As horribly sodium- and fat-laden as they are, I can't help but love sausages. It is exactly
this salty, fatty, spicy characteristic of sausages that I love. The world of sausages, though, can be confusing. Not
only are there different general classifications, but almost every cultural cuisine has their own versions of these.
"Sausage" refers to any ground meat that is mixed with fat, salt, seasonings, fillers, and sometimes additional preservatives. The meat mixture is packed into a casing (synthetic or animal intestine), and then can be sold raw, cooked, smoked, or cured.
Pork is most often the only or primary meat used to make sausages, though there are plenty of sausages made from beef, veal, lamb, chicken and goat. Meat and fat are standard ingredients in sausages, but the types of seasonings and spices vary as much as one cuisine does from another.
- Fresh sausage - is made from raw meat and are not cured with salt or smoke. They must be kept refrigerated, then cooked before eating. Italian spicy and sweet sausages are usually sold fresh. Most pork breakfast sausages are fresh.
- Cooked sausages - are also made with raw meat, but are pre-cooked. They are kept refrigerated before and after cooking (re-heating). I think a hot dog would be considered a
- Smoked sausages - are smoked. Smoked sausages can be either cooked or fresh. Cooked smoked sausages can be eaten hot or cold, but should still be kept refrigerated. Kielbasa, also known as Polish sausage, is a type of cooked smoked sausage, as are frankfurters and hot dogs.
- Dry sausages - start as fresh sausages, but are subsequently cured and dried. They are usually not cooked. Salami and chorizo are dry sausages.
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