Pölsa
{{Short description|Traditional northern Swedish dish}}
{{Distinguish|POLSA}}
Pölsa is a traditional northern Swedish dish that is a close relative to Scottish haggis.{{cite web |last1=Elliott |first1=Giles |date=20 November 2004 |title=Hash |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/nov/20/featuresreviews.guardianreview14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028011614/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/nov/20/featuresreviews.guardianreview14 |archive-date=28 October 2022 |accessdate=21 February 2016 |website=The Guardian}} The main ingredients are beef sinew, liver, heart, lung, onion, and barley, mixed with stock, black pepper, and marjoram. Sometimes ground beef or minced pork is added. It is usually served with mashed or boiled potatoes and pickled beetroot, and sometimes a fried egg.{{cite web|title=Hemlagad pölsa|trans-title=Homemade pölsa|url=http://www.koket.se/hemlagad-polsa|website=www.koket.se|publisher=Köket.se|accessdate=21 February 2016|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304123448/http://www.koket.se/hemlagad-polsa|url-status=live}}
Background
The Norwegian and Danish word pølse means sausage and even if the two dishes don't look the same, the two words are related.{{cite web|title=Copenhagen Street Dog|url=http://revolvingdansk.com/|website=www.revolvingdansk.com|publisher=Revolving Dansk LLC|accessdate=21 February 2016|archive-date=8 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208160757/http://www.revolvingdansk.com/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Bergman|first1=Kalle|title=Scandinavian Streetfood: Rød Pølse, the Essence of Danish Hot Dogs|url=http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/11/seriously-scandinavian-rod-polse-red-sausage-essence-of-danish-hot-dogs.html|website=www.seriouseats.com|publisher=Serious Eats Inc.|accessdate=21 February 2016|archive-date=2 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302164733/http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/11/seriously-scandinavian-rod-polse-red-sausage-essence-of-danish-hot-dogs.html|url-status=live}} Pölsa is simply a traditional variety of sausage filling without any casing.{{cite web|last1=Kindblad|first1=Christian|title=Korvens historia|url=http://www.korvhuset.com/korvhistoria.html|website=www.korvhuset.com|publisher=Korvhuset|accessdate=21 February 2016|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224100911/http://www.korvhuset.com/korvhistoria.html|archivedate=24 February 2016}}
In popular culture
The dish plays a central role in the allegorical novel Pölsan (2002) by Swedish author Torgny Lindgren (1938–2017), in which two men go on a personal quest across postwar Sweden in search of the genuine Swedish "pölsa".{{cite book |last1=Lindgren |first1=Torgny |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R3pQAgAAQBAJ&q=p%C3%B6lsa |title=Pölsan |date=2004 |publisher=Norstedts |isbn=91-7297-031-6 |location=Stockholm |access-date=2024-04-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027131245/https://books.google.com/books?id=R3pQAgAAQBAJ&q=p%C3%B6lsa |archive-date=2022-10-27 |url-status=live |authorlink=Torgny Lindgren}}{{cite news |last1=Persson |first1=Magnus |date=28 April 2014 |title=Märkvärdig njutning från början till slut |trans-title=Remarkable gusto from beginning to end |url=http://www.svd.se/markvardig-njutning-fran-borjan-till-slut |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302005356/http://www.svd.se/markvardig-njutning-fran-borjan-till-slut |archive-date=2 March 2016 |accessdate=21 February 2016 |newspaper=Svenska Dagbladet}}
See also
- Haggis – similar food from Scotland
- Labskaus – similar food from Northern Germany
- Lobscouse – similar food from Norway
- Scouse (food) – similar food from the Liverpool area
- Stippgrütze – related food from Westphalia{{cite web |title=Grynkorvar |url=http://www.kunskapskokboken.se/4.22299/varufakta/grynkorvar/ |website=kunskapskokboken.se |access-date=2025-04-07}}
- Hakkemat – similar food from Norway
- Faggots – similar food from western Britain{{cite web |title=Faggot |url=https://chez-gram.com/lexicon/faggot |website=chez-gram.com |access-date=2025-04-07}}{{Failed verification|date=April 2025|reason=The text does not mention pölsa at all, nor does it establish any connection between faggots and pölsa}}
References
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