South Australia’s Kransky sausage not only tastes great it has become part of the State, much loved by many.
The family had our first Kransky in the form of a hotdog while on a day trip to Victor Harbour. To be honest, we had no idea what a Kransky was then. We just wanted a snack.
It was a Kransky sausage with cheese. As it was different we slowed down to glance at the street vendor and his cart and wondered why. Was it a special recipe. We knew enough to know that it was not the sauce.
His signboard did say that it was a Kransky sausage but the name was not known to us. We did not realise it was not the usual fare and just assumed it was variety of a sausage.
Being recent immigrants and fresh off the boat, we were too shy to ask about this wonderful tasty sausage.It did not take long to realise that it was popular across South Australia from the hills to the coast.
I have a soft spot for sausages well before the Kransky.
Always enjoyed a hotdog as well as a good English breakfast on a Saturday with its sausages. Aware of the variety out there but did not expect one particular variety to stand out. A sausage in front of Bunnings or in a cafe was pretty much within the range of expectation.
A by-product and a leftover origin
Like the Chinese fried rice, sausages started out as leftover meat cuts in most places. And like the fried rice it has become a staple and there are serious connoisseurs out there.
I remember taking my time admiring sausages on supermarket shelves and speciality stores in Europe. There should be a degustation approach for sausages. And I mean it sincerely.
Continental Europe’s contribution
I came to learn it is essentially 65% pork with smaller portion of beef with ground black pepper and garlic. There is also the popular cheese version. Claimed by Slovenians, Croats and Austrians and adopted wholeheartedly by South Australia it seems.
I did realise that Adelaide’s Central Market was big on sausages with a number of stalls and they had lots of varieties. I also noticed a Germanic theme around it. By the way, Kransky is the German name for it. That theme turned out to be heritage.
In search of more about this sausage, I began reading about German immigrants from that part of Europe.
Their journey on their own ships making their way to the shores of South Australia in the 19th century was inspiring. The same lot brought vine cuttings. Hence the German surnames and place names like Barossa and Hahndorf in our part of the World.
And I am not ruling out the popularity of the VW Golfs seen zipping around in Adelaide in view of the State’s German influence .
A Kransky in cold London
The Kransky is now a family favourite.
Years later, its December and I am in London close to freezing and just outside Canary Wharf Mall. Work had brought me to London.
I see a street vendor with a massive rotating wheel grill vending sausages. I step forward with great confidence as I know what a Kransky is and I place my order. I note the German accent of the vendor, a middle aged lady and I knew I was in the right hands.
There is always a sense of pride when you know your food even though it is a humble sausage. It tasted bloody good. It also felt like home, munching away in faraway London.
We should also not forget the sautéed onions and the obligatory dash of mustard and no ketchup please. Remember this is the Kransky.
By the end of writing this I am off to Central Market. South Australia’s Kransky sausage is here to stay
ps. it will be great if outlets who do deliveries include Kransky large hotdogs in their menus even as a side order. How hard can it get?