AI-generated Kulen Novosel
Gat, Croatia
A family farm in Gat, in the town of Belišće near Valpovo, run by Slađan Novosel. The family breeds its own pigs in a closed system and uses only meat from its own farms. Besides kulen it makes slavonska kobasica, and at the 2026 competition S klobasicom u EU its sausages took the champion title and a gold medal in the slavonska kobasica category. The farm also won the 2014 Kulinijada in Jagodnjak with its kulen. It sells kulen, kulenova seka and kobasica through its own web shop. Its kulen lists nitrite among the ingredients, so it is sold as Kulen Novosel and not under the protected name Slavonski kulen.
Sausages from Kulen Novosel
Kulenova seka
Slavonia, Croatia
Kulen's little sister: the same kind of filling, pork with paprika and garlic, in a longer and narrower casing, so it dries sooner and costs less. At Kulen Novosel in Gat the seka sells for 21 euros a kilo, between kulen at 34 and kobasica at 13. Home makers use the pig's large intestine, the kular or gužnjak; factories often use beef casings. Belje's seka weighs about 600 g. It has no protected status, so the name says nothing about where or how it was made. It is eaten cold and sliced, next to kulen on Slavonian platters.
Slavonska Kobasica
Slavonia, Croatia
Slavonia's everyday sausage: lean pork with up to 30% firm fat, salt, sweet and hot paprika and garlic, filled into thin pork intestine and cold-smoked. The EU registered the name as a protected geographical indication in 2023. The protected product is the dried one, sold as a pair: one long casing twisted in the middle and folded into two halves of at least 35 cm each. At home the same sausage changes its job as it ages. Freshly smoked, it goes into the pan or onto the grill and comes with plain sour cream. Half-dried, it cooks in gulaš and sarma. Fully dried, it gets sliced cold.
Slavonski kulen
Slavonia, Croatia
The kulen of Slavonia, protected as an EU geographical indication since 2017 and a separate product from Baranjski kulen across the Drava. Top cuts of pork (leg, loin, shoulder and neck) with up to 10% hard back fat, seasoned with salt, sweet and hot paprika and garlic, and nothing else: no pepper. The filling goes into the pig's caecum, tied tight with hemp string. The pigs must be born and fattened in the area, and the sausage takes at least 150 days from stuffing to sale. The specification describes the taste as intense, salty and hot.