Sausage

Cumberland sausage credit DK Images

sausage, food consisting of finely chopped meat mixed with seasonings and, often, other ingredients, all encased in a thin membrane. Although sausages were made by the ancient Greeks and Romans, they were usually plain and unspiced; in the Middle Ages people began to use the various spices and meats that led to the modern sausage. Many of the sausages that became famous were named for the localities where they were first made: the frankfurter in Frankfurt, Germany; the bologna in Bologna, Italy; the genoa salami in Genoa, Italy. Black pudding, an ancient dish in England and Scotland, was made of oatmeal, suet, and hog's blood. White pudding was suet with toasted oatmeal. Sausages are of two types, dry and wet, according to whether the casing is filled with fresh (wet) or cooked (dry) meat. Pork sausage is an example of the wet. Dry sausages are made from fresh meats and curing substances, and then smoked (e.g., pepperoni). Salami, most common in Italy and Germany, contains beef and pork and is highly seasoned. The large bologna sausage is of veal and pork and is smoked. Frankfurters and wienerwursts are small, smoked varieties containing lean pork and beef. Sausage is usually packed in casings made either of the cleaned and salted intestines of the slaughtered animals or of synthetic cellulose.

Etymology 

mid-15c., sawsyge, from Old North French saussiche (Modern French saucisse), from Vulgar Latin *salsica "sausage," from salsicus "seasoned with salt," from Latin salsus "salted," from past participle of Old Latin sallere "to salt," from sal (genitive salis) "salt" (from  root *sal- "salt").

Sausages hold a special place in the hearts (and mouths) of most Brits. A big reason for this is that they were part of childhood and spark memories of family barbecues, camp fire food, rainy weekends and a big breakfast. The fact they are, (and hopefully always will be), a good way to make a quick, easy, family meal has made them a family favourite for generations.

Although the emerging trend of artisan charcuterie has seem some excellent British produces spring up over the last few years, there is no real history or tradition of making dried salami-style sausages here. British sausages are generally either fresh or cooked puddings. Characteristically there is a history of adding cereal, originally ground breadcrumbs, more generally rusk nowadays, to a sausage mixture, which gives the British banger it’s softer texture than the all-meat varieties favoured in Germany et al.

Traditionally British sausages were linked by hand into bunches, their length determined by the width of the butchers hand, and while size variations are now common, historically English sausages were thick with 6-8 per pound (454g), and Scottish sausages were thinner with 10-12 a pound (454g).

Some broad variants of British sausages are

Beef Sausage - usually deep pink in colour, this has a strong meaty flavour. Traditionally very popular in Scotland where sales outstripped pork sausages.

Black Pudding - pork blood, onion, barley and cubes of pork fat are the general ingredients to a black pudding, with herbs more prevalent than spices as a rule. There are regional variations, such as Lancashire’s pudding using celery seed and pennyroyal.

Cumberland Sausage - a classic coiled sausage the traditional Cumberland sausage contains a minimum of 80% pork.

Notes 
A campaign was made by some Cumbrian butchers and meat manufacturers to have Cumberland sausage placed under a Protected Geographical Status classification under European Commission rules. This would provide the same protection as is afforded to Parma ham and Feta cheese. The association suggested that the criteria for the sausages should include a high meat content of more than 80%; the sausage to be coiled, not linked; a wider diameter than conventional sausages; and a rough-cut texture. The association asserts the sausage should be prepared in Cumbria. While individual butchers have their own recipes, they are generally more highly seasoned than traditional sausages, possibly due to the historical import of spices at Whitehaven.


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