Rebuilding the image of the Debrecen, she sausage was listed among the Outstanding National Assets, then in October 2015, it was declared as a “Hungaricum”.
Debrecen double sausage is a traditional food product, made from beef and pork, with some bacon and a secret combination of spices, mainly ground red pepper. It is a juicy, slightly smoked, meat product of bright red colour, produced in linking pairs. The sausage originally made in Debrecen became known as “Debreziner” in German-speaking countries, and then in other parts of the world. There are four different varieties: made from pork only, beef only, a mix of pork and beef, or kosher lamb.
The sausage was originally a high-quality homemade product. However, during the last few decades, the industrial meat production simplified the recipe and a cheap version started to dominate the markets. This greasy version of the sausage with a less sophisticated flavour lost its popularity among the health-conscious customers and the brand of this food product also deteriorated.
In the last few years, double sausage has become an important objective of several stakeholders (City of Debrecen, Committee of Debrecen's Repository of Values, Foundation for the Gastronomy of Debrecen, along with producers, restaurants interested in the revitalization of the noble traditions of the product). An agreement has been made laying down the basic requirements for the Debrecen double sausage in terms of appearance, gastronomic values and quality criteria. They established the Debrecen Double Sausage Codex to protect and renew the reputation of this product of local pride.
Resources needed
Financial resources for the marketing strategies and the declaration of the Debrecen double sausage as a Hungaricum were provided by the City of Debrecen. Human resource contributing includes leaders and experts from local government, local businesses (restaurantsevent organizers), anthropologists.
Evidence of success
The image of the Debrecen double sausage is improving, as well as the quality of the food product. In 2014 it was declared a „local asset”, then in 2015 it was accepted as a „Hungaricum” by the ministries. In 2015 Debrecen Double Sausage Codex was established. The „Zamat” culinary festival has been organized since 2010, and in 2018, 17 restaurants participated to serve 25,000 visitors.
Difficulties encountered
The main challenge was to find the way to reintroduce the Debrecen double sausage in an improved form (high quality, closer to the original recipe) to the market. The younger generations do not even know the original good quality product. Financial resources are needed for an intensive marketing cam
Potential for learning or transfer
This good practice shows the effectiveness of close cooperation among the various stakeholders: the local government of Debrecen city, the tourism stakeholders, the local businesses involved in food production, catering and event management, the museums and the NGOs, etc. In order to reintroduce this traditional product to the domestic and international markets, all the stakeholders had to make serious efforts and cooperate to reach the aim.
After the official recognition of the Debrecen double sausage as special national assets, it is the producers’ and the restaurants’ responsibility to maintain the new, improved quality to satisfy the market demand, and generate new customers. The culinary festivals provide good opportunities to continue the brand building of the product. The Debrecen double sausage brand has also been used in the tourism destination marketing of the city, both at the domestic and the international markets.
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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Communication, Tourism
