Name: Biała kiełbasa w żurku: Polish white sausage in sour rye soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 6 portions
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 600 g raw, uncooked white pork sausage, 6 links of about 100 g each; 600 ml fermented rye soup starter, stirred before measuring; 1.8 l water; 1 l low-sodium pork or vegetable broth; 150 g yellow onion, finely diced; 15 ml neutral oil; 9 g garlic, finely chopped; 2 bay leaves; 4 whole allspice berries; 4 g dried marjoram; 1 g ground black pepper; 3 g fine salt to start, with more only if needed after tasting; 6 l arge eggs; 900 g potatoes, peeled weight; 5 g fine salt for the potato water; Water to cover the eggs and potatoes

A bowl of Polish żurek with white sausage, boiled potatoes and a halved hard-boiled egg.

Yield 6 portions

Servings 6, one bowl per person

Dish type Polish sour rye soup with white sausage

Difficulty Easy to moderate

Ingredients ↓

About żurek with white sausage

Biała kiełbasa w żurku: Polish white sausage in sour rye soup

Żurek gets its distinctive tartness and gentle body from fermented rye starter. Poland's tourism guide describes it with a meat or vegetable broth, garlic and marjoram, commonly served with white sausage, boiled potatoes and hard-boiled eggs. Regional records show that related żur dishes vary: some cook sausage in the soup, while potatoes may be served separately or in the bowl.

Here, raw white sausage cooks slowly in the soup, so its savoury juices season the broth as it simmers. Keep the heat low enough to avoid splitting the casings. Because raw white sausage is made from ground meat, check the centre of the thickest link rather than relying on the cooking time or colour.

Boiling the potatoes separately keeps their texture distinct and makes it easy to portion them evenly. The egg adds a mild, firm contrast to the sour soup. Rye starter can differ in acidity and thickness, so stir it well before measuring and taste the finished soup before adding more salt.

Tips for success

Buy raw, uncooked white sausage; if a package says parboiled or precooked, follow its directions and do not treat it as raw sausage.
Stir the starter before measuring so settled rye flour is evenly distributed.
Keep the soup at a gentle simmer after adding the starter and sausages; a hard boil can split the links.
Use low-sodium broth and add salt gradually because sausage and starter brands vary.
Check the thickest sausage at its centre with a clean thin-probe thermometer; it must reach 71.1 °C / 160 °F.
Check package labels for rye, egg, and any additional allergens in sausage or broth.

Ingredients

Soup

600 g raw, uncooked white pork sausage, 6 links of about 100 g each
600 ml fermented rye soup starter, stirred before measuring
1.8 l water
1 l low-sodium pork or vegetable broth
150 g yellow onion, finely diced
15 ml neutral oil
9 g garlic, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
4 whole allspice berries
4 g dried marjoram
1 g ground black pepper
3 g fine salt to start, with more only if needed after tasting

To serve

6 l arge eggs
900 g potatoes, peeled weight
5 g fine salt for the potato water
Water to cover the eggs and potatoes

Method

Directions

Hard-boil the eggs.Put the eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water by about 2.5 cm. Bring to a boil, cover, turn off the heat and leave for 10 minutes. Transfer to cold water to stop the cooking; peel once cool. Refrigerate if the soup will take more than two hours to finish.
Boil the potatoes.Put the peeled potatoes in a second saucepan, cover with cold water and add 5 g salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 18–22 minutes, until a knife slides through easily. Drain and keep covered; halve or quarter large potatoes for serving.
Soften the aromatics.Heat the oil in a 6 l soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 6–8 minutes until soft and translucent, without browning. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
Build the sour rye soup.Add the water, broth, bay leaves and allspice. Bring just to a boil, then lower the heat. Stir the rye starter thoroughly and whisk it gradually into the pot. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly thickened and no longer floury-smelling.
Cook and check the sausage.Lower the raw sausages into the soup. Maintain a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil, for about 25–35 minutes; turn the links once if needed. Insert a clean thin-probe thermometer into the centre of the thickest link. It must reach at least 71.1 °C / 160 °F. If not, simmer for another 5 minutes and recheck. Remove the bay leaves and allspice berries.
Season and serve.Stir in the marjoram, black pepper and 3 g salt to start. Taste and add more salt only if needed. Serve each bowl with soup, one sausage, one halved hard-boiled egg and 150 g boiled potato.

Troubleshooting

The soup is too sourAdd a little hot water or low-sodium broth, then taste again before adjusting salt.
The soup tastes flouryKeep it at a gentle simmer for several more minutes, stirring often.
A sausage casing splitsLower the heat; keep the soup below a rolling boil and handle links gently.
The sausage is below 71.1 °CReturn it to the simmer for 5 minutes and check the centre again. Continue until it reaches the safe temperature.
The soup is too saltyDilute with hot water or unsalted broth and avoid adding further salt.

Nutrition per serving

Serving basisone-sixth of the recipe, with one sausage, one egg and 150 g potato
Caloriesabout 650 kcal
Carbohydratesabout 55 g
Proteinabout 32 g
Fatabout 34 g
Saturated fatabout 11 g
Fibreabout 6 g

These are rounded estimates. White sausage, rye starter and broth vary considerably in fat and sodium, so check product labels for values that match your ingredients.

Allergens and food safety

Serving, storage and make-ahead: Serve the soup hot with one sausage, one egg and boiled potatoes in each portion. Keep the potatoes separate until serving if you want them to retain a firmer texture.

Serving, storage and make-ahead: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers and use within 3–4 days. Reheat the soup and sausage to 73.9 °C / 165 °F throughout. Store peeled eggs and cooked potatoes promptly under refrigeration. You can boil the eggs and potatoes earlier the same day; cool them promptly and keep them chilled.

Rye starter contains rye and gluten. The recipe also contains egg. Sausage and broth can contain additional allergens, including milk, soy, wheat or celery; check their labels. Keep raw sausage, packaging and utensils away from cooked potatoes, eggs and serving dishes. Wash hands and clean food-contact surfaces after handling raw sausage. Cook the thickest link to at least 71.1 °C / 160 °F. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat them to 73.9 °C / 165 °F.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use parboiled white sausage?

This recipe is written for raw, uncooked links, which need full cooking. Parboiled sausage has already been heat-treated; follow its package directions and shorten cooking as appropriate rather than treating it as raw.

Can I cook the potatoes in the soup?

Yes, but they can soften and absorb the soup as it sits. Cooking them separately keeps portions and texture easier to manage.

Is this the protected Wielkopolska white sausage?

No. This is a general home-style recipe using raw white sausage. The protected Wielkopolska product is a distinct regional parboiled sausage with its own production specification.