Bigos is a Polish dish. It is often translated as Hunter's Stew. Well, that is incorrect. Sorry people. Hunter's "stew" would be bigos myśliwski. Also, it is not stew as many would have you believe. And no, it is not soup as others may tell you. Bigos myśliwski, or hunter's bigos, would be, and is, made with wild game and would most likely also have juniper berries as a seasoning.
In my opinion, bigos is what should properly be called call 'stewp' or 'stoup'. An amalgam of stew and soup. The former would be more stew-like, thicker and saucier. The latter would be more soup-like, thinner and more liquidy. It depends on how you like it.
What does bigos mean? It may or may not derive from a language other than Polish and may be derived from one of several words meaning, variously, basted, sauce, to chop, or pot for cooking (soup). Well, all those possible word origins apply. Its ingredients are chopped up, cooking in a single vessel (such as a pot), and while it cooks, it bastes in its own juices and can get quite saucy.
It is an ancient dish and the oldest known written record comes from the oldest known Polish cookbook from 1682. Originally, it was pretty much just stewed meat, various cuts of pork, beef, lamb, poultry, or even fish. It would probably have onion, maybe some root vegetables, whatever seasonings that would have been in common use, and possibly fruit, like apples, to add a sour quality. It was a hearty dish that was highly seasoned and mainly eaten by the well-off. Most poor people did not eat much meat, unless it was wild and probably poached from the gentry's hunting grounds.
These well-to-do landowners would have bigos prepared for them from leftovers in their manor-house kitchen and take it out on the hunt to eat, hence the modern "translation" of Hunter's Stew. It kept very well and reheated very well. From this, various myths sprang up about the dish. That it was better cooked multiple times, usually three, or freezing or chilling it improved the flavour. It does reheat well and it does freeze well. However, in reality, what is really going on is that the flavour is changing, or evolving from these actions.
So, bigos also began to evolve over time into something different, like many dishes have and do. By the 1700s, the dish started to get cut with cabbage and/or sauerkraut, different and cheaper cuts of meat were used, mainly to save money. Basically, as meat became more dear in cost to the gentry because they became impoverished and only really had a title and no serious wealth, the household cooks probably ran short of meat to make the dish big enough and probably added what was on hand, like cabbage and sauerkraut, and also started serving it with potatoes. The most common meats, other than leftovers, would be various cheap cuts of pork and also sausage and bacon.
This evolution to adding cabbage gave rise to a new name for this version: bigos hultajski. Hultajski basically means rascal, or rogue, or blaggard. I like blaggard's bigos personally. Why? Well, because the dish was now adulterated with fart generating vegetables. One would have to be a rascal to cut the dish with such an explosive ingredient. So, with the rise of the middle class, the decline of the gentry, and the growing "freedom" of the masses, this new bigos became more popular as it was cheap and easy to make and it lasts "forever".
Sometime in the 1800s, all meat bigos was virtually nonexistent and this new hybrid, with the added bonus of helping us to keep warm by generating our own hot wind, was standard and became simply bigos. Too bad. There are many variations, depending on region etc. But basically bigos is meat (usually various cuts of pork) and cabbage and/or sauerkraut cooked together for several hours. Simple, straightforward, easy-peasy.
Those are the basic ingredients. There are others that are normally/possibly included. These are: a few dried mushrooms, onion, carrot, celeriac, parsnip. Seasonings: salt (be careful if using "cured" meats or sauerkraut; I would save it for the end or the table), pepper (white or black or even green), allspice, bayleaf, juniper berries, paprika, garlic, and possibly caraway and marjoram. Sometimes, a sweetener is added to cut the sourness if it is too much, like plain old sugar or honey. Also, possibly prunes or powidła (plum butter).
Other possible ingredients you may be told are part of the recipe include: tomatoes or tomato paste (in my entire life I have never seen a Polak add tomatoes, I have seen it in Ukrainian and Lithuanian versions though), potatoes (never seen it, as an accompaniment yes; usually boiled with fresh dillweed sprinkled on top), celery (if you cannot find celeriac, sure, okay), dumplings (again, never seen it), apples or plums (not my preference, but if you have lots of apples/plums and no sauerkraut, go ahead, but peel and core them before cutting them up).
Other seasoning: sweeteners: raisins (this is not curry people); spices: cloves and mustard seeds (nope), nutmeg (maybe), thyme (to me, this is more an Irish or British herb, but would be acceptable), cloves (nope again).
I am sure there are countless other bits and bobs people will tell you to add. However, they are all wrong. Or maybe just different... No, they are wrong. Now, I will expound the recipe, which is more of a guide, that every Polak I ever knew, including my mother, father, and all my aunts and uncles, has more or less used to make bigos; with some of my take as well.
BIGOS
Ingredients:
2-3 dried mushrooms (preferably wild) [any good Polish deli will have them]
2-3 onions
½ lb (225 g) pork ribs (I like smoked ribs, most central European delis have them)
1½ lb (680 g) various meats: pork, veal, beef, mutton, poultry, smoked pork shoulder (not ham)
½ lb (225 g) kiełbasa (for the love of god, go to a Polish or Central European deli)
½ lb (225 g) boczek (Polish Bacon, again go to a good deli)
2 x 28 oz (800 ml) cans sauerkraut (or homemade) (Bavarian/German wine sauerkraut is best)
1 cabbage (plain white cabbage normally, but any will really do)
2-6 root vegetables (carrots, parsnip, celeriac [celery if need be], parsley root) [optional]
stock or water, as needed
Seasoning:
pepper (white is best)
paprika
bayleaf
garlic (granulated is fine too)
marjoram [optional]
caraway [optional]
cayenne [not traditional, but I add some]
sugar/honey (to adjust sourness)
salt (be careful, save it for the end or the table)
Preparation:
Crumble the mushrooms and soak in water for a couple/few hours.
Cut boczek into chunks, if it has a rind, cut it off and fry crisp to eat or throw it in with the bigos to cook.
Chop the onion any way you like.
Chop up all the meat in to fork-sized pieces, keeping the kiełbasa and any other smoked meats (like the ribs or pork shoulder) separate. The raw meat can be dusted with flour or cornstarch if you like.
Shred cabbage or chop not-too-fine. Tiny pieces make the dish suck, chunky is not common, but your choice. Make it like for coleslaw. Scald shredded cabbage with boiling water (sometimes I do, sometimes I do not).
Cut vegetables any way you like, shredding or grating is common. Celery should be chopped to your liking, finely chopped is usual.
If using fresh garlic, then prepare how you like, but I would julienne them, and use lots.
Drain and rinse sauerkraut in colander or strainer 2 or 3 times (I no longer rinse my kraut).
Cooking Utensils:
Knife, for chopping and cutting.
Mandoline, for shredding/grating, but this can be done by hand with a knife or grater.
Wooden spoon for mixing while frying and cooking.
Large pan for frying, or large pot for frying.
Either a) a pot to cook on stovetop or campfire; b) roast pan to cook in oven or campfire; c) slow cooker to do it the non-Slavic way
Cooking:
Fry the boczek slowly on medium-low heat and when the fat begins to render add the onion and sweat the onions.
After about ten minutes, add all the meat, except kiełbasa and any other smoked meats, and fry until slightly browned/seared.
If you are doing this in a pan, then transfer above ingredients to pot/roast pan/slowcooker when done browning.
Add the remaining ingredients: cabbage, kraut, root vegetables, mushrooms with soaking water, kiełbasa and smoked meats.
Add stock or water until it is not quite covering all the ingredients, keeping some on hand to add as needed.
Finish cooking by your selected method below.
As to the seasoning. I normally season throughout the cooking process. Bayleaf and fresh garlic will go in right away, some white pepper, granulated garlic, and a little bit of cayenne. Then I will add seasonings as I see fit through the cooking process and only use the salt and sugar to correct the flavour to the desired profile near the end of cooking.
Rounding The Bend:
Large pan for frying, or large pot for frying.
Either a) a pot to cook on stovetop or campfire; b) roast pan to cook in oven or campfire; c) slow cooker to do it the non-Slavic way
Cooking:
Fry the boczek slowly on medium-low heat and when the fat begins to render add the onion and sweat the onions.
After about ten minutes, add all the meat, except kiełbasa and any other smoked meats, and fry until slightly browned/seared.
If you are doing this in a pan, then transfer above ingredients to pot/roast pan/slowcooker when done browning.
Add the remaining ingredients: cabbage, kraut, root vegetables, mushrooms with soaking water, kiełbasa and smoked meats.
Add stock or water until it is not quite covering all the ingredients, keeping some on hand to add as needed.
Finish cooking by your selected method below.
As to the seasoning. I normally season throughout the cooking process. Bayleaf and fresh garlic will go in right away, some white pepper, granulated garlic, and a little bit of cayenne. Then I will add seasonings as I see fit through the cooking process and only use the salt and sugar to correct the flavour to the desired profile near the end of cooking.
Rounding The Bend:
1) If you are doing this on the stovetop, simmer on medium-low for two to three hours checking often enough to not scorch the bottom of the pot and ruin your dish.
This dish is easily converted to vegetarian needs. Remove the meat. Use canola oil (or similar) for frying. Add more root vegetables and chop them in to chunks. Add more dried mushrooms or even fresh (not my cup of tea). Add various tubers. Add kidney or garbanzo beans. Add chunks of plum or prune. You could probably do something with TVP or tofu, but I would not. Except for the synthetic food, you are not varying too much from the recipe really.
There you have it, again: bigos according to me. There are many variations throughout Poland, neighbouring countries, and even in Canada. There are many similar dishes throughout Europe, and probably elsewhere.
Just remember, the word, bigos basically has no translation. If someone calls it hunter's stew, then ask what wild game is in it. If they say there is no closer word to translate it, then tell them to just use the word bigos. It is not like words are never imported and exported between languages. Look at all the corrupted versions of kiełbasa in different parts of the non-Polish world. If they are still stuck, then tell them the best translation out there is stewp or stoup; depending on how thick or thin it is. And yes, I made those terms up. I have never heard or seen them anywhere before and I have been using them for years.
2) If you are doing this in the oven (my preferred method), then preheat it to 350°F (175°C), and place covered roast pan, or casserole dish I guess, in centre of oven and check about every 30 minutes for about 2-3 hours.
3) if you are using a slowcooker? Good luck English. I would say on the medium setting for at least three hours, probably longer. Let me know how it works out.
4) If you are doing this on a campfire, you probably already know what you are doing, but I would probably keep it a bit wet, closer to the stoup side than the stewp end of the spectrum. And you will probably have to mix it quite often to prevent scorching. It will probably take 2-3 hours too. Please pass on anything you may learn from this process.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve with boiled potatoes with fresh dillweed and/or rye bread for sopping up. You will often hear about serving it with a shot of vodka, especially chilled. Never really saw that. A glass of wine, white or red, a beer, seen that. How about a great big mug of really strong tea. Now that is more like it.
There you have it: Bigos Hultajski or Blaggard's Bigos, nowadays just plain Bigos.
Variations & Miscellanea:
Bigos Myśliwski or Hunter's Bigos
Basically the same as above. The big difference, the meat portion would be replaced with game: boar, venison, bison, bear, moose, elk, rabbit, kangaroo, grouse, partridge, grouse, pheasant, emu; you get it. The kiełbasa and smoked meats, could be from game as well, if you make it or can find it. A key seasoning may be juniper berries. As to the vegetables, you could substitute with wild/foraged produce to make it more of an outdoorsman's dish. Ramps or ramsons would be a great addition. I think I will try to figure out wild substitutes for everything and try to make it in the bush on a campstove or over a fire, there are many wild edible brassicas that can substitute for cultivated cabbage. Someday, not right now.
Bigos Wegetariański or Vegetarian Bigos
I read online yesterday that there is no such thing as vegetarian bigos. That if you suggested such an idea to a Polak you would be laughed out of the room. Really? I do not know if that clown was a Polak, but if they were, they were of the moron variety. Do not get me wrong, I like meat. A lot. Especially kiełbasa and smoked meats. However, this dish has probably been made vegetarian millions of times by many an indentured Polish serf, or just plain poor student. Plus, there are a ton of veggie version recipes online, in Polish and in English.
3) if you are using a slowcooker? Good luck English. I would say on the medium setting for at least three hours, probably longer. Let me know how it works out.
4) If you are doing this on a campfire, you probably already know what you are doing, but I would probably keep it a bit wet, closer to the stoup side than the stewp end of the spectrum. And you will probably have to mix it quite often to prevent scorching. It will probably take 2-3 hours too. Please pass on anything you may learn from this process.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve with boiled potatoes with fresh dillweed and/or rye bread for sopping up. You will often hear about serving it with a shot of vodka, especially chilled. Never really saw that. A glass of wine, white or red, a beer, seen that. How about a great big mug of really strong tea. Now that is more like it.
There you have it: Bigos Hultajski or Blaggard's Bigos, nowadays just plain Bigos.
Variations & Miscellanea:
Bigos Myśliwski or Hunter's Bigos
Basically the same as above. The big difference, the meat portion would be replaced with game: boar, venison, bison, bear, moose, elk, rabbit, kangaroo, grouse, partridge, grouse, pheasant, emu; you get it. The kiełbasa and smoked meats, could be from game as well, if you make it or can find it. A key seasoning may be juniper berries. As to the vegetables, you could substitute with wild/foraged produce to make it more of an outdoorsman's dish. Ramps or ramsons would be a great addition. I think I will try to figure out wild substitutes for everything and try to make it in the bush on a campstove or over a fire, there are many wild edible brassicas that can substitute for cultivated cabbage. Someday, not right now.
Bigos Wegetariański or Vegetarian Bigos
I read online yesterday that there is no such thing as vegetarian bigos. That if you suggested such an idea to a Polak you would be laughed out of the room. Really? I do not know if that clown was a Polak, but if they were, they were of the moron variety. Do not get me wrong, I like meat. A lot. Especially kiełbasa and smoked meats. However, this dish has probably been made vegetarian millions of times by many an indentured Polish serf, or just plain poor student. Plus, there are a ton of veggie version recipes online, in Polish and in English.
This dish is easily converted to vegetarian needs. Remove the meat. Use canola oil (or similar) for frying. Add more root vegetables and chop them in to chunks. Add more dried mushrooms or even fresh (not my cup of tea). Add various tubers. Add kidney or garbanzo beans. Add chunks of plum or prune. You could probably do something with TVP or tofu, but I would not. Except for the synthetic food, you are not varying too much from the recipe really.
The last two times I made garbage can soup, I used a full head of cabbage in each, one with savoy cabbage, the other regular plain white cabbage. It reminded me very much of bigos. The second soup was totally vegetarian, and after a couple of reheats tasted just like bigos, but without meat. It was on the stoup side of the bigos spectrum.
If anyone tells you that Veggie Bigos is not possible, tell them to suck on a dictionary while laughing them out of the room.
If anyone tells you that Veggie Bigos is not possible, tell them to suck on a dictionary while laughing them out of the room.
There you have it, again: bigos according to me. There are many variations throughout Poland, neighbouring countries, and even in Canada. There are many similar dishes throughout Europe, and probably elsewhere.
Just remember, the word, bigos basically has no translation. If someone calls it hunter's stew, then ask what wild game is in it. If they say there is no closer word to translate it, then tell them to just use the word bigos. It is not like words are never imported and exported between languages. Look at all the corrupted versions of kiełbasa in different parts of the non-Polish world. If they are still stuck, then tell them the best translation out there is stewp or stoup; depending on how thick or thin it is. And yes, I made those terms up. I have never heard or seen them anywhere before and I have been using them for years.
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