Where to Find Authentic Polish Kielbasa for Easter
Dear Kelley:
My family has decided to do a Polish Easter celebration this year. Where do you recommend we shop for authentic Polish food – especially kielbasa?
-- Babcia’s Girl
Dear Babcia’s Girl:
You’ve asked the right person! My Polish grandmother taught me how to make a lot of traditional Polish dishes for Easter. And that ubiquitous “Polish sausage” in the grocery store never graces my table.
You don’t say in your question where you are located, so I’ll offer some sources for authentic Polish kielbasa – both smoked and fresh – in a few different locations.
1. Greater Boston
I’ve tried kielbasa from all of these purveyors. They are all excellent.
Baltic European Deli in South Boston, Massachusetts. This is a deli offering all things Polish. It’s in the “Polish Triangle” section of Boston, which also includes Café Polonia and Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic Church.
Polonus European Deli & Ice Cream in Salem, Massachusetts. This deli is also fully stocked with Polish products. It’s in the heart of Salem, easy to get too and just steps from the main parking garage in the city.
Karl’s Sausage Kitchen & European Market (Twitter: @KarlsSausage ; visit their Facebook page ) in Peabody, Massachusetts. Karl’s, which recently moved from Saugus to Peabody, is really a German deli and café. All of their meats are homemade, as are many of their German delicacies. That said, they have both smoked and fresh kielbasa, and their fresh is some of the best I’ve ever tried.
Pekarski Sausage in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. This is just a deli, with a small amount of non-meat products. That said, they have an excellent selection of kielbasa and other smoked and cured meats.
2. New Jersey
Piast Meats & Provisions has several stores in New Jersey: two stores in Garfield and one store in Maplewood (Twitter: @PiastMeats ; here’s their Facebook page ). Unlike many of these delis, Piast Meats offers shipping throughout the U.S. (including Hawaii and Alaska).
Adam’s Food Market in Wallington, New Jersey is superb. I bought my Easter kielbasa there one year and my mother and I were the only ones in line not speaking Polish – even the nuns behind us were Polish. Adam’s has a smoke house behind the store; step out of your car and you’ll smell that wonderful smoky aroma wafting through the area.
3. Long Island
Riverhead, NY, in Long Island, bills itself as “Polish Town, USA.” There are many authentic Polish delis here, including: Euro Deli, Wisla Delicacy Deli and Polish Town Deli & Seafood.
4. Michigan
Hamtramck, Michigan, near Detroit, is another town with a large population of Polish and Polish-Americans. Like Riverhead, there are many Polish delis, such as: Polish Market, Bozek’s Meat and Groceries and Srodek’s Campau Quality Sausage (visit their Facebook page ).
Enjoy your kielbasa!