Baranjski kulen

Appearance & taste

The kulen is oval and firm. Its shape is given by the casing, which is filled completely with the meat mixture; it shows no visible defects, stains or significant mould. On the outside the sausage is light to dark brown. When cut, it is even, because the meat is uniformly minced to 8 mm; the ingredients are firmly bound together, without cavities or cracks. Depending on the paprika and the meat, the cut surface is light to dark red.

The predominant aroma is smoky, as with cold-smoked meat products. The taste is spicy from the paprika, with the aroma of smoked, fermented meat, complemented by garlic and pepper. At the end of ripening the kulen contains at most 40 % water, at least 29 % protein and at most 25 % fat. A finished sausage weighs at least 0.80 kg.

Production

Meat and fatty tissue are used in a ratio of 90 to 10; they come from sows or heavier fattening pigs. At least 80 % of the meat comes from the ham and loin, at most 20 % from the shoulder; category III meat is not allowed. The skin and subcutaneous fat are cut off completely, and cartilage, larger blood vessels, nerves, tendons and soft internal fat are removed. The meat, fat and spices do not have to come from the region.

The whole process takes place in Baranja: treating the raw materials, preparing the filling, stuffing, seasoning, fermenting and ripening.

Origin & history

Baranja lies in north-eastern Croatia, north of the lower course of the Drava before it flows into the Danube. The Drava separates it from Slavonia in the south, the Danube from Serbia in the east; in the north it borders Hungary. The region includes the town of Beli Manastir and the municipalities of Bilje, Čeminac, Darda, Draž, Jagodnjak, Kneževi Vinogradi, Petlovac and Popovac.

The protection is based on the sausage’s reputation. The first mentions of kulen in Baranja are found in notes by a Croatian ethnologist from the 1880s on the customs of the Baranja Croats. These customs are closely linked to viticulture and winemaking; kulen was part of the grape harvest customs and of the feast of Saint Vincent. Around 1900 a master butcher from Karanac began making pork specialities, including Pannonian kulin, the forerunner of today’s Baranjski kulen. Later the name “Baranjski kulen” became established. According to the specification, the producers took the pepper over from salami making in southern Hungary; it was easy to obtain through the trade networks of the large estates of Austro-Hungarian nobles. In the 1980s kulen became particularly well known at quality competitions in eastern Croatia, the “Kulenijade”.