In New Jersey, Pennsylvania and most areas of Greater New York City, a plural Polish transitional form is sometimes seen, kiełbasy (/kɪˈbɑːsi/).

[citation needed] Canadians also use the word kolbassa[3][4] or kubasa (/kuːbɑːˈsɑː/ or /ˈkuːbəsɑː/), an Anglicization of the Ukrainian kovbasa (ковбаса), and Albertans even abbreviate it as kubie to refer to the sausage eaten on a hot dog bun.

[b] Sausage is a staple of Polish cuisine and comes in dozens of varieties, smoked or fresh, made with pork, beef, turkey, lamb, chicken or veal with every region having its own speciality.

There are official Polish government guides and classifications of sausages based on size, meat, ready-to-eat or uncooked varieties.

It is served in a variety of ways, such as fried with onions atop varenyky, sliced on rye bread, or eaten with an egg.

Those in the Ukrainian SSR of the late Soviet Union who prioritised welfare and economic issues over the 'national question' (independence) were often referred to as having a 'kovbasa mentality'.

In the United States, kielbasa which may also be referred to as Polish sausage in some areas, is widely available in grocery stores and speciality import markets.

The world's largest display model of a Ukrainian sausage is a roadside attraction in Mundare, Alberta, the home of Stawnichy's Meat Processing.

[16][17] In Russia, it is known as kolbasa (колбаса pronounced [kəɫbɐˈsa]), mentioned as early as the 12th century[citation needed] in Birch bark manuscript number 842.

[18] In China, where once prominent White émigré residents fleeing from the Russian Civil War were concentrated, the food was gradually localized around major hubs.