The first pig is halved and lain on the butchering table in the kitchen of the basement floor.
On the yard outside the cast iron cauldron is still full of the water in which the innards were boiled. Rice is placed into a canvas bag that is dipped into the water by the two boys. They stand on opposite sides.
The traditional breakfast at a pig slaughter is “hagymás sült vér,” which translates to “cooked blood with onions.” The women of the house cook fresh blood drained from the pig in salted water. This causes the blood to stiffen into solid lumps which are grated.
Tasting of pickles
Zsíros kenyér, bread smeared with lard, onions and paprika
Rabbit meat on barley
Seared foie gras over potatoes
A loin and a belly remain to be separated.
Balaton during the summer
This piece, for example, will make for beautiful szalonna.
Hungarian ice cream
When the sausage is done it is rolled up and twisted into links.
Toast with brain and paprika grilled onto it
Brushing lángos with garlic oil
“Perzselés” is carried out all over the body of the animal. In addition to burning the skin, it causes the flesh to stiffen, making it easier to chop into.
The head takes a bit longer to boil.
Next, the tail is separated and the snow-white fat is torn as effortlessly as paper straight up through the stomach.
They wash off the exterior of the small intestines with cold water and continue soaking them in a wooden trough filled with ice cold water.
Toltott káposzta. Sauerkraut with ground meat and sausage
Zsíros kenyér, bread smeared with lard, onions and paprika
A light stew with chicken liver dumplings
All this gunk must come out before the intestines can be stuffed.
Another popular breakfast item at pig slaughters is “velős rántotta,” scrambled eggs made with pig’s brains. It’s served with red cabbage cooked in vinegar with a dash of sugar.
Toltott káposzta. Sauerkraut with ground meat and sausage
Minced onion and rice is sauteed with the grated blood and seasoned with black pepper and marjoram. The dish is served with bread or eaten as a pudding. It is thought to give the men energy for the slaughter.
Meanwhile, the women untangle the small intestines. They will be cleaning these to use as casings for sausages.
Christmas fare
Kemence lángos with fried pork cracklings and onion
Halászlé, traditional fisherman´s soup
Ilonka Néni notices how much I enjoy the tender cheek meat and shares with me that it is her favorite too. We take a moment to munch on a cheek each, after salting them generously, of course.
Cucumber salad with sour cream
Refreshing cucumber salad
Lecsó stew of meat with peppers and tomato
Old school ice cream place
As I watch Joci jokes “It’s called the Colombian necktie, like in the movies.”
Comfort food – pumpkin stew with grilled wiener
A wooden trough is lain over a couch in the makeshift kitchen on the ground floor of the house. It is filled with rice and the ground innards are added over the top.
The cleaned intestines await stuffing.
Borzaska, pork cutlet breaded in shaved potatoes and fried
Kemence lángos, the Hungarian pizza
Zserbó cake
Eventually there is no space left on the table. The third pig is placed in a vat on the floor.
Sour cherry soup
The organs are boiled in a large cast iron cauldron over a wood fire in the yeard. They will be ground and stuffed into the small intestines to make sausage.
Porkolt with dumplings
As she tugs at the casing to make sure it is filled evenly, she chastises the boy for cranking too quickly.
Hungarian puff pastry, pogácsa
Halászlé, traditional fisherman´s soup
She even makes a few lewd and hilarious double entendre’s that the boy doesn’t seem to be old enough to understand.
A little tasting of Hungary´s best
The intestines, kidneys, pancreas, spleen and stomach are removed into a wooden trough.
Reindeer steak
The skin is ripped off and fed to the dogs. The meat and fat are removed and ground down with the offal. Pork cheek is probably one of my favorite pieces of meat on the animal. I eat an entire cheek, after salting it of course.
A great restaurant right outside Budapest
One of my favorite restaurants in the Danube Bend
Toltott káposzta. Sauerkraut with ground meat and sausage
The boiled organ meats are a great snack to munch on while grinding, which takes a total of 2 hours. As I pick at a liver, I am instructed to add salt before taking a bite.
Joci
The pig head with its meat and a bit of skin hanging on like a mask is a shocking sight indeed.
The innards have been boiled. They breathe a bit before being ground to make filling for the sausage.
Country sausage with mustard
The men and boys prep the three pigs for butchery. The pigs have each been killed with a quick stab to the throat. Their blood has been drained to use for making blood sausage.
Lecsó stew of meat with peppers and tomato
Suckling pig
A leg is removed and stored separately. This will be sliced into hams to cure and cook.
The innards of three pigs are ground by hand. It’s a labor intensive task that takes 2~3 hours to complete.
A delicious soup and soft cheese dumpling near the Balaton
A new bagel spot with duck live paté
Lángos fried dough
Blood sausage with mustard
Intestines go through a final clean in ice cold water.
Refreshing cucumber salad
A delicious appetizer at Kistucsok restaurant near the Balaton
The ladies also add smoked paprika powder, which is sprinkled over the top of the ground innards.
A delicious soup and soft cheese dumpling near the Balaton
Joci removes the heart from the chest cavity of the pig. His hands are covered in blood. I ask him what that feels like and he tells me it’s warm, sticky and clean.
Csirke paprikás
Halászlé, traditional fisherman´s soup
Pickles in a market
Joci picks out an organ to show me. “This is the vese.” It’s the kidney.
After all the meat is removed the skull is given to the dogs to gnaw on. A fantastic Christmas present for the canines.
Seared foie gras over mashed potato with pears
The ladies toil for close to 20 minutes over the trough, mixing the herbs, rice and innards into a homogenous filling.
