In Vlkolínec, pig slaughters traditionally took place at the beginning of winter, once the pigs had been properly fattened.
After the animal was killed, it had to be cleaned with hot water. Times were hard back then, and nothing went to waste. The bristles were removed first and later used by local farmers to make brushes for whitewashing and painting their homes.
Next, holes were made behind the knees of the hind legs, into which a bent piece of wood, called a bilnica, was inserted. A wooden plank was placed underneath and used to hoist the pig onto a chain hanging from a beam in the barn roof. The intestines and stomach were removed immediately, and the fat for bacon was trimmed from the flesh. The intestines and stomach were thoroughly washed in the stream below the village to remove their contents and prevent any unpleasant odour.
Other internal organs, such as the liver, lungs, and spleen, were boiled so that they could be used to make jaternice (blood sausages). Once cooked, they were minced and mixed with boiled blood, rice, garlic, onion, and spices. This mixture was then stuffed into pieces of the cleaned large intestine. Each sausage was sealed at both ends with a thin wooden plug, then cooked.
Once the sausages were boiled, it was time for the festive zabíjačka feast. This began with a glass of strong home-made spirits, followed by jaternice, paprika-seasoned pork jowl, and a hearty broth made from the boiled meat.
After the feast, the meat was cut and salted. It was packed, along with the bacon, ribs, and spine, into a wooden trough, covered, and stored. The meat for sausages was finely chopped, seasoned with onion, garlic, spices, salt, and paprika, and stuffed into cleaned pieces of small intestine.
The head was split in two, the snout removed, the brain taken out, and everything boiled for tlačenka (brawn). The tongue, a bit of jowl, and some liver were added, along with garlic, salt, paprika, and spices. The mixture was packed into the cleaned stomach, left to set, and then smoked.
After ten days of curing, the meat and bacon were taken up to the attic, as this was where the smoke was thickest – perfect for preserving.
Finally, lard was rendered from the entrails and lower-quality bacon, and then stored in clay pots in the pantry, ready for cooking.
