Name: Sausage Żur (Żur na kiełbasie)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 450 g fully cooked smoked pork sausage, refrigerated and labeled fully cooked; 1.5 l water; 180 g carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks; 100 g celeriac, peeled and cut into large chunks; 100 g parsley root or parsnip, peeled and cut into large chunks; 80 g leek, white and light-green parts, rinsed and halved lengthwise; 100 g yellow onion, peeled and halved; briefly char the cut sides in a dry pan if desired; 2 bay leaves; 4 whole allspice berries; 6 whole black peppercorns; 500 ml refrigerated fermented rye żur zakwas, stirred or shaken thoroughly before measuring; 8 g garlic, about 2 cloves, finely crushed with a little salt; 3 g fine salt to start; add more only after tasting; 15 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; 900 g potatoes, peeled weight, cut into even 3 cm chunks; 60 g unsalted pork back fat (slanina) or unsalted lard, cut into small cubes; 1 g ground black pepper; Water as needed to boil the potatoes

A wide view of „Sausage Żur (Żur na kiełbasie)“ arranged on a table for serving.

Yield 6 servings

Serving size about 300 ml soup with 150 g boiled potatoes and a share of rendered pork fat

Prep time 25 minutes

Cook time about 60 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Recipe at a glance

Sausage Żur (Żur na kiełbasie)

A thick, gently sour rye soup from Greater Poland, with sausage, parsley and boiled potatoes topped with rendered pork fat.

Żur na kiełbasie is a regional Wielkopolska soup built around fermented rye zakwas. The Polish traditional-product entry associates it especially with eastern Greater Poland and describes a fairly thick, grey soup with a mild sourness, visible sausage pieces and little beads of fat. Chopped green parsley adds colour. The name means sour rye soup with sausage; Polish regional names for rye soups can overlap, so this recipe keeps the registered dish name visible.

The official record recounts a household method in which rye flour ferments with cooled boiled water for about five days, then the sour base is combined with broth made from sausage and soup vegetables. Diced sausage, garlic crushed with salt and parsley finish the soup, while boiled potatoes are served separately with melted slanina. Fat or milk seasoning varied with season and household; the listing does not define one universal formula.

This practical version uses refrigerated prepared żur zakwas to avoid an uncontrolled room-temperature ferment. It follows the recorded sequence: sausage-and-vegetable broth, strained and combined with the rye base, sausage pieces and garlic, then parsley. Boiled potatoes are served on the side with rendered unsalted pork back fat and crisp cracklings. The recipe is measured for home cooking and is not presented as an exact historical or registrant formula.

Tips for success

Choose refrigerated fermented rye zakwas labeled for żur or żurek. Stir or shake it thoroughly before measuring because rye solids settle.
Start the broth with fully cooked packaged sausage. The sausage adds flavour to the stock; return it sliced at the end and heat the soup to 74 °C.
Strain out whole spices and large vegetable pieces before adding the zakwas. Reserve and dice the broth carrots if you want them in the finished soup.
After adding the zakwas, keep the soup at a gentle simmer and stir across the bottom so the rye does not catch.
Render unsalted pork back fat slowly until the fat is clear and the small pieces are crisp. Spoon both over the potatoes; add salt to the soup only after tasting.
The soup should be grey-beige, thick but pourable, mildly sour, with visible sausage slices and parsley.

Ingredients

Sausage and vegetable broth

450 g fully cooked smoked pork sausage, refrigerated and labeled fully cooked
1.5 l water
180 g carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
100 g celeriac, peeled and cut into large chunks
100 g parsley root or parsnip, peeled and cut into large chunks
80 g leek, white and light-green parts, rinsed and halved lengthwise
100 g yellow onion, peeled and halved; briefly char the cut sides in a dry pan if desired
2 bay leaves
4 whole allspice berries
6 whole black peppercorns

Soup and potato service

500 ml refrigerated fermented rye żur zakwas, stirred or shaken thoroughly before measuring
8 g garlic, about 2 cloves, finely crushed with a little salt
3 g fine salt to start; add more only after tasting
15 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
900 g potatoes, peeled weight, cut into even 3 cm chunks
60 g unsalted pork back fat (slanina) or unsalted lard, cut into small cubes
1 g ground black pepper
Water as needed to boil the potatoes

Method

Directions

Prepare the ingredientsCut the sausage in half if needed to fit the pot. Peel and chunk the soup vegetables, halve the leek lengthwise and rinse between the layers. Peel and cut the potatoes into even 3 cm pieces. Keep ready-to-eat foods separate from the raw pork back fat, and wash hands and the knife after handling it.
Build the sausage-and-vegetable brothPut the sausage, carrots, celeriac, parsley root, leek, onion, bay leaves, allspice and peppercorns in the 5-litre pot. Add 1.5 l water and bring just to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes, skimming foam if needed. Lift out the sausage and vegetables; strain the broth. Reserve the carrots and dice them if you want them in the soup. Discard the whole spices and other large vegetables.
Boil the potatoes and render the slaninaWhile the broth simmers, cover the potatoes with water in the smaller saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15–20 minutes until a knife slips into a piece easily. Drain and keep covered. In a skillet, cook the pork back-fat cubes over low to medium-low heat for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the cracklings are crisp. Set aside the fat and cracklings.
Add the rye zakwasReturn the strained broth to the pot. Stir or shake the refrigerated zakwas until the settled rye is evenly suspended, then whisk it into the broth gradually. Bring the soup back to a gentle simmer and cook for 8 minutes, stirring the bottom of the pot. Do not let it boil hard; the soup should thicken slightly and smell cleanly sour.
Return the sausage and finish with garlicSlice the fully cooked sausage into rounds or half-moons and return it to the soup. Add the reserved diced carrots if using. Simmer gently until the sausage is steaming hot throughout and the soup reaches 74 °C. Crush the garlic with a little of the measured salt and stir it in with the chopped parsley and ground pepper. Cook gently for 1–2 minutes.
Season and serveTaste the soup before adding more salt because the sausage and zakwas vary in sodium. The finished żur should be fairly thick but ladleable, grey-beige, mildly sour and dotted with parsley and small beads of fat. Ladle into bowls. Serve the boiled potatoes separately, topped with some rendered pork fat and crisp cracklings.

Nutrition per serving

Energy540 kcal
Carbohydrate42 g
Protein19 g
Fat34 g
Fibre6 g
Sodium1,450 mg
Allergensrye (gluten-containing cereal) and celeriac; check packaged sausage and zakwas labels for other declared allergens

Estimated for one of six servings of soup with sausage, potatoes and a share of rendered pork fat: These values are approximate ingredient-based estimates, not laboratory analysis. Sodium varies substantially by sausage and zakwas brand; the amount of rendered fat eaten also changes the total.

Serving, make-ahead, and storage: If you are holding the food before serving, keep the soup and potatoes at or above 60 °C.

Serving, make-ahead, and storage: Serve about 300 ml of soup per person with roughly 150 g boiled potatoes topped with rendered slanina. Keep the potatoes separate so diners can spoon them into the soup or eat them alongside, as they prefer. Do not stir dairy into this measured version; seasonal and household variations are described in the tradition.

Serving, make-ahead, and storage: You can wash and cut the vegetables a day ahead and refrigerate them covered. The soup is best cooked on the day of serving. If making it ahead, keep the potatoes separate and add parsley after reheating.

Serving, make-ahead, and storage: Refrigerate soup and potatoes separately in shallow covered containers within two hours of cooking, or within one hour if the room is above 32 °C. Store at or below 4 °C and use within 3–4 days. Reheat soup and potatoes to 74 °C throughout, stirring the soup. Freeze soup without potatoes for best quality for up to two months; the potatoes soften after freezing.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the same as every Polish żurek?

The names and accompaniments vary by region and household. This version follows the Wielkopolska LPT description of rye żur with sausage-and-vegetable broth, garlic, parsley and potatoes topped with melted slanina.

Can I use fresh raw sausage?

Not with this method. Use sausage labeled fully cooked. Raw sausage needs its own validated cooking instructions and temperature check before it can be safely used here.

Why use prepared zakwas instead of fermenting it at home?

The older recipe describes a five-day rye ferment, but this practical version uses refrigerated commercial zakwas with package directions. That keeps the timing reproducible without asking you to manage an unmonitored room-temperature ferment.