🌭 Cârnat de Casă: Romania’s Traditional Homemade Sausage
In Romanian cuisine, cârnat de casă (homemade sausage) is more than a dish—it’s a family tradition passed down from generation to generation. Made with freshly ground pork, aromatic spices, and often a touch of garlic, this beloved winter specialty is a symbol of rural life, homegrown flavor, and holiday abundance.
🐖 What Is Cârnat de Casă?
Cârnat de casă refers to homemade sausages typically prepared in Romanian households during the winter months, especially around Ignat (December 20th), a traditional day dedicated to pig slaughter. These sausages are made with pork (sometimes combined with beef or lamb), mixed with spices like salt, pepper, paprika, thyme, and garlic, then stuffed into natural casings.
They can be:
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Fresh – for immediate consumption or grilling
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Smoked – to preserve and develop deeper flavor
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Dried – air-dried or cold-smoked over weeks
🧾 Traditional Ingredients
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5 kg (11 lbs) pork shoulder or a mix of shoulder and belly (for fat content)
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100–150 g salt (non-iodized, preferably coarse)
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20 g freshly ground black pepper
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30–50 g sweet paprika (optional: smoked paprika)
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2 heads of garlic (crushed and diluted in water or wine)
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10 g dried thyme (optional)
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1 cup of dry white wine (for flavor and preservation)
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Natural pork casings (cleaned and soaked)
Optional additions: chili flakes, coriander, or nutmeg, depending on regional and family preferences.
🍳 How to Make Traditional Cârnat de Casă
1. Grind the meat
Use a meat grinder to grind the pork coarsely. Fat is important—it keeps the sausage juicy and flavorful.
2. Season the mixture
In a large container, mix the ground meat with salt, pepper, paprika, thyme, garlic water, and wine. Mix thoroughly for several minutes (kneading the meat by hand) to develop the right texture and allow the flavors to combine.
Let it rest overnight in the fridge for better taste, if time allows.
3. Prepare the casings
Rinse natural pork intestines in cold water and leave them in salted water with a splash of vinegar to clean and soften them.
4. Stuff the sausages
Use a sausage stuffer or meat grinder attachment to fill the casings with the seasoned meat. Be careful not to overfill—tie the ends with kitchen twine and twist into desired lengths.
5. Cure, smoke, or cook
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Fresh sausages can be fried or grilled immediately.
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To smoke: Hang sausages in a cool, well-ventilated space to dry for 1–2 days, then cold smoke them over beechwood or fruitwood for 6–12 hours over a couple of sessions.
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To store: Keep them in a cold pantry, cellar, or freezer, depending on preparation and preservation method.
🍽 How to Serve Cârnat de Casă
Homemade Romanian sausages are incredibly versatile. They can be:
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Grilled or pan-fried, served with mămăligă (polenta), mustard, pickles, or bread
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Cooked in stews or with beans (fasole cu cârnați – a beloved national dish)
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Smoked and sliced cold, as part of traditional charcuterie plates
🧡 A Culinary and Cultural Tradition
In Romanian villages, making cârnați is part of a bigger seasonal event tied to the cutting of the pig before Christmas. Families gather to prepare all parts of the animal—sausages, caltaboș (liver sausage), tobă (head cheese), and slănină (cured fat). Every family has its own version, passed down like a secret legacy.
The process is labor-intensive but joyful, often involving several generations working together, tasting the raw mix, and arguing (lovingly) about whether it needs more garlic or spice.
🧂 Regional Variations
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Ardeal (Transylvania): Smokier, more garlic-forward, often with juniper or bay
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Moldova: Slightly spicier, sometimes with chili
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Oltenia & Muntenia: Paprika-heavy and richly seasoned
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Banat: Influenced by Hungarian and German cuisine—more finely ground and sometimes smoked longer
Final Thoughts
Cârnat de casă is a shining example of how Romanian cuisine celebrates simplicity, resourcefulness, and tradition. Every bite carries the flavor of the land, the warmth of family kitchens, and the memory of winter holidays gone by.
Whether grilled over an open flame, cooked with beans, or sliced on a wooden platter, these sausages represent the heart of Romanian cooking: rustic, honest, and made with love.
