While offal was used historically to prepare pölsa, this is rare today. Pölsa is usually served with pork, boiled potatoes, and boiled beetroot.

The roots of the dish can be traced to the 17th century, when pölsa was a type of sausage. Pölsa was based on the leftovers from slaughtering pigs or cattle, usually various types of offal. There are many historical varieties of pölsa, with different ingredients and seasonings. Barley and onion were used in many recipes. The leftover meat was boiled on the bone until soft, and was then finely ground. The ground meat was then mixed with various spices such as black pepper and marjoram, as well as meat stock. The finished mixture was poured into molds and left to cool.

Today, few people use the leftover offal from slaughtering animals when preparing traditional pölsa. However, many people still prepare and serve the dish at home. New varieties and seasonings have evolved over time. Perhaps the growing interest in nose-to-tail eating will lead to a revival of the traditional pölsa.