Food and cooking articles and information:

SAUSAGES: THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SAUSAGE
by Tallyrand

How many sausages have you heard of:

abruzzo sausage - andouille - Cajun andouille - Louisiana andouille - andouillette sausage - bauerwurst sausage - bauernwurst - blood sausage - blood pudding - black pudding. black sausage - boudin noir - blutwurst sausage - bockwurst sausage - boerewors sausage - boeries - wors - boerewurst - boudin blanc sausage - white boudin - boudin rouge sausage - red boudin - bratwurst sausage - breakfast sausage patty - banger - chaurice sausage - chipolata sausage - chorizo - Mexican sausage - chorizo - Spanish sausage - chourico sausage - chouriço - cocktail wieners sausage - cotechino sausage - Cumberland sausage - French andouille sausage - Goetta sausage - scrapple - haggis - hot dog sausage - wiener - weiner - frankfurter - frank - tube steak - wienerwurst - griddle - Italian sausage - Kielbasa sausage - kolbasa - kolbasz - Polish sausage - knublewurst - Polnische wurst - kishke sausage - kishka - kiske - kiska - kiszka - derma - stuffed derma - knackwurst sausage - knockwurst - knoblauch - kolbasz sausage - landjager sausage - landjaeger - lap cheong sausage - lap chong - lap chung - lop chong - Chinese dried sausages - Chinese sausage - linguica sausage - linguiça - linguisa sausage - longanisa sausage - longaniza - loukanika sausage - medisterpoelse sausage - merguez sausage - mirkâs - mettwurst sausage - metts - morcilla sausage - pepperoni sausage - pickled pork sausage - pickle meat - Creole pickled pork - pinkelwurst sausage - potato korv sausage - smoked bratwurst sausage - Sujuk sausage - soujouk - yershig - tocino sausage - Toulouse sausage - Vienna sausage - Vienna-style frankfurter - weisswurst sausage - weiswürste - white sausage

Sausage Synonyms:

snags - bangers - salsiccia - wurst - sausissons

Sausage Pronunciation:

SAW-sidge

A typical sausage consists of ground meat that is combined with fat, flavourings, and preservatives, and then stuffed into a casing and twisted at intervals to make links. Pork is most commonly used, but butchers also use beef, lamb, veal, turkey, chicken, or game, and some also use fillers like oatmeal and rice to stretch the meat a bit. Casings vary too - in addition to intestines or artificial casings, butchers sometimes use stomachs, feet, skins, or they do away with casings altogether and sell the sausage in bulk. After assembling a sausage, a butcher can either sell it as fresh sausage, or else cure, dry, or pre-cook it in some way.

Varieties:

• Abruzzo sausage

  andouille - Cajun andouille - Louisiana andouille

  Pronunciation:
  ahn-DWEE or ann-DO-ee

  Sausage description:
  This is a spicy smoked Cajun sausage that's used in jambalaya and gumbo. Don't confuse it with the milder French andouille sausage.

Closest substitutes:

kielbasa

• Andouillette sausage
  

  Pronunciation:
  ahn-dwee-YET

  Sausage description:
  This tripe sausage is a small version of French andouille sausage. Definitely not a party pleaser, but some people have grown accustomed to its taste.

Closest substitutes:
French andouille (larger) OR Italian sweet sausage

• Bauerwurst sausage
  

  bauernwurst

  Pronunciation:
  BOW-er-wurst OR BOW-er-vurscht

Sausage description:
This is a chunky German farmer's sausage that's often grilled and served on a bun or cooked with sauerkraut.

• Blood sausage
  

  blood pudding - black pudding - black sausage - boudin noir

  Sausage description:
  These eggplant-coloured sausages are made of pig's blood mixed with fat, a filler like bread crumbs, and other flavourings that vary from region to region. They're usually sold pre-cooked, but most people heat them before serving. Regional varieties include Germany's blutwurst, Louisiana's boudin rouge, and Spanish morcilla.

Closest substitutes:
zungenwurst OR boudin blanc

• Blutwurst sausage
  

Sausage description:
This is a spicy and salty German blood sausage made from pork, beef, and beef blood. Germans like to snack on it, or mix it with sauerkraut. It comes already cooked, but it's usually heated before being served.

Closest substitutes:
blood sausage

• Bockwurst sausage
  

  Pronunciation:
  BAHK-wurst OR BAHK-vurscht

  Sausage description:
  This is a mild German sausage made with veal, pork, milk, and eggs, and seasoned with chives and parsley. You need to cook it before serving. Use it soon after you buy it--it's very perishable.

Closest substitutes:
bratwurst

• Boerewors sausage

  boeries - wors - boerewurst

Sausage description:
This is a spicy South African farmer's sausage, made with beef, pork, and pork fat, and seasoned with coriander. You need to cook it before serving.

• Boudin blanc sausage

  white boudin

  Pronunciation:
  boo-DAHN BLAHN

  Sausage description:
  This is a white sausage made of meat (pork, chicken, or veal) and rice. France produces a very delicate milk-based version, while the Cajun version includes a lot of rice as a filler, making it chewier and more flavourful.

Closest substitutes:
weisswurst or bratwurst

• Boudin rouge sausage

  red boudin

  Pronunciation:
  boo-DAHN ROOZH

  Sausage description:
  This Cajun speciality is similar to boudin blanc, except that it also includes pork blood. Use it soon after you buy it.

Closest substitutes:
blood sausage or boudin blanc or blutwurst

• Bratwurst sausage

  Sausage description:
  This is made with pork and sometimes veal, and seasoned with subtle spices. It usually needs to be cooked before eating, though some markets carry pre-cooked bratwurst.

Closest substitutes:
weisswurst or boudin blanc or bockwurst

• Breakfast sausage patty

Sausage description:
These pork patties are heavily seasoned. They're usually fried before serving.

• Banger (sausage)

Sausage description:
This is a mild British pork sausage.

• Chaurice sausage

  Pronunciation:
  shore-EESE

  Sausage description:
  This spicy pork sausage is used in jambalaya and other Creole and Cajun dishes. It's available either in links or patties, but it's hard to find outside of Louisiana.

Closest substitutes:
andouille

• Chipolata sausage

  Pronunciation:
  chippo-LAH-tuh

  Sausage description:
  These pork sausages are as small as Vienna sausages, but they're much spicier.

Closest substitutes:
Vienna sausage or cocktail wieners

• Chorizo, Mexican sausage

  Pronunciation:
  choe-REEZ-oh

Closest substitutes:
Italian hot sausage or mild Italian sausage or spicy breakfast sausage or Spanish chorizo

• Chorizo, Spanish sausage

  Pronunciation:
  shore-EE-so

  Sausage description:
  Spanish chorizo is made from pork, and it's very hot and spicy.

Closest substitutes:
kielbasa or pepperoni or other dry-cured pork sausage or linguisa (hotter) or Mexican chorizo (this needs to be cooked)

• Chourico sausage

  chouriço

  Pronunciation:
  shore-EE-so

  Sausage description:
  This is a heavily seasoned Portuguese pork sausage. Look for it in Portuguese markets.

Closest substitutes:
Spanish chorizo or linguiça (milder) or linguica (milder) or hot Italian sausage or garlic sausage or pepperoni

• Cocktail wieners sausage

  Sausage description:
  These are smaller than hot dogs, but larger than Vienna sausages.

Closest substitutes:
hot dog (cut into smaller pieces) or Vienna sausages

• Cotechino sausage

  Pronunciation:
  koh-TEH-kee-noh

Sausage description:
This is a mild and fatty Italian pork sausage. The links should be pierced before cooking to allow some of the fat to drain out.

• Cumberland sausage <click here>

Sausage description:
This British pork sausage is usually displayed in markets as a long coil, and it's sold by the length rather than by the link. It's often baked in the oven with cabbage and potatoes.

• French andouille sausage

  Pronunciation:
  ahn-DWEE

  Sausage description:
  Don't confuse this with Cajun andouille, which is much spicier.

Closest substitutes:
andouillette (smaller)

• Goetta sausage

  Sausage description:
  This is Cincinnati's answer to scrapple. It's a mixture of oatmeal and sausage that's fried.

Closest substitutes:
scrapple

• Haggis (not regarded as a sausage in the UK)

  Pronunciation:
  HAG-iss

Sausage description:
This large Scottish sausage is made by stuffing a sheep's stomach with the animal's heart, lungs, and liver, and then adding oatmeal, onion, fat, and seasonings. It's usually steamed before serving.

• Hot dog sausage

  wiener - weiner (a common misspelling) - frankfurter - frank - tube steak - wienerwurst - griddle

  Sausage description:
  An American staple, hot dogs are mild, smoked, and usually skinless sausages that are traditionally served in a bun with relish and mustard. They've declined in popularity in recent years because they're relatively high in fat and sodium. This decline was hastened in late 1998 when several people died after being exposed to Listeria, a deadly bacterium which was traced to some improperly prepared hot dogs and deli meats.

Closest substitutes:
Vienna sausage or bockwurst or banger

• Italian sausage

Sausage description:
This is a pork sausage that's often added to pasta sauces. Varieties include sweet Italian sausage - mild Italian sausage, which is flavoured with garlic and fennel seed, and hot Italian sausage, which also has a shake or two of crushed chile peppers. It's sold either as links or in bulk. Cook thoroughly before serving.

• Kielbasa sausage

  kolbasa - kolbasz - Polish sausage - knublewurst - Polnische wurst

  Pronunciation:
  kill-BAH-suh or keel-BAH-suh or (in Poland) KEHW-bah-sah

  Sausage description:
  Kielbasy are smoked Polish sausages made with pork and/or beef and flavoured with garlic, pimento, and cloves. They come already cooked, but most people heat them before serving.

Closest substitutes:
andouille or Spanish chorizo or linguica

• Kishke sausage

  kishka - kiske - kiska - kiszka - der·ma - stuffed derma

  Pronunciation:
  KISH-kah

Sausage description:
This Jewish speciality consists of beef intestines stuffed with matzo meal, onion, and suet.

• Knackwurst sausage

  knockwurst - knoblauch

  Pronunciation:
  NAK-worst OR NAK-vursht

  Sausage description:
  These smoked beef sausages are seasoned with lots of garlic. They should be cooked before eating, and they're often served like hot dogs or smothered in sauerkraut.

Closest substitutes:
hot dogs

• Kolbasz sausage

  Sausage description:
  This Hungarian sausage is similar to Polish kielbasa, except that it has paprika added to it.

Closest substitutes:
kielbasa

• Landjager sausage

  landjaeger

  Sausage description:
  The name means "hunter," perhaps because this smoked beef sausage needs no refrigeration and is handy to take on hunts. Look for thin flat sticks in German delis.

Closest substitutes:
pepperoni or salami

• Lap cheong sausage

  lap chong - lap chung - lop chong - Chinese dried sausages - Chinese sausage

  Sausage description:
  These pork sausages look and feel like pepperoni, but they're much sweeter.

Closest substitutes:
chorizo or salami or ham (diced)

• Linguica sausage

  linguiça

  Pronunciation:
  lin-gwee-SAH

  Sausage description:
  This is a fairly spicy Portuguese smoked garlic sausage. You need to cook it before serving it.

Closest substitutes:
linguisa or kielbasa or Spanish chorizo or andouille

• Linguisa sausage

Closest substitutes:
kielbasa or pepperoni or chorizo (milder)

• Longanisa sausage

  longaniza

Closest substitutes:
kielbasa

• Loukanika sausage

  Pronunciation:
  loo-KAH-nih-kah

Sausage description:
This spicy Greek sausage is made with lamb, pork, and orange rind. Cook it before serving.

• Medisterpoelse sausage

Sausage description:
This is a Danish pork sausage. Cook it before serving.

• Merguez sausage

  mirkâs

  Sausage description:
  This North African lamb sausage is seasoned with garlic and hot spices. It's often used in couscous dishes.

• Mettwurst sausage

  metts

  Pronunciation:
  MET-wurst or MET-vursht

  Sausage description:
  At least two kinds of sausages answer to the name mettwurst. People in Cincinnati use the name to describe a kielbasa-like sausage that's made with beef and pork, seasoned with pepper and coriander, and smoked. They like to grill it and serve it on a bun. Elsewhere, mettwurst is soft like liverwurst and ready to eat. It's usually spread on crackers and bread.

Closest substitutes:
kielbasa (for Cincinnati's mettwurst) or bratwurst (for Cincinnati's mettwurst) or teewurst (for spreadable mettwurst)

• Morcilla sausage

  Sausage description:
  This is Spain salty version of blood sausage, usually made with onion or rice as a filler.

Closest substitutes:
boudin rouge

• Pepperoni sausage

  Sausage description:
  This spicy sausage is made with beef and pork. It's hard and chewy, and makes a terrific topping for pizza. You don't need to cook it before eating.

Closest substitutes:
salami or lap cheong (sweeter) or Spanish chorizo or Canadian bacon (Works well as a pizza topping).

• Pickled pork sausage

  pickle meat - Creole pickled pork

  Sausage description:
  Louisiana cooks like to add this to bean dishes. It's hard to find outside of Louisiana, but it's fairly easy to make from scratch.

Closest substitutes:
ham hocks OR smoked ham OR tasso

• Pinkelwurst sausage

Sausage description:
This German sausage is made with beef and/or pork, onions, oat groats, and bacon. It's often served with potatoes.

• Potato korv sausage

Sausage description:
This is a Swedish pork sausage. Cook it before serving.

• Scrapple sausage

  Sausage description:
  A Pennsylvania Dutch speciality, this is a mixture of sausage and cornmeal. It's often slowly fried and served with eggs and grits.

Closest substitutes:
goetta or bacon (as a side dish to eggs)

• Smoked bratwurst sausage

  Sausage description:
  This is a smoked variation of German bratwurst.

Closest substitutes:
bratwurst

• Sujuk sausage

  soujouk - yershig

  Sausage description:
  This is a spicy Lebanese beef sausage. Look for it in Middle Eastern markets.

Closest substitutes:
pepperoni or salami

• Tocino sausage

Sausage description:
Tocino is Spanish for bacon, but in the Philippines, it refers to cured pork that's been marinated in a sweet red sauce. Look for it in Asian markets.

• Toulouse sausage

  Pronunciation:
  too-LOOZ

  Sausage description:
  This exquisite French sausage is usually made with pork, smoked bacon, wine, and garlic. It's a great sausage for a cassoulet. Cook it before serving.

Closest substitutes:
kielbasa (works well in a cassoulet) or Italian sweet sausage

• Vienna sausage

  Vienna-style frankfurter

  Sausage description:
  These small, squat hot dogs come in cans. They're often used to make hors d'oeuvres.

Closest substitutes:
cocktail wieners or hot dog (Cut into smaller pieces if you like)

• Weisswurst sausage
  

  weißwürste - white sausage

  Pronunciation:
  WICE-wurst OR VICE-vurscht

  Sausage description:
  These are mildly seasoned German veal sausages, very light in colour. Germans like to eat them with potato salad during Oktoberfest. Cook before eating.

  Closest substitutes:
  bockwurst or bratwurst or boudin blanc
  

Associated recipe:

Cumberland Sausage

This article has been written by Tallyrand as a follow up to his article entitled 'All you ever wanted to know about sausage making but were afraid to ask Tallyrand' <click here>