Hunter's stew: an ideal comfort food
Almost
all places are famous for something, and that thing could be their
cuisine. Sauerkraut as well as Bratwurst would be the best cuisine in
Germany in case you're wondering what's the best food to taste if
ever you visit that country. Souffles on the other hand is a famous
cuisine in France. Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania and the rest of the
Eastern Europe countries however adore a single cuisine which is the
"hunters stew".
The
Polish national dish is also a common name given to it be locals.
It
was through the Lithuanian Grand Duke or the King of Poland in 1385
that Bigos became popular. This cuisine was served to the Kings
guests as they were making a hunt. However, there are those that
suspect that this cuisine started from the country of Germany. Bigos
is also translated as begossen in the German dialect. This word
directly means "to douse", and it earlier periods would
mean adding wine.
There
are actually not fixed ingredients for hunter stew and the
ingredients will be dependent on what is available on a specific
country. Others would prefer their hunters stew with cabbages,
tomatoes, honey, sausages, mushrooms and other ingredients.
The
hunters stew is usually served with mashed potato or bread.
Bigos
can be classified as a stew that is ordinary or typical. Left overs
for this cuisine doesn't actually rot or spoil easily and one can
reheat it anytime for consumption. The best thing about this stew
that sets it apart form others is that it becomes more tasty on the
next reheating.
To
prepare this dish, here's all you have to do.
This
dish has the sauerkraut as its base. Fermented cabbage is usually the
main ingredient however there are those that find combining cabbage
with sauerkraut effective.
Meats
such as kielbosa, deer meat, sausages and venison can be added to
increase the flavor of this cuisine. One should also remember to add
a good amount of peppercorns. Mushrooms likewise should also be added
whether it be dried or brown. Since its a stew, it should also have
tomatoes.
Usually, a stew can be prepared in various ways. One can make alterations and additions to the mixtures such as the cabbage and sauerkraut depending on what people would like to have in their stew. Here is my favorite hunter's stew recipe:
Simmer the cabbage until it becomes soft. Fry a few bacon strips and extract the fat to be used to saute garlic, onion and meat. You can then proceed to mixing all the ingredients together in a pot and leave in low fire for at least 7 hours. The best cook fires are made with well seasoned firewood. Have it simmer for three hours after starting out medium. Simply store it in the refrigerator for future consumption and expect that it will be more tasty and flavorful once reheated for consumption.