Most of us have eaten a sausage at some point in our life or have at least seen someone else eat one! What exactly is a sausage? It is prepared food made from ground meat, animal fat, salt, spices and herbs which is all mixed together and then packed into a casing.

Sausage casings make a big difference to the sausage

Many people don’t realise that the casing of the sausage makes a bid difference to the taste of the sausage. The traditional casing is made from animal intestines however today it is more common to have synthetic casings. It is thought that the animal casing is tenderer than the synthetic casings usually used today.

Sausages are preserved differently – this changes the taste to the sausage

Sausages are preserved by curing, drying in cool air, or smoking. Smoking the sausage to preserve it gives a very strong and distinct taste to the sausage. When cooking the sausage it is important to prick each sausage with a fork or knife to make sure there is no loss of flavour.

Some sausages eaten today are eaten raw! They are preserved by lactic acid fermentation, and may be dried, brined or smoked for example mettwurst and salami.

Read more

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sausage