SAUSAGE

SAUSAGE


The modern word "sausage" is derived from the Latin ~salsus~, meaning salted. The term was probably originally applied to cured or salted meat generally. In the days of old people did not have refrigeration to preserve their meat and so making sausage was a way of overcoming this problem.
The manufacture of sausages began over two thousand years ago, and it is still a growing industry. While some of its basic practices are almost as old as civilisation, the industry is constantly adopting new developments in processing in the light of later scientific and technical knowledge.
Sausage has been an important item in man's diet for twenty centuries. The first recognisable mention of this meat food is found in a Greek play called "The Orya," or "The Sausage," written about 500 B.C. Thereafter the word for sausage occurs with frequency in Greek writings. It's also a favourite food of the Romans, at one time becoming so popular for festive occasions that it was placed under the ban of the early church.
Dry sausage was born as a result of the discovery of new spices, which helped to enhance, flavour and preserve the meat. Different countries and different cities within those countries started producing their own distinctive types of sausage, both fresh and dry. These different types of sausage were mostly influenced by the availability of ingredients as well as the climate.
Some parts of the world with periods of cold climate, such as northern Europe were able to keep their fresh sausage without refrigeration, during the cold months. They also developed a process of smoking the sausage to help preserve the meat during the warmer months. The hotter climates in the south of Europe developed dry sausage, which did not need refrigeration at all.
Basically people living in particular areas developed their own types of sausage and that sausage became associated with the area. For example Bologna originated in the town of Bologna in Northern Italy, Lyons sausage from Lyons in France and Berliner sausage from Berlin in Germany, in England they became associated with the county's, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Lincolnshire, Cumberland Etc.



TYPES OF SAUSAGES

On the basis of there manufacturing and preperations the sausages can be classified in to following types

COOKED SAUSAGE

Made with fresh meats and then fully cooked. The sausage is either eaten immediately after cooking or must be refrigerated and is usually reheated before eating. Examples include Braunschweiger, Veal sausage and Liver sausage.

COOKED SMOKED SAUSAGE

Much the same as cooked sausage, but it is cooked and then smoked, or smoke-cooked. It can be eaten hot or cold, but is stored in the refrigerator. Examples include Wieners, Kielbasa and Bologna.

FRESH SAUSAGE

Made from meats that have not been previously cured. This sausage must be refrigerated and thoroughly cooked before eating.it will only keep for few days in the referigereation under frozen condintion.Examples include Boerewors, Italian Pork sausage italian breakfast sausages english sausages, polish sausages, bratwurst and Fresh Beef sausage.traditionlly stuffed into various casings but can also be formed into patties and fried like hamburgers. Made with minced meat and variety of spices and can be formed in a number of variations.

FRESH SMOKED SAUSAGE

This is fresh sausage that is smoked. After smoking, the sausage can then be refrigerated and cooked thoroughly before eating. Examples include Mettwurst and Roumanian sausage.

DRY SAUSAGE

Made from a selection of meats. These are the most complicated of all sausages to make, as the drying process has to be carefully controlled. Once produced this type of sausage can be readily eaten, and will keep for very long periods under refrigeration. Examples include Salami’s and Summer sausage

CURED SAUSAGE

Implicit in the word cured is the use of an agent or process that provides long term keeping properties to the sausage. The use of salt, drying and fermentation are examples of curing that have been used for millennia. Modern public health practices demand the use of chemical agents in the form of nitrites and/or nitrates to assure the destruction of pathogenic organisms such as that which causes botulism.

Cured sausages can further be divided into semidry and dried sausages. Semidry sausages, such as summer sausage and hot dogs are cooked, either in hot water or a smokehouse and will keep under refrigeration for months. Dry sausages are not cooked but are dried to about 75% of their stuffed weight over a period of several months and will keep for years at room temperature. Both types can be fermented by the addition of a lactic acid producing bacteria culture that provides a wonderful tang to the sausage in addition to the enhancement of long keeping.

WORLD OF GERMAN SAUSAGES

Sausages in German is Wurst.They comes into two basic types.

Fresh sausages - This includes sausages that are uncooked and ones that are cooked once but need recooking or reheating. Most are made of raw pork, veal or beef, bacon or ham, egg, pickling salt and spices, and are then cooked in water and sometimes lightly smoked. Some are made of cooked ingredients which are then cooked a second time after being stuffed into links, and may also be smoked. Fresh bratwurst is one type of raw sausage that that needs full cooking. Fresh sausages that come cooked but need reheating include knockwurst and wieners. Fresh sausages, both raw and cooked, need to be kept refrigerated.

Slicing and spreading sausages - These are ready to eat, cold cut-style sausages. They are fully cured. Some are firm and are best sliced, but there are also soft sausages made for spreading. Liverwurst is one category of spreadable sausage and must contain at least 30 percent pork liver.

Types of Wurst

Weisswurst is the traditional sausage served at "Weisn" - as the locals call Oktoberfest — but dozens of other wursts are also served.

Almost all wurst features pork (and sometimes beef or veal), spices, and peppercorns, but the other ingredients make each wurst distinctive. More than a thousand varieties of wurst exist, some being available everywhere and others are local specialties. Here are a few of them:

• Bierschinken - a large slicing sausage with chunks of ham and pistachios
• Bierwurst - coarse-textured slicing sausage flavored with juniper berries and cardamom
• Blutwurst - blood sausage, which comes in many varieties; it is eaten sliced and cold or fried like black pudding
• Bockwurst - smoked and scalded, usually made from finely ground veal; spiced with chives and parsley; resembles a large frankfurter; gently heat in liquid before eating; traditionally served with Bock beer, especially in the spring
• Bratwurst - a pale, smoked sausage made of finely minced veal, pork, ginger, nutmeg and other spices; usually comes raw and must be cooked, but precooked bratwurst is also available (reheat before serving)
• Braunschweiger - a speadable smoked liver sausage enriched with eggs and milk; the most well known of the liverwurst sausages
• Cervelat - similar to Italian salami, a slicing sausage of pork and beef, spices and often mustard or garlic; Thuringer is a common variety of German cervelat
• Frankfurter - the genuine German variety (not the same as an American frankfurter) contains finely chopped lean pork with a bit of salted bacon fat, and is smoked; reheat in simmering liquid
• Knockwurst; knackwurst - a short, plump smoked sausage needing poaching or grilling; contains finely minced lean pork, beef, spices and, notably, garlic; often served with sauerkraut
• Wienerwurst - believed to be the origin of American frankfurter; beef and pork flavored with coriander and garlic
• Weisswurst - German for "white sausage" and is very pale and delicately flavored; made of veal, sometimes beef and pork, cream and eggs; a specialty of Munich and traditionally served at Oktoberfest with rye bread, sweet mustard and of course, beer.