National Dish Slovenia: Kranjska Klobasa (Recipe)
In this article
Kranjska Klobasa is a protected sausage with a legal definition: at least 68% pork, 12% bacon, no more than 20% water, garlic, salt and pepper, and nothing else. No fillers. The EU granted it protected status in 2015 after a dispute with Austria.
About Kranjska Klobasa
The Carniolan sausage is coarsely cut pork, lightly smoked, and sold in linked pairs pinned with a wooden skewer rather than tied. It is poached rather than fried in Slovenia, and served with mustard, bread and grated horseradish.
The recipe below fries it, which is the everyday domestic treatment.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 300 g Kranjska klobasa
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 100 ml water or stock
- Fresh parsley, to garnish
Shopping for the ingredients
Buy the real thing, protected and labelled, from a Slovenian or good German butcher. Substitutes exist and are not the same. It is sold in pairs, still linked, which is part of the definition.
Preparing the dish
The traditional method is to poach it: put the sausages in water that has just come off the boil and leave them for ten minutes without further heating, which keeps the casing intact. Do not prick it. The recipe below pan-fries, which is faster.
Step-by-step instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion and garlic and fry until golden brown.
- Cut the Kranjska klobasa into thick slices and lay them in the pan.
- Fry the sausage on both sides until browned and crisp at the edges.
- Pour the water or stock into the pan and let everything simmer briefly.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot with mustard and horseradish.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
Kranjska klobasa contains no fillers by legal definition, so it is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. That is one of the practical advantages of a protected recipe.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
The sausage is pork by definition. Slovenian vegetable dishes stand up well on their own: jota, the sauerkraut and bean soup, and ričet, barley and bean, are both good without the meat that usually goes in.
More tips and tricks
Do not prick the casing, whether poaching or frying. Poach rather than boil: water off the heat, ten minutes, lid on. And serve it with sharp horseradish, which is what cuts the fat and is standard in Slovenia.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Served in jota or with sauerkraut and potato is the winter version. Mustard and grated horseradish on the side. Dark bread rather than a roll.
Ingredient substitutions
A good coarse smoked pork sausage is the nearest thing if the real one is unavailable. Gorenjska klobasa is the related regional sausage. Nothing else needed.
Drink pairing ideas
A Slovenian Refošk or Teran, both robust reds. Union or Laško lager. Slovenia’s wine is underrated and worth the effort.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve it whole and split, or sliced, with mustard, horseradish and dark bread. Sauerkraut or zabeljeni krompir alongside. It is plain food and it is served plainly.
A bit of history
The sausage is named for Carniola, the historic Slovenian region, and was documented under that name in the nineteenth century when Slovenia was part of Austria-Hungary. The 2015 protected designation ended a long argument about who could use the name. It anchors Slovenian cuisine.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Kranjska Klobasa
Kranjska klobasa is a protected coarse pork sausage, poached or fried and served with mustard and horseradish. Do not prick the casing, poach rather than boil, and serve horseradish with it.
