Jump to content

Italian sausage

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by JacktheBrown (talk | contribs) at 16:50, 6 July 2024 (→‎Salsiccia fresca: removed repetition ("it")). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Italian sausage
Italian pork sausages
Alternative namesSalsiccia (in Italian)
TypeSausage
Place of originItaly
Region or stateBasilicata
Main ingredientsPork, red pepper flakes, pepper paste, fennel
VariationsVarious Italian sausages

Sausage in Italy

A wide variety of sausages (Italian: salsiccia, Italian: [salˈsittʃa]) are made in Italy, having evolved through the centuries into many regional varieties.[1] The sausages will typically be either a type of fresh sausage (Italian: salsiccia fresca), or a type of dried sausage (Italian: salsiccia secca). There are also some types of sausages that can be either used fresh or cured, such as Tuscan sausages (Italian: salsiccia toscana).[1][2]

Salsiccia fresca

Salsiccia fresca ('fresh sausage') is a type of sausage that is usually made somewhat spicy. It is made from fresh meat (often pork) and fat, and is flavoured with spices, salt, and pepper, and traditionally stuffed into natural gut casings.[1][2] Salsiccia fresca al peperoncino ('fresh chilli sausage') is a spicy sausage flavoured with chopped garlic, salt, and chilli pepper (which gives the sausage a redder colour).[1]

Salsiccia secca

Salsiccia secca ('dried sausage') is an air dried sausages typically made from either the meat of domestic pigs or from the meat from wild boars.[1]

Salsiccia toscana

Salsiccia toscana ('Tuscan sausage') is made from various cuts of pork, including the shoulder and ham, which are chopped and mixed with herbs such as sage and rosemary.[2]

Salsiccia mazzafegato

Salsiccia mazzafegato ('liver mash', or 'liver sausage') is a sausage typically from Abruzzo, Lazio, Marche, Umbria, and Tuscany regions that include mashed liver. The style from the Abruzzo region includes pork liver, heart, lungs, and pork cheek, and is seasoned with garlic, orange peel, salt, pepper, and bay leaves.[3]

Salsiccia al coriandolo

The salsiccia al coriandolo ('coriander sausage'), from the comune (municipality) of Monte San Biagio, Lazio, also includes coriander, sweet chili peppers, and sweet red wine.[3]

Salsiccia al finocchio

Salsiccia al finocchio ('fennel sausage') is a sausage popularised in the Sicily region.[4][5] These sausages differ from the Tuscan style sausage due the addition of crumbed, dried fennel seeds to the other spices used.[1]

Salsiccia cotta nella cenere

Another Sicilian sausage, salsiccia cotta nella cenere (English: 'sausage cooked in ash') is a style of sausage traditionally cooked in the ashes of the hearth.[5]

History

The Italian sausage was initially known as lucanica,[6] a rustic pork sausage in ancient Roman cuisine with the first evidence dating back to the 1st century BC, when the Roman historian Marcus Terentius Varro described stuffing spiced and salted meat into pig intestines, as follows: "They call lucanica a minced meat stuffed into a casing, because our soldiers learned how to prepare it."[3] The writings of Cicero and Martial also mention Lucania as the birthplace of the sausage, confirming its origins in Basilicata.[citation needed]

Italian sausage in North America

In North America, Italian sausage most often refers to a style of pork sausage. The sausage is often noted for being seasoned with fennel or anise as the primary seasoning.

The most common varieties marketed as "Italian sausage" in supermarkets are hot,[7] sweet,[8][9][10][11] and mild.[12] The main difference between hot and mild is the addition of hot red pepper flakes to the spice mix of the former. The difference between mild and sweet is the addition of sweet basil in the latter.

See also

Media related to Salsiccia at Wikimedia Commons

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Bardi, Carla (2004). Prosciutto. South San Francisco : Wine Appreciation Guild. p. 44. ISBN 1-891267-54-X.
  2. ^ a b c Culinaria Italy : pasta, pesto, passion. H.f. Ullman/Tandem Verlag GmbH. 2008. p. 240. ISBN 978-3-8331-1049-8.
  3. ^ a b c "From North to South, Italian Sausages Variety". lacucinaitaliana.com. La Cucina Italiana. 24 May 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  4. ^ Gerard-Sharp, Lisa (2016). Sicily. Apa Publications. p. 128. ISBN 9781780053110.
  5. ^ a b Root, Waverley (1903–1992). The food of Italy. New York : Vintage Books. p. 604. ISBN 0679738967.
  6. ^ Jenkins, Nancy (2007). Cucina del sole : a celebration of southern Italian cooking. William Morrow. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-06-072343-9.
  7. ^ "italian hot Sausage Links". Johnsonville. Archived from the original on 2017-08-25. Retrieved 2015-07-10.
  8. ^ "italian Sweet Sausage Links". Johnsonville. Archived from the original on 2017-08-25. Retrieved 2015-07-10.
  9. ^ "Products Archive". Premio Foods. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  10. ^ "Hot and Sweet Italian Sausages in Tomato Sauce Recipe". Food Network. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  11. ^ ""Sweet Italian sausage" Basil". Bing. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  12. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-08-25. Retrieved 2015-07-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)


Stub icon

This sausage-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Stub icon

This Italian cuisine–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Italian_sausage&oldid=1232977366"