page_title: Head cheese
section_title: Europe
hierarchical_section_title: Head cheese / By country / Europe
caption_attribution_description: Ash camembert, head cheese, terrine de campagne
context_page_description: Head cheese or brawn is a cold cut that originated in Europe. A version pickled with vinegar is known as souse. Head cheese is not a dairy cheese, but a terrine or meat jelly often made with flesh from the head of a calf or pig, or less commonly a sheep or cow, and often set in aspic. The parts of the head used vary, but the brain, eyes, and ears are usually removed. The tongue, and sometimes the feet and heart, may be included. It can also be made from trimmings from pork and veal, adding gelatin to the stock as a binder. Sometimes, it is made with nothing from the head.
  Head cheese is usually eaten cold or at room temperature.
  Historically, meat jellies were made of the cleaned head of the animal, which was simmered to produce stock, a peasant food made since the Middle Ages. When cooled, the stock congeals because of the natural gelatin found in the skull. The aspic may need additional gelatin, or more often, reduction, to set properly.
context_section_description: Austria: In Austria, head cheese is known as Presswurst, Sulz or Schwartamaga in the most western regions. Depending on the region, it's often served with a light dressing (vinegar, sunflower seed oil or pumpkin seed oil, sliced onions).
  Bulgaria: In Bulgaria, the meal пача (pacha) is prepared from pig's heads (primarily the ears), legs, and often tongue. The broth is heavily seasoned with garlic before cooling.
  Croatia: This cut is generally known as hladetina, and is commonly produced after the traditional slaughter of pigs. A strongly seasoned version of this cut is called tlačenica. The name švargl is used for a variant where the chopped parts are stuffed inside the pig's stomach, similar to Scottish haggis.
  Czech Republic: The huspenina or sulc (from German Sülze) is made from pig's heads or legs boiled together, chopped, mixed into their own broth, poured into a pan, and left in the cold to solidify. Other ingredients include onion, pepper, allspice, bayleaf, vinegar, salt, carrot, parsley, root celery, and sometimes eggs. A similar product, tlačenka, is basically huspenina with some more meat, chopped liver, and various offal, poured into a prepared pig stomach and left to solidify under the weight. Tlačenka is generally thicker than huspenina, and it is commonly eaten with chopped onions and sprinkled with vinegar.
  Denmark, Norway and Sweden: Sylte, sylta or aladåb, was originally made from head of pig, but is now commonly made from the forequarters or shanks of pork or veal and seasoned with allspice, bay leaves, and thyme, and forms part of the traditional Christmas smörgåsbord, served on rugbrød or lefse with strong mustard and pickled beetroots. A rolled version (Danish/Norwegian: rullepølse, Swedish: rullsylta) made in an otherwise similar way also exists, however this contains only very little aspic.
  Estonia: Sült is similar to the German or Croatian dish (the name is a loan, as well), but is usually less seasoned and is made from higher quality meat. Sometimes carrots or greens are added. It is a traditional Christmas dish, but is sold in stores year round. The traditional sült is made from pork using its gelatinous parts. Beef, poultry, and fish variants also are available.
  Finland: Head cheese is known as syltty, tytinä or aladobi.
  France and Belgium: In French, it is referred to as fromage de tête, tête pressée, tête fromagée (which translates as "cheesed head") or pâté de tête.
  Germany: Head cheese is known as Sülze, Schwartenmagen, or Presskopf. In Bavaria, Presssack comes in three varieties (deep red, pinkish, and grey) in the form of a large (15-cm-diameter) sausage. Sülze can have a tangy flavour due to the addition of pickles or vinegar. It usually takes the form of a rectangular loaf, which is then sliced into portions. There is a white coloured variety and two different red ones, using blood, one made with beef tongue (as in Zungenwurst) and aspic, the other without. In Franconia, Saurer Presssack is served in a salad with a vinaigrette and vegetables.
  Early references to Sulcze in documents of the Counts of Katzenelnbogen date from 1410 and 1430.
  Using only pure and best meat (without fat, gristle or other meat of less good quality) it is called Kaisersülze (Emperor's Aspic).
  Greece: In Greece and among Greeks of the diaspora, it is known as pichti  "πηχτή".
  Hungary: A variant of head cheese, disznósajt, or disznófősajt (pork cheese or pork head cheese), is made of mixed meat slices (especially from the head of the pig,) spices, paprika,  and pieces of bacon cooked in spicy stock. The chopped meat is stuffed into the pig's stomach, similarly to Scottish haggis, pricked with needles, then pressed down with weights to remove excess fat and make it tight and compact. Often it is smoked like sausages or ham.
  Iceland: Sviðasulta a form of head cheese, is made from svið, singed sheep's head, sometimes cured in lactic acid.
  Ireland: brawn is considered a rare delicacy and is made from pig's head. It dates from at least the early 19th century CE.
  Italy: In Genoa, a similar cold cut goes by the name of 
caption: Camembert, head cheese, and terrine de campagne
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