Kielbasa

Kielbasa, kołbasa, kobasa, kovbasa, kobasa, kobasi, and kubasa are common North American anglicizations for a type of Eastern European sausage. Synonyms include Polish sausage, Ukrainian sausage, etc. In English, these words refer to a particular genre of sausage, common to all Eastern European countries but with substantial regional variations. In the, these are the generic words for all types of sausage, local or foreign.

Etymology and usage
The terms entered English simultaneously from different sources, which accounts for the different spellings. Usage varies between cultural groups, but overall there is a distinction between American and Canadian usage.

In the United States, the form kiełbasa is more often used and comes from the Polish kiełbasa "sausage". In New Jersey, Pennsylvania and most areas of Greater New York City, a derivative of the Polish word is used, pronounced ke-bah-see or keu-bah-sah.

In addition to kiebasa, Canadians also use the word kubasa, a corruption of the Ukrainian kovbasa (ковбаса), and Albertans even abbreviate it as kubie to refer to the sausage eaten on a.

Poland
Sausage is a staple of and comes in dozens of varieties, smoked or fresh, made with, , , , , , or , with every region having its own speciality. Of these, the Kiełbasa Lisiecka, produced in, has, since late 2010, protection. There are official Polish government guides and classifications of sausages based on size, meat, ready-to-eat or uncooked varieties.

Originally made at home in, there are a wide variety of s for kielbasa preparation at home and for holidays. Kielbasa is also one the most traditional foods served at Polish weddings. Popular varieties include:
 * kabanosy, a thin, air-dried sausage flavoured with seed, originally made of pork
 * "kiełbasa wędzona", polish smoked sausage, used often in soups.
 * krakowska, a thick, straight sausage hot-smoked with pepper and garlic; its name comes from
 * wiejska ([ˈvʲejska]), a large U-shaped and  sausage with  and ; its name means "rural" or (an  use of) "country", or ( use of) "village".
 * weselna, "" sausage, medium thick, u-shaped smoked sausage; often eaten during parties, but not exclusively

The most popular kiełbasa is also called "Polska kiełbasa" (for "Polish Sausage") or "Kiełbasa Starowiejska" known as "Old Country Style Sausage". This one comes closest to what is generally known in America as "kiełbasa" (a Polish sausage). Nowadays, many major meat packers across America offer a product called "kiełbasa," usually somewhat different from the original.

In Poland, kiełbasa is often served garnished with fried s, and – in the form of cut pieces – smoked kiełbasa can be served cold, hot, boiled, baked or grilled. It can be cooked in soups such as ' (sour rye soup), kapuśniak (cabbage soup), or grochówka (pea soup), baked or cooked with, or added to dishes, s (notably ', Polish national dish), and. Kiełbasa is also very popular served cold as coldcuts on a platter, usually for an appetizer at traditional Polish parties.

A less widely available variety of kiełbasa is the White Fresh (biała), which is sold uncooked and unsmoked, then usually prepared by boiling, frying or cooking in a soup in place of raw meat. This variety of kiełbasa's taste is similar to a white.

United States
In the, "kielbasa" can be bought in most Polish stores all over the which may be unsmoked ("fresh") or fully or partly smoked.

Polish sandwich is a sandwich with kielbasa, a pickle spear, and  on.

Canada
In Canada, varieties typical of Poland, Ukraine, and elsewhere are available in supermarkets, and more specific varieties can be found in specialty shops. This type of sausage is particularly associated with the, where the Slavic cultural presence is particularly strong. The world's largest display model of a Ukrainian sausage is a in, the home of Stawnichy's Meat Processing.

Hungary
Kolbász is the Hungarian word for sausage. produces a vast number of types of sausages. The most common smoked Hungarian sausages are Gyulai Kolbász, Csabai Kolbász, Csemege Kolbász, Házi Kolbász, Cserkész Kolbász, lightly smoked, like Debreceni Kolbász (or Debrecener) and Lecsókolbász, a spicy sausage made specifically for serving as part of the dish Lecsó, a vegetable stew with peppers and tomatoes. Hungarian boiled sausages are called "Hurka", Liver Sausage, "Májas", and Blood Sausage, "Véres". The main ingredient is and, or blood and rice. ,, and are added.

Czech Republic and Slovakia
Klobása is the Czech and Slovak word for sausage.

Ukraine
In "kovbasa" is properly pronounced [kowbɑˈsɑ], but in English is usually pronounced /ˈkʌbəsɑː/

Elsewhere
Similar sausages are found in other Slavic nations as well, notably (spelled "колбаса", i.e. "kolbasa"), the  (spelled "klobása", or regionally "klobás"),  (spelled "klobása") and  (spelled "klobása"). In, , , and , this sausage is called "kobasica", while in Macedonia it's called "kolbas".

In, the sausages are referred to as Kalbas (Ka'l-BUS) (Persian: کالباس).