Bigos

Bigos(Polish pronunciation:[ˈbʲiɡɔs]),often translated into English ashunter's stew, is aPolishdish of chopped meat of various kinds stewed withsauerkraut, shredded fresh cabbage and spices. It is served hot and can be enriched with additional vegetables and wine.Originally from Poland, the dish also became traditional in the areas of the vastPolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The Polish wordbigosis probably of German origin, but its exact etymology is disputed. According to the Polish loanword dictionary edited by Elżbieta Sobol, it may derive from Germanbegossen, meaning "doused" or "basted".Jerzy Bralczyk similarly derives the word from archaic GermanBeiguss, "sauce".Aleksander Brücknerhas proposed the GermanBleiguss, "piece of lead",as a possible source, referring to a tradition of divining from strangely shaped flakes of molten lead dropped into water.Maria Dembińskarejects this etymology as "doubtlessly erroneous", suggesting instead either archaic Germanbecken, "to chop", or old Germanbîbôz(Beifussin modern German), meaning "mugwort" (Artemisia vulgaris), a herb that was popular in medieval cuisine.Andrzej Bańkowski also points to the Italianbigutta, or "pot for cooking soup", as a possible derivation via German.
The principal ingredients ofbigosare assorted kinds of meat chopped into bite-sized chunks and a mixture ofsauerkrautand shredded fresh white cabbage. The meats may includepork(such asham, shoulder,bacon,ribs, andloin),beefandveal,poultry(chicken,duck,goose,turkey) andgame, as well ascharcuterie, especially various kinds ofkiełbasa.The variety of meats is considered essential for goodbigos; its preparation may be a good occasion to clean out one's freezer and use up leftovers from other meat dishes.Some of the meats may be roasted before being diced together with other cuts of meat and braised inlardorvegetable oil.
The sauerkraut is often rinsed and drained before being chopped and mixed with shredded fresh cabbage. The proportion depends on the sauerkraut's maturity; the longer it has cured, the more sour it tastes, calling for more fresh cabbage to balance the flavor. Traditionally, cabbage was pickled in fall, sobigosmade at that time could be made with only half-cured sauerkraut, but by early spring, the sauerkraut had to be combined in equal parts with fresh cabbage.The mixture is precooked in a small amount of water before being mixed with the braised meat and left to simmer for several hours. Ideally, the stew should thicken through evaporation alone,but flour,roux, crumbled rye bread or a grated raw potato may be added to it to take up excess moisture.
Other ingredients often added tobigosincludeonions, diced and browned in lard together with the meat, and dried forestmushroomsthat are precooked separately in boiling water. The stew is usually seasoned with salt,black peppercorns,allspice,juniper berriesandbay leaves.Some recipes also call forcaraway,cloves,garlic,marjoram,mustard seeds,nutmeg,paprikaandthyme.The tart flavor of sauerkraut may be enhanced by adding some dryred wineor beet sour (fermentedbeetrootjuice that is also a traditional ingredient ofborscht), which may impart a reddish hue to the stew.Bigosis often slightly sweetened with sugar,honey,raisins,prunesor plum butter known in Polish aspowidła.
Traditionally,bigosis stewed in a cauldron over an open fire or in a large pot on a stove, but it may also be prepared in an electricslow cooker.The contents should be stirred from time to time, to prevent scorching, which may impart a bitter taste to the entire batch.Bigosis considered best after it has been repeatedly refrigerated and reheated to allow the flavors to fuse.
The flexible and forgiving recipe forbigosallows a great number of variants, often simply using what ingredients are at hand.It is often claimed that there are as many recipes as there are cooks in Poland.
In the region ofGreater Poland,bigostypically containstomato pasteand is seasoned with garlic and marjoram.Kuyavianbigosis often made fromred cabbageas well as white.InSilesia, it is usually mixed withkopytkaorkluski, that is, small plain boiled dumplings made from unleavened dough that contains flour andmashed potatoes.A variant which containsjuliennedapples, preferably with a winey tart taste, such asAntonovka, is known as Lithuanianbigosand is typical for the territory of the erstwhileGrand Duchy of Lithuania(now Belarus, Lithuania and Ukraine).
Inbigos myśliwski, or "hunter'sbigos", at least part of the meat comes from game, such aswild boar,venisonorhare.It is usually seasoned with juniper berries, which help neutralizeoff-flavorsthat may be found in the meat of wild animals.
As a dish that does not spoil quickly and is thought to improve with each reheating,bigoshas been traditionally used as a provision for travellersand campers or consumed at outdoor events, such as a hunt or a carnival sleigh ride known in Polish askulig.It may be also eaten indoor, for breakfast, supper or as a hot starter served before soup at a dinner party.It is commonly found on the menus ofmilk bars, pubs and bistros throughout Poland.Bigosis particularly associated with major Catholic holidays, such asChristmasandEaster, as it can be prepared in ample quantities beforehand and only reheated on the holiday itself and the following days.
The stew is typically dished up withrye breador boiled potatoes.In a fancier setting, it may be served in stoneware bowls,puff pastryshellsorbread bowls.Bigos, especially when enjoyed outdoors, is traditionally paired with shots of chilledvodka, either clear or flavored.Varieties of flavored vodka that match well withbigosincludeżubrówka(bison grass),jałowcówka(juniper),piołunówka(wormwood),Goldwasser(various herbs) andstarka(oak-aged).If served at home or in a restaurant, the stew may be paired with beer, red wine orRiesling.
According to Polish food historian Maria Dembińska,bigosmay derive from a medieval dish known inLatinascompositum, or "mixture". It was made from various vegetables, such as cabbage, chard and onions, that were chopped or shredded, layered inside an earthenware three-leggedDutch ovenand braised or baked.A remnant of this old procedure may be found in abigosrecipe, in which bacon and cabbage are arranged in layers, from the 19th-century Russian cookbookA Gift to Young HousewivesbyElena Molokhovets.It is believed this dish was introduced in the region bySephardic Jewscoming from the Portuguese region ofAlentejo, replacing ingredients with regional produce. Similar layered dishes of medieval origin also exist in other European cuisines; they include the Italianmescolanza(known in 16th-century Poland under the Polonized namemiszkulancja) and theAlsatianBaeckeoffe(also known aspotéeboulangère), made from cabbage, leftover meats and fruits.They are reminiscent of a rustic Polish casserole, known in various regions aspieczonka, prażonki, duszonki, maścipula, and other names. It is traditionally made from sliced or diced potatoes, onions, carrots, sausages and bacon arranged in layers inside a cast-iron cauldron greased with lard and lined with cabbage leaves, which is placed in bonfire embers for baking.
The word "bigos" is not attested before the 17th century.At that time, it referred to any dish of finely chopped components, usually meat or fish – but no cabbage – doused generously with melted butter and heavily seasoned with sour, sweet and spicy ingredients.Stanisław Czerniecki, head chef to PrinceAleksander Michał Lubomirski, who consistently used the diminutive formbigosek, included several recipes for it in hisCompendium ferculorum(A Collection of Dishes), the oldest surviving book imprinted and published originally in Polish, in 1682 (however, in ca. 2019, another old cook book has been found which included recipes from the earlier, e.i. the 16th century lost Polish cook book, the oldest one). They includebigosekprepared with choppedcapon,hazel grouse,carp,pike,andcrawfishwith beefmarrow.Seasonings that appear in most of these recipes include onions,wine vinegar,lemonorlimejuice,verjuice,sorrel, sugar, raisins, black pepper,cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves andcumin. A manuscript recipe collection from theRadziwiłłfamily court, dating back to ca. 1686, contains instructions for cookingbigosof roast beef,fried fishand even choppedcrêpes(thin pancakes).Kucharz doskonały(The Perfect Cook), a cookbook published byWojciech Wielądkoin 1783, contains recipes for beef, veal, wethermutton,oyster, as well as root vegetablebigos(the latter was a mixture of carrots,parsnip,rutabagaandceleriac).
Bigosmade entirely of meat and exotic spices was affordable only to the affluent Polishnobility. The 18th century saw the development of a poor man's version of the dish, known asbigos hultajski, or "rascal'sbigos", in which vinegar and lemon juice were replaced with cheaper sauerkraut as the source of tartness.Sauerkraut and cabbage also acted as a filler allowing to reduce the amount of meat in the dish. Rascal'sbigosbecame common during the reign of KingAugustus III of Poland(r. 1734–1763).Over the course of the 19th century, its rise in popularity continued as the proportion of meat decreased in favor of sauerkraut, eventually superseding all other kinds ofbigosand losing the disparaging epithet in the process.
Bigosis considered a Polishnational dish,which, according to American food historian William Woys Weaver, "has been romanticized in poetry, discussed in its most minute details in all sorts of literary contexts, and never made in small quantities."
The most famous literary monument tobigoscan be found inPan Tadeusz, amock-heroicpoem venerated as the Polish national epic, extolling the country life of Polish noblemen in theGrand Duchy of Lithuania, written byAdam Mickiewiczin 1834. It describes a group of men out in the woods, enjoying the stew of "wondrous taste, colour and marvellous smell" after a successful bear hunt.