Doctor's Sausage Taste Test: Eight Brands Compared

The name «doctor«s sausage» became attached to a type of boiled sausage after Soviet doctors recommended it for people with weakened health. Today, dietary specialists would be skeptical of such recommendations, but that does not hinder the love for this product among the broadest segments of the population. The NGS editorial team decided to blind-test doctor»s sausage «according to GOST» from eight different manufacturers. As it turned out, high ratings do not always mean a high price.

Doctor«s Orders

We bought from supermarkets doctor«s sausage from eight different manufacturers — all claiming the product is made according to GOST and is Category A (highest meat content). Part of the sausage was sold at a discount, though it is hard to judge how real the discount was. For example, the same package of Torgovaya Ploshchad doctor»s sausage cost 169 rubles ($2 at current rates) at SPAR supermarket and O«Key hypermarket, though in the latter it was a heavily discounted price. So just in case we also give the price «without discount». For ease of comparison, we have converted prices to per kilogram.

We tasted the sausage blindly — that is, without knowing which product was on the plate. In total, eight people participated in the tasting. They evaluated not only taste but also aroma and even texture — it also influences the perception of the product. Ratings varied widely. So much so that some samples received both 1 and 9 in a particular category.

First Place: Sibagro (509 rubles, ~$6) — 21.8 points

Ingredients: pork, beef, drinking water, chicken egg, skimmed milk powder, curing salt mixture (salt, color fixative E250), stabilizers: E450, E452, acidity regulators: E451, E262, E331, E325, sugar, nutmeg, antioxidant.

Initially this sample got lower ratings, but after getting acquainted with the others many participants added a couple of points to Sibagro. This sausage indeed has everything that people usually like in doctor«s sausage. It has a pleasant, appetizing smell, a fairly dense but not completely homogeneous «fibrous» texture (often one can encounter some jelly). The taste also seemed quite bright.

Second Place: Velikiye Luki Meat Processing Plant (635 rubles, ~$7; with discount 275 rubles, ~$3) — 18.6 points

Ingredients: pork, beef, drinking water, egg melange, whole cow«s milk powder, salt, sugar, natural spices (nutmeg), stabilizer E450iii, antioxidant ascorbic acid, color fixative sodium nitrite.

This sample was not liked by everyone, but several high ratings put it among the leaders. The reason for the success is probably the spices — they are felt both in the aroma and taste. The texture is also quite dense, but more homogeneous.

Third Place: Vysoky Vkus SPK (740/600 rubles, ~$8/$7) — 16.1 points

Ingredients: pork, beef, water, egg powder, milk powder, curing salt mixture (salt, color fixative sodium nitrite), sugar, spices (nutmeg), stabilizer E450, flavor enhancer E621, acidity regulator E451, antioxidant ascorbic acid.

This is the more premium line of Siberian Food Company (SPK) and compared to the regular sausage from this manufacturer, the difference is certainly noticeable. Here the consistency is more delicate, the aroma brighter. But impressions of this doctor«s sausage were divided — it received from 3 to 8 points. It is the neatest here. Possibly it»s because this sausage is just made more carefully — that arouses suspicion.

Fourth Place: Lama (1078/675 rubles, ~$12/$8) — 15.3 points

Ingredients: pork meat, beef meat, drinking water, chicken eggs, whole cow«s milk powder, curing mixture (salt, color fixative E250), stabilizer E450, sugar, natural spices, flavor enhancer E621.

Produced by the eponymous Tomsk company, sold in Novosibirsk in SPAR stores, which belong to Lama. If we go by the price without discount, this is the most expensive sample in the selection. However, this hardly affects the perception of the product. The only thing that can be said about this sausage is that it is less salty.

Fifth Place: Werner (389 rubles, ~$4) — 14.8 points

Ingredients: pork, beef, water, skimmed milk powder, curing salt mixture (salt, color fixative sodium nitrite), egg melange, sugar, stabilizer sodium pyrophosphate, acidity regulators: pentasodium triphosphate, sodium acetate, trisodium citrate; antioxidants: sodium ascorbate, ascorbic acid; maltodextrin, flavorings, spice extracts.

Own brand of the Chizhik chain, it can only be bought there. Opinions on this sausage immediately split. Some disliked it: «sour taste», «smells like cat food», «doesn«t resemble doctor»s sausage». Others in contrast gave it quite high ratings calling it tasty. It should be noted that it turned out not to be the cheapest; it was surpassed by the Velikiye Luki doctor«s sausage, which, however, was sold with a 54% discount.

Sixth Place: Dymov (633 rubles, ~$7) — 13.9 points

Ingredients: pork, beef, water, egg melange, drinking milk, curing salt mixture (salt, color fixative sodium nitrite), sugar, stabilizers (sodium pyrophosphate, sodium polyphosphate), acidity regulator (pentasodium triphosphate), antioxidant (ascorbic acid), spices (nutmeg), flavor enhancer (monosodium glutamate).

A well-known brand with a good reputation. And if participants had known what they were tasting, the ratings would probably have been higher. But «blind» the result was not very high. Even though there were no particular complaints. Some even noted a smoked aftertaste.

Seventh Place: Vyazanka (835/730 rubles, ~$9/$8) — 12.3 points

Ingredients: pork, beef, drinking water, egg products, cow«s milk powder, salt, curing salt mixture (salt, color fixative sodium nitrite), stabilizer: pyrophosphates, acidity regulator: triphosphates, sugar, nutmeg, antioxidant: ascorbic acid. The product may contain traces of mustard, gluten-containing cereals and fiber, celery and their processed products.

The most expensive sample, even taking the discounted price. This is a brand of the company «ABI», the sausage itself is made by AO «Starodvorskie kolbasy» in the city of Vladimir. It received the lowest rating for aroma, which seemed weak and even slightly off-putting. The consistency also aroused suspicion («resembles jelly»).

Eighth Place: Torgovaya Ploshchad (771/486 rubles, ~$9/$5) — 10.6 points

Ingredients: pork, beef, water, egg powder, skimmed milk powder, curing salt mixture (salt, color fixative sodium nitrite), salt, sugar, spices nutmeg, stabilizers pyrophosphates, sodium tripolyphosphate, antioxidant ascorbic acid.

About this sample, unfortunately, no one could say anything positive. At best, words of encouragement sounded like «well, okay, it«s edible».

The blind tasting clearly demonstrates that the perception of a product formed by advertising, a catchy name, or even some old impressions may not correspond to what you feel when eating it without knowing the name. But even if you disagree with some ratings, remember that this is an average. And you may well like what someone else did not like.

Doctor«s sausage is not only a standalone product but also an ingredient in a number of dishes. For example, the classic «Soviet» okroshka is made with it. But if okroshka is not enough, then it is worth paying attention to other cold soups. NGS columnist just recently collected a large collection of what is prepared in Novosibirsk establishments here.