Perhaps no other dish has played such a large role in the
traditional Vilnius area as cabbage stew, also called bigos. Since
ancient times, it has been eaten both in the peasant’s shack and
the king’s palace. The dish was described and praised in the
famous poem by Adam Mickiewicz, “Pan Tadeusz.”
Most often, traditional bigos is made for Užgavėnės, when it is
important to have a fatty, satisfying meal before the 40 days of
fasting. It is a calorie-rich stew of sauerkraut, fresh cabbage and
meat, also enhanced with dried boletus, bacon, sausage, fried
onion, and dried plums. Making the dish takes quite a while — the
stew bubbles on low heat for three hours.
To make bigos, you will need two kilos sauerkraut, one kilo fresh
cabbage, 300 grams smoked bacon, half a kilo sausage and 800
grams various meats. You may also include a handful of dried
plums, dried mushrooms, three onions, bay leaf, non-crushed
black pepper, fat and other spices. Stew the sauerkraut in its juice
in a large pot. Chop fresh cabbage, add boiling water and stew
separately until soft. Fry finely diced bacon and sausage in a pan,
then put it into the sauerkraut. Add spice to taste. Sometimes just
a bay leaf, some caraway seed and black pepper are enough. Soak
the plums and mushrooms, cut into strips, and add to the
cabbage. Also add the water the mushrooms soaked in. Cut fresh
meat into medium-sized chunks and fry it. Then add diced onion,
fry a little longer, and put into the pot. Once the fresh cabbage
becomes soft, add it into the pot as well. Stew everything for a
little longer on low heat, then leave in a cold room for a while.
Simmer for another hour on low heat, stirring to avoid sticking.
Add salt and sugar. You can also put in a mashed tomato and two
to three cloves of garlic. Afterwards, put in a cold room again.
Some housewives heat up and cool down the bigos four to five
times, saying that this helps it mature and become moredelicious.
Remember to stir well all the way down to the bottom every time
you heat it up. The bigos is usually served in small bowls as the
main course, and eaten with bread or potatoes.

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