The voice of the kulen, the most famous Croatian sausage, has spread long ago far beyond the borders of Croatia. The stuffing made of pork cleaned of all fatty and connective tissue, ground paprika, garlic and salt in perfect proportions is filled into meticulously cleaned intestine give an irresistible taste that can only be born in Slavonia.

Kulen is prepared from pigs aged 1.5 to two years and weighing more than 180 kilograms. The most popular breed is the Black Slavonian pig, though many crosses are used today.

Manual chopping of meat, instead of grinding, makes the kulen more precious and very important for the final product is the perfect ratio of sweet and hot red peppers, as well as salt.

The optimum maturation of the domestic Slavonian kulen is five to eight months, beginning with, of course, the pig slaughter in November. The old custom is to have the first kulen eaten for the Easter holiday. Unlike the older brother, the kulenova seka is dried in the thinner intestine and ripens earlier, what is the only difference. The stuffing is the same in its composition.

Another name for the kulen is the “kulin” used in some parts of Slavonia, for example in the area around Slavonski Brod.

Whether we call it kulen, kulin or kulenova seka, this specialty has been feeding Slavonia for centuries, and today it is a trademark gastronomic sign of that part of Croatia. In the past people ate it on special occasions, such as weddings or baptisms, while today it is an unavoidable part of Slavonian breakfast and dinner.