World of Sausage – Sausages around the world

World of Sausage – Sausages around the world

There are countless types of sausages to introduce. It might even take years for one to try a different type of sausage per day. The world of sausages isn’t limited to the sausages below and it is vaster upon our knowledge.

Maybe tonight could be a day to try a unique type of sausage that you didn’t experience.

 

Andouille – Andouille, France 

The cuisine masters of French would refer to their meat producing technique as ‘Charcuterie’. Among charcuterie techniques was the production of the andouille sausage.

The most distinctive part of an Andouille sausage would be the large chunks of meat that are used for the fillings.

 

 

Also, as it is made from chitterlings of pigs, it tends to have a strong pig flavor which might be unattractive to certain people. Andouille sausages are, however probably more famous for its recipes in the southern parts of the United States.

The French originally held the colonies of the North American continent including Louisiana and their largest city was New Orleans which is the heart of the southern cuisine of the United States of America.

 

 

French immigrants brought the Andouille along and it developed more Cajun style flavoring over the years. Andouille sausages became the main ingredient for the gumbos or jambalayas as a result.   

 

Chorizo – Spain, Mexico

Chorizo refers to the iconic sausage that originates from the Spain on the Iberian Peninsula. Spain and Portugal consist the Iberian Peninsula and both countries developed a distinct sausage.

Chorizo in Spain and Chourico in Portugal may have similarities but differ.

 

 

Chorizos are iconic for their smoky and spicy flavors which are distinctive by pimento that are a Spanish paprika variant. Authentic Chorizo are usually made from pork. Chouricos also have a spicy kick but they are usually treated with more spices and herbs such as cumin, cinnamon and piripiri that gives them a much stronger flavor than Chorizos.

 

 

The Latin American countries also developed chorizos by the influence of Spanish Conquistador’s expeditions. Mexico also developed distinctive chorizos from various types of meat and with spices such as tomatillo and cilantro that are native to Mexico.

 

Linguica, Longaniza – Latin America

Another sausage that originates from the Latin culture is the Longaniza. The Longaniza is a sausage that may vary per each culture but it has a distinctive taste by spices such as nutmeg and aniseed and tends to be much longer than chorizos.

The Longaniza is believed to be more related with the Linguica sausage from Portugal.

 

Left : anise   right : nutmeg

 

Longganisa – Philippines

Longganisa of the Philippines is another sausage heavily influenced by Latin culture. What differentiates Longganisa and Longaniza are that it may have a rather very sweet taste or a very sour taste.

(This may vary upon the type of Longganisa as well) Longganisa could be made from various types of meat and there is a vast variety of Longganisa to choose when you visit the Philippines.

 

 

While some Longgnisa have an extensive sweet and even caramelized flavor, some might have a distinctive sour flavor accompanied by calamansi, vinegar and lemons while others may have a distinctive flavor with immense garlic.

Thus, it would be interesting for your trip in the Phillppines trying out various Longganisa.

 

 

Black Pudding – England and Ireland

Black pudding is a sausage that is often served as a part of a full English breakfast. Many countries have developed blood sausages that include pork or beef blood in their stuffings.

The Black pudding became more distinctive as it became the iconic dish for the Northwest region of England. People of the historic county Lancashire were famous for Black pudding.

 

 

Scotch eggs which are fried eggs that are wrapped with sausages that used black pudding are referred as the ‘Manchester egg’ after the famous city of Manchester in the northwest region of England.

Traditional black pudding is made with blood of beef or pork along with cereals such as oats or barley that gives the unique texture and flavor of black pudding.

 

 

Sujuk(Sucuk) – Turkey

Many sausages have pork as their main ingredient so people might think that there wouldn’t be any type of sausages in the Islamic culture.

However, Turkey and people from the middle east have enjoyed Sujuk or Sucuk which is a beef sausage since the reigns of the Persian Empire.

 

 

Sujuk have a high tallow (beef fat) content along with various spies and are dried extensively with very low moisture that makes a distinctive concentrated flavor of beef. Sujuk is fermented and dried for an extensive period which gives it a unique mosaic appearance.

 

 

Kielbasa – Poland

Polish would be very confused because Kielbasa means ‘sausage’ in Polish while the rest of the world would refer Kielbasa as a type of sausage made exclusively in Poland.

Thus, for Polish Kielbasa would mean any type of sausage. Kielbasa may be famous for its iconic ‘U’ horseshoe shape. However, Kielbasa isn’t limited to these shapes and not all Kielbasa are ‘U’ horse shoe shaped.

 

 wiejska kielbasa

 

The most well-known Kielbasa to the public is the wiejska kielbasa. Wiejska means ‘rural’ or ‘countryside’ thus, wiejska kielbasa refers to the ‘country style sausage’.

Many wiejska kielbasa are the U, horse shaped (but it may not be the U-shaped sausage) and have the iconic smoky flavor. Kielbasa starowiejska refers to ‘old styled sausage’ that is another famous Polish kielbasa that is an aged sausage that gives a concentration of flavor.

 

 

Salsiccia – Italy

Salsiccia refers to all the types of Italian sausage (salsiccia means ‘sausage’ in Italian) Not to be confused with other cured meat Italian foods, salsiccia are usually made mostly from pork very fresh.

Rather than going through fermentation, aging and other process, salsiccia are served fresh right from the fresh meat along with various regional spices and ingredients such as anise or fennel.

 

 

Lap Cheong- China(Southern Cantonese)

Lap cheong or lap chong is a sausage from the southern parts of China which is also known as the Cantonese region. Lap cheong in Cantonese Chinese literally means ‘dried sausage’ or ‘waxed intestine’.

 

Cantonese China

 

Lap cheong is made by the combination of lean meat and animal fat which gives it a distinctive texture along with soy sauce and regional spices. Lap cheong are extensively dried and often enjoyed as snacks or served along with rice.  

 

 

Sai Ua – Thailand

Sai Ua is Thailand and Burma sausage variant. The term ‘sai’ means intestine while ‘ua’ means ‘to stuff’.

Sai ua is usually consumed in the northern regions of Thailand and it has a distinctive taste compared with other sausages as sai ua has flavorful curry paste mixed together with the meat that gives it an explosive flavor of herbs and spices. The curry itself would have many ingredients from fish sauce, lemongrass, and galangal etc.

 

 

Sundae – Korea

Sundae is more referred as the ice crema sundae but sundae or soondae is a type of blood sausage that Koreans enjoy. Soondae or sundae are made with fillings such as blood (also called seonji in Korean), minced meat, vegetables and glass noodles.

 

 

Sundae is often served with other offal of animals such as the liver and the lungs in south Korea. Also, in specific regions, sundae is made by seafood such as a whole squid or a whole pollock.