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🇵🇱 Dinner · Poland
Bigos
Bigos — the Polish 'hunter's stew' — has simmered in Mazovian and Lithuanian kitchens since at least the seventeenth century, when nobles brought home game from forest hunts and the cook stretched it for days with sauerkraut, smoked pork and prunes. The dish appears in the national epic Pan Tadeusz and earns its full character only on the third day, when smoke, fat and acid finally settle into one another.
Rich in protein
Filling and nutritious
One-pot
Minimal washing up
Fermented
Contains fermented ingredients
Traditional recipe
Authentic taste
Ingredients 6 servings
- 500 g sauerkraut, drained
- 300 g fresh cabbage, shredded
- 400 g pork shoulder, cubed
- 200 g smoked sausage (kielbasa)
- 150 g bacon
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 dried prunes
- Allspice, bay leaf, paprika, salt, pepper
How to make it
- 1Bigos is built in layers — every cook in Poland has their own order, but the principle is patience.
- 2In a heavy pot, render diced bacon over medium heat until the fat runs and the pieces crisp, then lift them out and reserve.
- 3Brown the cubed pork shoulder in the bacon fat in two batches without crowding, until each side is deeply golden, and remove.
- 4Soften finely chopped onion and garlic in the same fat, then return the meat with the bacon.
- 5Drain and rinse the sauerkraut briefly if very sour, and pile it in with the shredded fresh cabbage, the sliced kielbasa, the pitted prunes, a few bay leaves, several juniper berries crushed in the palm, allspice and sweet paprika.
- 6Pour in just enough water to barely cover, bring to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat right down, cover, and forget about it for two to three hours, stirring every half hour and pushing the cabbage down into the liquor.
- 7Taste and adjust salt at the end.
- 8The honest secret of bigos: cool it overnight in the fridge, then warm slowly the next day — the flavours marry, the smoke deepens, the broth concentrates.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Calories 420 kcal
Protein 32 g
Carbs 18 g
Fat 20 g
Fiber 3 g
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
🥖 Rye bread
🥣 Smetana
🥒 Pickled cucumbers
🌿 Fresh dill
