Head Cheese - in Europe

In Europe

Austria

In Austria, head cheese is known as Presswurst or in the most western parts it is called Schwartamaga.

Bulgaria

In Bulgaria, the meal пача (pacha) is prepared from pig's heads (primarily the ears), legs, and oftentimes tongue. The broth is heavily seasoned with garlic before cooling.

Croatia

This cut is generally known as hladetina, and is commonly produced after the traditional slaughter of pigs. A strongly seasoned version of this cut is called tlačenica or švargla (the latter being a loan-word from German). The name švargl is used for a variant where the chopped parts are stuffed inside the pig's stomach, similar to Scottish haggis.

Czech Republic

In Czech Republic, the huspenina or sulc (from German Sülze) is made from pig's heads and/or legs boiled together, chopped, mixed into their own broth, poured into a rararara and left in the cold to solidify. Other ingredients are onion, pepper, allspice, bayleaf, vinegar, salt, carrot, parsley, root celery, and sometimes eggs. A similar product, tlačenka, is basically huspenina with some more meat, chopped liver and various offal, poured into a prepared pig stomach and left to solidify under the weight. Tlačenka is generally thicker than huspenina, and it is commonly eaten with chopped onions, sprinkled with vinegar.

Denmark, Norway and Sweden

Sylte, sylta or aladåb, was originally made from head of pig, but is now commonly made from the forequarters or shanks of pork or veal and seasoned with allspice, bay leaves, and thyme, and forms part of the traditional Christmas smörgåsbord, served on rugbrød or lefse with strong mustard and pickled beetroots. A rolled version (Danish/Norwegian: rullepølse, Swedish: rullsylta) made in an otherwise similar way also exists, however this contains only very little aspic .

Estonia

Sült, similar to the German or Croatian dish (the name is a loan, as well), but usually less seasoned and made from higher quality meat. Sometimes carrots or greens are added. It is a traditional Christmas dish, but is sold in stores year round. The traditional sült is made from pork using its gelatenous parts. Beef, poultry and fish variants also are available.

Finland

In Finland, head cheese is known as syltty, tytinä or aladobi.

France

In French, it is referred to as fromage de tête, tête pressée, tête fromagée (which translates as "cheesed head") or pâté de tête.

Germany

In Germany, head cheese is known as Sülze, Schwartenmagen or Presskopf. In Bavaria, Presssack comes in three varieties (deep red, pinkish, and grey) in the form of a large (15 cm-diameter) sausage. Sülze can have a tangy flavour due to the addition of pickles or vinegar. It usually takes the form of a rectangular loaf, which is then sliced into portions. There is a white coloured variety and two different red ones, using blood, one made with beef tongue (as in Zungenwurst) and aspic, the other without. In Franconia, Saurer Presssack is served in a salad with a vinaigrette and vegetables.

Early references to Sulcze in documents of the Counts of Katzenelnbogen date from 1410 and 1430.

Hungary

A variant of head cheese, malacarc, disznósajt or disznófősajt (pork cheese or pork head cheese), is made of mixed meat slices (especially from the head of the pig,) spices, paprika, and pieces of bacon cooked in spicy stock. The chopped meat is stuffed into the pig's stomach, similarly to Scottish haggis, pricked with needles, then pressed down with weights to remove excess fat and make it tight and compact. Often it is smoked like sausages or ham.

Iceland

Sviðasulta a form of head cheese, is made from svið, singed sheep's head, sometimes cured in lactic acid.

Italy

In Genoa, a similar cold cut goes by the name of testa in cassetta, literally "head in a box", but it is possible to find it throughout the entire central and northern Italy, where it is called coppa di testa, or simply coppa, or – in some northern regions – formaggio di testa (head cheese). In central Italy (Lazio, Umbria), it is common to put orange peel pieces in it, or to serve it in a salad together with oranges and black olives.

Latvia

Galerts is similar Latvian food consiting from meat in gelatin, often with vegetables, such as carrots, and celery added to the resulting colloidal suspension. Horseradish and/or vinegar can be poured over the galerts when serving it.

Lithuania

Košeliena (deriving from košė (pulp or squash) or šaltiena (deriving from šalta, "cold", and refers to way of serving the dish), is usually made from pig's feet; sometimes part of head is added.

Netherlands and Belgium

Headcheese is known under several regional names and variations. In Brabant, it is called zult and is made with blood. Pig's foot provides the gelatin and a little vinegar is added to it. In Limburg, it is called hoofdkaas, meaning head cheese, and is eaten on bread or with Limburgisch sausage as a starter. A red, sweet variety and a slightly sour, grey variety are available. The red one can be compared to Brabantic zult. Both zult and preskop are also found in Limburg, though zult is less sour, whereas preskop often contains black pepper and is eaten on wholewheat bread. In Belgium, head cheese is also called kop or kopvlees, which translates as "meat from the head".

Poland

In Poland, head cheese is referred to as salceson, a name possibly derived from saucisson, the French word for a type of sausage. The several varieties of salceson depend on the ingredients; black salceson contains blood, white salceson is made with a mixture of seasoned meats without blood, and ozorkowy (tongue) salceson uses tongue as the major meat component.

Portugal

In Portugal, this delicacy, known as cabeça de xara, is mainly prepared in the Alentejo region.

Romania

The two versions of it are tobă (drum) or, especially in Transylvania, caş de cap de porc (pig head cheese, akin to the Hungarian disznófősajt), which looks like a wide sausage, 4-inch diameter, and the marginally similar piftie (the same dish as Serbian and Macedonian pihtije) in which the contents are poured into a bowl which is then refrigerated.Piftie is not necessarily made of head meat, but also has different kinds of meat, boiled with garlic and bay leaves. It is prepared by boiling pig's feet to make a soup, because they contain more gelatin than any other part of the pig. The mixture is then cooled to make a jelly. Usually, garlic is added.

Russia and Ukraine

In Russia and Ukraine, head cheese is a popular food for festive occasions. In Ukraine, it is called kovbyk (ковбик). Beef or lamb ead cheese is also popular in the Jewish community. It is more popularly called saltisón (салтисон) or holodets (холодец).

Slovakia

A special variety of head cheese, called tlačenka (pressed one), is very popular in Slovakia. It is made of pork stomach stuffed with offal and leftover parts of pig's heads and legs. It is seasoned with garlic, paprika, black pepper, and other ingredients and usually smoked. It is traditionally served with sliced onion, vinegar, and bread.

Huspenina (also called studeno, meaning "cold one") is similar to a certain extent, but made with less meat and more gelatine. It is more similar to aspic, pork jelly, or hladetina.

Slovenia

In Slovenia, it is known as tlačenka, "pressed-one", or informally as žolca.

Spain

This cold cut is known as cabeza de jabali, "boar's head".

Sweden

Known as sylta, a few variations are available with different meats, spices and preparation methods, the most popular being kalvsylta (veal brawn), pressylta (pressed pork and veal brawn), and rullsylta (rolled and pressed side of pork). Common seasonings are onions, white pepper, allspice, cloves, salt and bay leaves and occasionally carrots and herbs are added to the ingredients. Sylta is often regarded as a seasonal food eaten at the julbord at Christmas.

United Kingdom

In England and Wales, head sausage is referred to as brawn or (in Yorkshire and Norfolk) pork cheese. In Scotland, it is known as potted heid (potted head of beef, pork or sheep); the similar potted haugh or hough is made from the shank of the animal.