Hungarian Hurka — Liver & Blood Sausage

Hurka is a traditional Hungarian sausage, usually made in two main styles: májas hurka (liver sausage) and véres hurka (blood sausage). It is commonly served with mustard, pickles, and potatoes.

🐖 Ingredients — 6 servings

For Májas Hurka (Liver Sausage)

• 500 g pork liver
• 500 g fatty pork or pork belly
• 250 g cooked rice
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 2–3 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 1–2 tsp salt
• Pork casings

For Véres Hurka (Blood Sausage)

• 500 ml fresh pork blood
• 500 g fatty pork
• 250 g cooked rice
• 2 large onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• Salt
• Pork casings

👨‍🍳 Preparation

1. Cook the pork: Boil the fatty pork until tender. Reserve some of the cooking liquid.
2. Prepare the liver: Cook the liver briefly until just done, then chop or grind it.
3. Sauté the onions: Cook the onions in pork fat until soft and golden. Add garlic.
4. Mix: Combine the meat, liver, cooked rice, onions, paprika, pepper, marjoram, and salt.
5. For blood hurka: Mix the blood into the pork-and-rice mixture, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to make it moist.
6. Fill the casings: Loosely fill the pork casings—don’t pack them tightly because the rice expands.
7. Poach: Place the sausages in hot water and gently poach rather than vigorously boiling them. Keep the temperature around 75–80°C (167–176°F) until cooked through.
8. Cool: Remove carefully and allow them to cool.

🔥 To Serve

Traditionally, hurka is baked or fried before serving:

• Place the sausages in a baking dish.
• Add a little pork fat or water.
• Bake at 180–190°C (350–375°F) for about 25–35 minutes, turning carefully once.
• Serve hot with mustard, pickles, sauerkraut, and boiled or roasted potatoes.