Rød pølse

Rød pølse (listen^ⓘ, "red sausage") is a type of brightly red, boiled pork sausage very common in Denmark. Since hot dog stands are ubiquitous in Denmark, some people regard røde pølser as one of the national dishes. They are made of the Vienna type and the skin is colored with a traditional red dye (carmine).^[1]

Red pølser from a supermarket

Traditional preparation

Rød pølse are to be heated in hot water and are commonly served with remoulade, mustard or ketchup, fried onions and pickled sliced cucumber (gherkin).^[2] A common legend says that it was once ordered that day-old sausages be dyed as a means of warning.^[1][3] Another interpretation is that starting in the 1920s, vendors used red dye to disguise the diminished quality of older sausages.^[4]

Other Scandinavian sausages

Scandinavian sausages are usually made of 60–80% finely ground pork, spiced with pepper, nutmeg, allspice or similar sweet spices (ground mustard seed, onions and sugar may also be added). Water, lard, pork rind, potato starch flour and soybean or milk protein are often added as fillers.^[5] Nearly all commercially available sausages are industrially precooked to be subsequently fried or heated in boiling water.^[5]

In Norway, sausages are most often served in white buns, or in a traditional flat bread. The sausages are grilled or warmed in hot water, and they are normally served with ketchup or mustard. An alternative condiment to the sausages may be mashed potatoes.^[6]

In Iceland, the sausages may contain mutton, giving them a distinct taste.^[7]

See also

• Pølsevogn, Danish hot dog stands
• Pölsa is a similar-sounding word in Swedish, but the Swedish word for sausage is "korv".
• Hot dog is a similar sausage found in other parts of the world.
• List of sausages

Notes

1. Reinhold Carle, Ralf Schweiggert: Handbook on Natural Pigments in Food and Beverages: Industrial Applications for Improving Food Color, Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition, 2016. Pages 409 and 415. ISBN 978-0081003718.
2. Fran Parnell, Joan Gannij: Insight Guides Scandinavia, Insight Guides, 2012. ISBN 978-1780050355.
3. Hunter, Lena (July 31, 2021). "Køkken Confidential: A guide to Danish cuisine". The Copenhagen Post. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
4. "The weirdest types of Hotdogs from around the world". The Times of India. August 31, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
5. Nichola Fletcher (text), Caroline Bretherton (recipes): Sausage – A country-by-country photographic guide with recipes, London, Dorling Kindersley, 2012. Page 94. ISBN 978-0756689834.
6. Fidel Toldrá, Iciar Astiasarán: Handbook of Fermented Meat and Poultry, Wiley-Blackwell, 2014. Page 407. ISBN 978-1118522691.
7. Fidel Toldrá, Iciar Astiasarán: Handbook of Fermented Meat and Poultry, Wiley-Blackwell, 2014. Page 340. ISBN 978-1118522691.