QUALITY AND GASTRONOMY FROM THE MARSHLANDS

SOUTHERN JUTLAND SAUSAGES: Sausages from the region of Jutland which borders Germany, have always been something special. For more than a century Højer Pølser has refined sausage making into a fine art

When the brothers Gerd and Jan Müller first participated in a trade competition for making liver sausages in Mannheim, Germany in 1995, they created sensation in the delicatessen sector. Against competition from 2,500 specialists around the world, they swept the board at the award ceremony, winning in all disciplines and making Højer Pølser a known and respected name everywhere quality sausages are appreciated.

     “The Mannheim medals are probably those we are most proud of,” say the Müller brothers. Højer Pølser has won more than 200 medals over the 110 years in which four generations have run the company. The most recent award is the Danish Gastronomic Academy’s honorary diploma for valuable gastronomic efforts in the production of southern Jutland ham and sausage specialities.

Craftsmanship and quality
Højer Pølser takes its name from the town of Højer close to the German border. Højer lies in marshland close to the North Sea, where its green pastures have been used for centuries to graze cattle and sheep, and have made the resulting beef and lamb a special gastronomic experience. The town itself is a delightful mixture of old houses and twisting streets, which although located below sea level have the protection of substantial physical defences against the North Sea.

     “A good sausage needs two things: True craftsmanship and quality ingredients,” says Jan Müller. “We have learned the craft from our father, who learned it from his father, who again learned it from his father. The vast majority of the recipes have been passed down over four generations. Many of our specialities are old recipes from southern Jutland, which always has been known for good food.”

Exquisite taste
“We also use ingredients of exquisite quality,” says Jan Müller. “We forbid anything tainted by colour or fillers. A sausage from Højer is made only from meat, fat and spices. They are non-allergenic too, since there is no flour, eggs or milk products in them. We know every single supplier and choose the ingredients from local farms ourselves so we know what goes into our sausages. The maturation of the sausages is also important. We mature the sausages in stone ovens and smoke them over beech wood which confers the most exquisite taste.”

     Sausage making is a truly ancient craft. The Ancient Greeks were very fond of sausages, and during the Roman Empire sausages developed into much sought after specialities. The sausages we know today mainly originate from Germany, Hungary and Italy.

     “In Denmark it was especially smoked and salted sausages which became popular as they kept well at a time when people didn’t have fridges. And because its proximity to Germany, southern Jutland is where sausage making gained ground. Gradually southern Jutland sausages got their own identity and taste, and today they are a unique product. Provided that the ingredients are genuine, that is.”

Old recipe
Højer Pølser is a true family enterprise where everyone lends a helping hand – assisted by the father Andreas Müller, who helps ensure that the old traditions are maintained. At the same time, new initiatives have taken place – Gerd and Jan Müller have developed a range of French and Italian sausages with garlic and cognac.

     “One of our greatest successes in recent years is our potato salami based on a recipe from our grandmother, who inherited it from her grandmother. We have replaced the fat with potatoes which helps emphasise the taste of pork and beef. We have also had great success with our cabbage sausages which we make from coarsely chopped ham which is boiled and smoked.” Many sausages have been criticised over time, largely because they are often able to hide more than they reveal. There are many anecdotes of people who have instantly stopped eating sausages, having seen what went into them. By contrast, Gerd and Jan Müller’s recipe for success is based on achieving the opposite reaction. They have a rapidly growing clientele who often visit the shop in Højer as well as the sausage making facility itself. People happily travel from afar – or order their sausages via the internet. Højer Pølser is also gaining shelf space in increasing numbers of supermarkets in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

     “Quality consciousness is clearly increasing among consumers,” says Jan Müller. “We have almost doubled our revenues in just a year even though our sausages, on account of their quality, are somewhat more expensive.” “But it’s also a fact that there is far more substance in a Højer sausage than less expensive alternatives,” adds Gerd Müller “You have to eat three cheap sausages to fill your stomach. Just one sausage from Højer does the same job.”

http://www.hojer-polser.dk