Travelling the world for the best sausages

This post on sausages was inspired by my husband and a friend Lee, whose love of sausages means they will try any and all types of sausages that stand before them. This is Lee’s favourite type of bangers and mash. This article is an ode to sausages around the world.

Virtually every country in the world has its own version of sausage. You may ask how many types of sausages there are in the world – the answer would be in the thousands as sausages seem to have travelled the world and back again. In the US alone there are 200 different types of sausage. Italian sausage is one of the most popular and it has been adapted by adding a multitude of flavours.

There are many world-famous sausage types such as Kielbasa, British bangers, spicy sausage like Chorizo, Italian sausages like salami and of course the famous pizza sausage pepperoni. The most popular types of sausage around the world include the following:

• Salami
• Pork Sausage
• Kielbasa
• Liver sausage
• Chorizo
• Hot Dogs
• Currywurst
• Bratwurst
• Currywurst
• Salsiccia
• Brats

Types of Sausages

Sausage types range from the popular blood sausages you can find in pretty much every country to smoked sausages, flavoured sausages, sausages made from every conceivable type of meat, seafood, and of course vegetarian and vegan sausages.

The first sausage made dates back to Mesopotamia which is where Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are today. Sausages were invented in the area around 3100 BC. The word sausage comes from the Latin Salsus which means salt which was a preservation method used for centuries. Various types of preserved meats or sausages were eaten in North America which the indigenous people invented called pemmican, and also in Babylonia, Rome and Greece. 

Sausage trivia

• By 900 BC sausages were sold in the ancient Greek Theatres by sausage sellers in the aisles.
• Sausages were banned in the newly Christianized Rome in the mid-4th century because of their association with sinful pagan festivities. A black market was set up.
• Early in the 10th century during the Byzantine Empire, Leo VI the Wise outlawed the production of blood sausages following cases of food poisoning.
• It was in the reign of Charles I that sausages were divided into links for the first time.
• Highwayman Dick Turpin used to `moonlight’ as a sausage maker using meats from animals he hunted in Epping Forest.
• Sausages were nicknamed bangers during the Second World War because when they were fried they tended to explode with a bang!
• Henry V while campaigning in France in 1417 stated: War without fire is as worthless as sausages without mustard.
• The Roman word for sausage, botulus, is the origin of the word botulism.
• Germany produces the greatest variety of wursts (sausages), with over 1,000 combinations of ingredients.
• The ancient Greek cook Aphtonite was the first person to have mentioned the sausage. His version was a black pudding, a savory sausage consisting of mainly seasoned blood.
• The Currywurst Museum in Berlin is the world’s only museum dedicated to the German sausage currywurst.
• The earliest known reference to sausage dates to Greece in the eighth or ninth century B.C.E. It appears in Homer’s Odyssey
• The British spend around half a billion pounds on sausages in a year, eating more than a quarter of a million tonnes.

Which country eats the most sausage?

Some of the most famous sausages in the world are European sausages, such as those from Germany, France and the UK. These sausages are popular for good reason, as they’re delicious, versatile and easy to use in a variety of dishes.

Germany eats the most amount of sausages in the world over 27% of all sausages made. The second-largest consumer is Poland.    

What is the most expensive sausage?

The most expensive sausage is made from the Mangalitsa pig which is a free-ranging Hungarian pig. The sausages made from the Mangalitsa costs around 10-11$ per lb of sausage. 

What are sausages made of?

A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat, often pork, beef, or poultry, along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients such as grains or breadcrumbs may be included as fillers or extenders. 

What Makes a Good Sausage?

A good sausage should be made with at least 7% high-quality meat, usually beef or pork or a mixture of both. The remaining content is seasoning, breadcrumbs, and fat.

What is Black Pudding and blood sausage?

Known by various names across the world this type of sausage is made from a combination of blood, oatmeal, bread crumbs and suet (fat). You will also find versions where the filler is made from rice, flour, buckwheat, cornstarch or cornflour or whatever filler is to hand. The flavourings are generally speaking salt and pepper but you will find different flavourings depending on the country you are trying it in.

The texture of blood pudding can be sort of rough and mushy in some cases if oatmeal is used as a binder it has a firmer more sausage-like mouth feel. I am not a huge fan but hubs is and we tend to prefer the Scottish or Irish versions as they are more substantial and less mushy.  

Boudin blanc is a traditional French sausage made with chicken & pork, milk and a touch of Cognac.

Boudin Noir is a traditional South of France blood pudding sausage made of pork blood, pork snouts, onions and spices.

Blodpudding – Sweden: This is a traditional Swedish blood sausage usually prepared with pigs blood that is mixed with flour, beer or svagdricka (which is a light beer), butter, and seasonings, Traditionally served with lingonberry jam and bacon and served with Swedish Schnapps.

Blodkorv – Sweden: This is a Swedish blood pudding to which pork fat, raisins, and spices are added besides the ingredients above.

Blood Pudding – Common in the UK and Ireland blood pudding is usually served with a full Irish breakfast. Having said that it is also served all over the UK from Scotland to Wales and each country has its own variation.

Verivorst – Estonia: Verivorst is a traditional Estonian blood sausage and the country’s national dish. It is a typical winter meal, usually served during the Christmas festivities, when piles of verivorst sausages are roasted together with potatoes and pork. The sausage consists of barley, onions, allspice, marjoram, and blood.

Sundae – Korea: Sundae is a traditional blood sausage that usually consists of rice, glass noodles, and pig’s blood, while other variations may also include, bean sprouts, kimchi, perilla leaves, soybean paste, or scallions.

Zungenwurst – Germany: Zungenwurst is a blood sausage that typically consists of a mixture of pork blood, fat, and pieces of pickled tongues, seasoned with ground pepper and occasionally other strong spices. Usually, the blood sausage is entirely made of animal parts, containing no fillers or cereals. Since the sausage is typically cured and dried, it requires no cooking before eating.

Kiska – Poland: You can recognize this Polish blood sausage by its large ring shape. It’s made from a combination of pork, a grain such as rice, barley or buckwheat, beef blood, marjoram and additional spices, as well as offal, a collection of organ meats. While it’s typically un-smoked, it’s usually sold cooked.

Krvavica – Croatia: Krvavica is a blood sausage made by cooking pork blood, skin, and offal with rice and either buckwheat, barley, or cornflour, unlike most other European blood sausages that use oats or oatmeal as fillers.

Morcilla de Burgos – Spain: A blood sausage that is made by chopping and sautéing onions with butter, then combining them with rice, lard, blood, and spices. The mixture is then used to fill the sausage casings before being cooked. 

Jelito – Czech Republic: Jelito is a traditional Czech blood sausage. Prepared with pig’s blood and ground pork meat (mainly head, belly, and offal) it incorporates lard and various spices such as marjoram and cumin.

The United Kingdom and Irish types of sausage

There are around 200 types of British sausage and most Irish sausages are versions of the British, with hundreds of different flavour profiles these are some of the most common.

Cumberland sausage: Usually seen in a round spiral this sausage is bought by length not weight and it is heavily spiced with pepper

Gloucester sausage: Made with Gloucester Old Spot Pork, and flavoured with salt and sage.

Lincolnshire sausage: This is a sausage full of sage and herbs with a little thyme added

Manchester sausage: Another herb-filled sausage that adds cloves, ginger, nutmeg, mace and white pepper for an extra helping of flavour.

Marylebone sausage: A London butcher’s sausage flavoured with sage, ginger and mace. 

Oxford sausage: The Oxford is flavoured with marjoram, sage, and lemon and usually contains pork and veal.

Pork and apple sausage: A West Country favourite this sausage has cider and apple in the meat creating a nice moist sausage.

Square Slice: Lorne Sausage, also known as square sausage, is a Scottish favourite. The minced meat usually pork is mixed with rusk and spices.

White Pudding: White pudding is a traditional Irish dish consisting of oatmeal, bread, pork meat, fat, and suet. In Ireland, the ingredients are stuffed into a sausage casing, but in Scotland, it is not always the case, and the pudding is additionally flavoured with onions and spices.

Saveloy: This is a favourite snack after the pub closes served with a massive bag of chips (fries). This deep pinkish sausage sort of looks like a hot dog and these days made from beef, pork spices and rusk. Just to put you off it used to be made with pork brains.

Haggis: Yes, haggis is a type of sausage – Scottish in origin and made by using a lamb’s stomach lining as the sausage casing and filling it with a mixture of ground lamb organs, minced onion, suet, oatmeal, and various seasonings.

Suffolk sausage: This coarse sausage is similar to Lincolnshire.

Yorkshire sausage: A slightly spicy sausage with nutmeg, white pepper, mace and cayenne.

Vegetable Roll – N. Ireland: Ya think vegetarian or vegan right? – Sorry but no it is minced beef that is lightly seasoned and sausage in shape with no casing. Usually found in an Ulster Fry breakfast or served with mash and beans for supper.

Chipolatas: Also known as “Bangers” it is a thin pork sausage made with lean cuts of prime pork steak, ground with rusk and mildly seasoned with salt and pepper the perfect type of sausage for breakfast.

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Australian types of Sausage

BBQ Snags: Barbecue snags are thick Australian sausages, usually with a mild flavour and made with beef, pork, garlic, and onions. They are a staple of almost every Australian barbecue party, where the sausages are accompanied by mashed potatoes, grilled onions, tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, salads, and chutney.

North American types of Sausage

Frankfurter – Hot Dogs: Frankfurters originally come from Germany (obviously Frankfurt) but it was adopted by Americans who made it their own. Hot dogs are made from beef (sometimes combined with pork), which is cured, smoked, cooked, and seasoned with coriander, garlic, ground mustard, nutmeg, salt, sugar, and white pepper.

Italian Sausage – N. America: There are many types of Italian sausage in North America but the predominant flavour in ‘mild’ Italian sausages is fennel, a style of sausage in Northern Italy, known for milder flavours with typically a small amount of red pepper flakes. Italian sausage blends are also used as a base for an incredible amount of flavours – from Jalapenos & Mexican chillis to feta and herbs.

Hot simply means a higher content of pepper flakes, or the addition of cayenne, giving you that spicier flavour that is more common in the southern regions of Italy. ‘Sweet’ has a little bit of sugar, and milder flavours around that, including basil and oregano.

Pepperoni: You simply cannot have a pizza without pepperoni and this Italian-American sausage is usually made from pork that is ground and dried; combined with black and cayenne pepper, sugar, salt, and paprika; and cured for several weeks.

Brats: An American favourite for the 4th of July and at Tailgate parties and BBQ this is a sweet herbal sausage made from ground pork and veal seasoned with caraway, coriander, ginger, and nutmeg. Some Brats are sold raw, while others are sold pre-cooked. Usually, brats are cooked on the grill or BBQ and sometimes in beer on a stovetop.

Smoked Bologna: – Oklahoma: Smoked bologna sausage is also known as Oklahoma tenderloin and it is a thick-sliced bologna sausage that is scored and rubbed with various spices. They are usually a mix of beef and pork and served in a bun with BBQ sauce.

Hot Links – Texas: Smoked and baked sausage made from pork or pork and beef. The sausage contains a large amount of black pepper, hot red pepper flakes and/or cayenne – so yes they can be very hot and spicy.

Chorizo – Mexico: Unlike Spanish chorizo  Mexican chorizo is almost always sold raw, in sausage form. Chilli powder, paprika and garlic flavour this spicy sausage and the texture is crumbly. When cooking it is removed from its casing and fried then added when cooked to anything and everything from tacos to omelettes.  

Scrapple – Pennsylvania: Brought to America by Dutch and German immigrants, scrapple is made with cornmeal, seasoning and lean minced pork. It is cooked then poured into a loaf pan and refrigerated then sliced and fried so it looks sort of like meatloaf.

Andouille – USA: Spicy andouille is made from ground pork, salt, garlic, and plenty of black pepper. It’s traditionally smoked over pecan wood and sugarcane, where it turns reddish and “hot and smoky.” Cooking isn’t required, but it does improve its flavour. The process to make Andouille originated in German but it has a French name and is seasoned with Cajun spices. You cannot have gumbo, red beans and rice, or jambalaya without it.

Goetta – Ohio: Goetta is a sausage-like patty that although it is associated with Cincinnati it is German in origin. The sausage is commonly eaten for breakfast and consists of pork, beef, onions, spices, and unprocessed oats.

Crawfish Boudin – Louisianna: Crawfish boudin is a speciality of Cajun cuisine, a sausage that is traditionally prepared with freshly chopped crawfish meat and sautéed finely cut vegetables such as onions, celery, green onion tops, bell peppers, garlic, and parsley. The crawfish mixture is then combined with cooked white rice before being stuffed into natural casings.

Boudin Rouge – Louisianna: Boudin rouge or red boudin is a type of blood sausage that’s traditionally prepared in Louisiana. Made with pork ground with onions and then mixed with rice, stock, pigs blood and seasons this is another kind of blood pudding.

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European types of sausage

Bregenwurst – Germany: Bregenwurst is a traditional German sausage that is made from pork, pork belly, and flavoured with and white pepper, cumin, mace, and onions.

Bauerwurst – Germany: A German smoked sausage that is This very coarse-textured sausage originated in Germany. It’s smoked and has a highly seasoned flavour with onion, garlic, marjoram and mustard seeds.

Beerwurst/Bierwurst – Germany: Originally from Bavaria, Beerwurst is dark red and not made with beer but it is served with beer as a snack. It has a rich heavy garlic flavour and is seasoned with black pepper, paprika and mustard seeds.

Currywurst – Germany: The ever-popular street meat in Germany has become an iconic part of Germany’s street food scene. This is a boiled and then fried bratwurst sausage that is served with a rich curry-spiced sauce

Bockwurst – German: A ground veal sausage that gets its flavour from chives and parsley. Most places sell it raw, and it requires special care during preparation to ensure it is cooked thoroughly.

Head Cheese – German: Just the name of it gives me shivers and knowing that it isn’t cheese is gross lol. It’s a sausage made from the meat in the heads of pigs, calves and sometimes sheep or cows. The meat is seasoned and then mixed with a broth and poured into a mould.

The mixture is typically flavoured with ingredients such as garlic, onions, pepper, salt, nutmeg, and sugar. When cooled it is then sliced and served.

Knackwurst – Germany: Made from beef, pork or both, and sometimes veal it is flavoured with garlic. The name comes from its snap when you bite into it. Knackwurst is commonly grilled and served with sauerkraut.

Thuringer – Germany: A sausage of either pork or a combination of pork and beef. You can buy it fresh or smoked, and it is often seasoned with marjoram and caraway.  

Weisswurst – Germany: A rather funky-looking sausage as it is white but that comes from the ground veal or pork that is used. Flavourings include parsley, Ginger Onions and lemon. Serve it with beer, sweet mustard and rye bread.  

Gelbwurst – Germany: Gelbwurst or yellow sausage is traditionally stuffed into natural casings dyed with saffron. The sausage itself may consist of pork, veal or beef, bacon, or chicken, and it is typically flavoured with various spices such as nutmeg, mace, pepper, ginger, cardamom, and lemon, depending on the region.

Käsekrainer – Austria: Käsekrainer is a type of sausage filled with small chunks of cheese. It is usually prepared with pork or a mixture of pork, beef, and a variety of spices, while the cheese used for the filling is Swiss Emmental. The sausages are lightly smoked over applewood, giving it a distinctive smoky aroma and flavour.

Chouriço assado – Portugal: Chouriço assado is a traditional pork sausage that is smoked over boat-shaped terracotta bowls. The bottom of the bowl is filled with aguardente—a strong local spirit—which is set on fire before the sausage is placed on top and is then allowed to cook over flames until it is crisp and slightly charred.

Alheira – Portugal: This smoked sausage is typically made with a combination of various types of meat, bread, garlic, olive oil, and paprika. It is believed that the original alheira was invented during the Inquisition by Portuguese Jews who had to practice Jewish tradition in secret.

Linguica – Portugal: This peppery smoked sausage is made from a pork butt that has been brined before smoking and then combined with paprika, garlic, pepper, cumin, and sometimes allspice or cinnamon.

Farinheira – Portugal: This smoked Portuguese sausage borrows its name from flour (farina), which is its main component alongside meat and various seasonings such as wine, garlic, bay leaf, and paprika. Though it is nowadays mostly prepared with pork meat and pork trimmings, it is believed that the original farinheira did not contain any pork, since it has been widely accepted that it was created by Portuguese Jews.

Farinheira is typically used in many traditional dishes such as the hearty cozido stew, but it can also be boiled, grilled and fried, or combined with scrambled eggs.

Mirandela – Portugal: This sausage is traditionally smoked using olive or oak wood, which gives it a unique flavour, aroma, and colour while enhancing the flavour of the spices. Mirandela sausage contains beef and pork meat along with fat, poultry meat, wheat bread, olive oil, and lard, and it’s flavoured and seasoned with salt, garlic, and sweet or hot paprika.

Rookworst – Netherlands: Rookworst is a smoked sausage made with either pork, pork and beef, or pork and veal. The meat is typically flavoured with saltpetre, nutmeg, and sugar before it is placed into pork intestines and left to smoke over smouldering woodchips.

Genoa Salami – Italy: Genoa salami is cured pork sausage with visibly chunky pockets of fat. Its “slightly sour,” “fermented” flavour may stem from a measure of wine added before it’s salted and air-dried (no smoking here), while the whole black peppercorns contribute spiciness.

Salsiccia de Bra – Italy: The recipe for traditional Italian Salsiccia di Bra is secret and carefully guarded but it is a mixture of lean veal, pig’s fat, sea salt, white pepper, cinnamon, mace, and nutmeg. Many artisans enrich it further with fennel, garlic, cheese, leeks, white wine, or prosecco.

Cotechino – Italy: Cotechino sausages were made (according to the legends) when Pope Julius besieged the city of Mirandola in 1511. The people slaughtered their pigs seasoned the ground meat with salt and pepper and thus the cotechino was born.

Luganega – Italy: Luganega is a mild sausage made with ground pork and seasoned with nutmeg, coriander, pepper, and cinnamon.

Morcilla Patatera – Spain: A horseshoe-shaped sausage and although it is called blood sausage it doesn’t contain any blood. It is made from a mixture of Iberian pork meat and bacon and mashed potatoes, often flavoured with garlic and oregano.   It does look sort of like Chorizo and is usually eaten spread on bread in a chickpea stew.

Chorizo – Spain: Spanish chorizo is generally sold cured and fully cooked. It’s made from chopped pork and pork fat and seasoned with smoked paprika, garlic, and herbs. Don’t substitute it for Mexican chorizo or vice versa; they are not interchangeable.

Chistorra – Spain Basque Country: Chistorra is a cured sausage made from pork, either from the belly or the jowl. Minced pork is sometimes combined with minced beef, and the sausage is traditionally flavoured with garlic, salt, and paprika, which gives the sausage its characteristic red colour.

Botifarra – Spain – Catalan: Botifarra is a white sausage based on ancient Roman recipes and consists of pork meat and numerous spices and seasoning, as well as additional ingredients that may include truffles, eggs, boiled rice, and tripe in the mixture.

Sobrassada – Spain: Sobrassada is from the Balearic Islands, and it is a sausage with a reddish-orange colour, made from ground pork, pork fat, paprika, salt, and pepper. The meat should come from locally grown black pigs which are related to the Ibérico pigs living on the mainland.

Loukanika– Greek: This Greek sausage is made from both lamb and pork and flavoured with orange rind. It’s usually sold fresh, meaning it needs to be cooked before eating. Often served in Meze platters when in Greece or in Cyprus.

Sheftalia– Cyprus: Sheftalia is made from a mixture of minced pork and lamb, chopped red onion, and parsley and then wrapped in caul fat. The meat mixture is seasoned with salt, pepper, and cinnamon, and then formed into small sausages which are skewered and grilled.

Sucuk– Cyprus: Sucuk or sujuk is a semi-dry, spicy sausage traditionally prepared with ground beef and spices such as cumin, salt, paprika, and garlic. The sausage should be dried for at least three weeks before consumption.

Frikandel – Netherlands or Belgium: There has been a long dispute about whether frikandel is originally Belgian or Dutch. Frikandel is a skinless, deep-fried sausage commonly made from pork, and chicken, traditionally, it is served plain, with mayonnaise on the side or slathered with a variety of sauces and raw red onion.  

Metworst – Netherlands: Metworst is made from ground pork. The sausage is always dried in the open air and has a very strong flavour.

Braadworst – Netherlands: The name means roast sausage in Dutch, so braadworst is usually fried with butter or grilled at barbecues. It consists of finely ground pork, beef, or veal meat that is lightly seasoned with spices and herbs such as nutmeg, pepper, fennel, and coriander. It is often found in the traditional Dutch dish Stamppot.

Cervelat – Switzerland: Cervelat is made with pork or a combination of pork and beef. In Switzerland, it is typically mildly seasoned with mustard, garlic, and selected herbs and spices. The sausage is cured, dried, and smoked, and is then served either uncooked or boiled.

Saucisse de Toulouse – France: This traditional Toulouse sausage consists of coarsely minced pork, with the only other additions being salt and pepper. Used primarily in cassoulets, but it can also be grilled, braised, or fried.

Diot – France: Diot is usually made with a combination of fatty ground pork that’s seasoned with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. There are small and large diots, fresh and smoked, and they can be boiled, grilled, or braised.

Andouillette – France: Andouillette is a French speciality sausage made with pork meat and intestines, onions, wine, pepper, and other seasonings. The sausage contains parts of the pig’s colon, which is the reason why it is considered to be an acquired taste, as it has an intense, what I consider nasty smell.

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Scandinavian types of sausages

Nakki – Finland: Nakki is a mild Finnish sausage, similar to frankfurter, hot dog, or wiener.

Morrpølse – Norway: Morrpølse is one of the oldest processed foods in the country, dating back to the Viking era. The sausage is usually made from pork, goat, sheep, or wild game, with 70% lean meat and 30% fat They are cold-smoked and seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg, caraway, and dried and crushed juniper berries. 

Garnatálg – Faroe Islands, Denmark: Garnatálg sausage is prepared with cured sheep intestines and sheep tallow. The combination is shaped into large, oval pieces which are then air-dried. This local product is usually cut into slices, pan-fried until melted and served over ræstur fiskur—air-dried and fermented fish.

Prinskorv – Sweden: Prinskorv is made with spiced pork and veal and it is mainly enjoyed as a snack, fried and served with mustard on the side. It is also a popular element of julbord, the traditional Swedish Christmas buffet-style table.

Medisterpølse – Denmark: The spicy medisterpølse is usually prepared with pork, lard, onions, and a variety of spices such as cloves, allspice, and pepper. It is typically poached for a few minutes before it is cut into smaller pieces, fried, and served doused in brown gravy alongside potatoes, mustard, and pickled vegetables.

Mustamakkara – Finland: Mustamakkara is a blood sausage consisting of pig’s blood, pork meat and fat, crushed rye, and flour. It is sautéed and served with Lingonberry jam and is the favourite street food in Finland.

Fläskkorv – Sweden: This sausage is mainly composed of pork meat and fat which is seasoned and placed in a natural or artificial encasing. It is cooked and served with rotmos, a dish made from mashed carrots, potatoes and swedes.

Isterband – Sweden: A lightly smoked Swedish sausage consisting of coarsely ground pork, barley, spices, lard, and (optionally) potatoes or onions. Characterized by their slightly sour flavour, they are traditionally dried for a short period before being lightly smoked.

Rød Pølse – Denmark: These sausages are prepared with pork meat and are lightly smoked over beechwood. They are characterized by their distinctive red colour and the use of spices that typically include nutmeg, allspice, and cardamom.

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South Asian and Asian types of sausages

Lap Cheong – China: Cheong is a Cantonese name that means basically sausage but it is generic and you will find sausages all over China and Asia with this name but all will vary from fresh to smoked sausages.

Chả bò– Vietnamese: Chả bò is a traditional Vietnamese sausage. It is made from fresh lean beef, spices, seasonings, and fish sauce. The beef is ground, seasoned with spices, then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed or fried.

Some of the most popular seasonings and spices include garlic, lemongrass, black peppercorns, chilli, shallots, and coconut milk.

Nem nướng – Vietnam: Nem nướng is a sausage that is usually made with a combination of ground pork fat and meat, garlic, fish sauce, shallots, sugar, black pepper, and often baking soda that’s used for puffing up the meat. The meat is formed into patties and balls or placed on skewers before the grilling process.

Som Moo – Laos: Som moo is a Laotian fermented pork sausage that is adapted from a traditional Vietnamese dish of the same name. Som moo mixes minced pork and pork skin with garlic, sticky rice, chilli peppers, and salt. The sausage is then wrapped tightly in cling film and left to ferment at room temperature for about 3 days. After the fermentation process, the dish is ready to be served at weddings, family gatherings, or similar festive events.

Sai Krok Isan – Northern Thailand: This is a fermented sausage made with a mixture of ground pork meat and fat, combined with garlic, sticky rice, salt, and pepper in a natural encasing. The sausage is then allowed to dry and ferment for several hours or sometimes even for up to 2-3 days in the blazing hot sun, a method that provides this sausage with its unique sourness.

Sai Oua – Laos & Northern Thailand: Sai oua is a spicy pork sausage infused with aromatic herbs and spices including shallots, lemongrass, chillies, kaffir lime leaves, and garlic.

Eastern European types of sausages

Carnati de Plescoi – Romania: This sausage is made with mutton, chilli peppers, and garlic. They are one of the first Romanian products that will be part of the EU’s list of certified traditional products.

Doktorskaya Kolbasa – Russia: This sausage somewhat resembles bologna and it was introduced after a long famine in Russia in 1936.  The recipe contains beef, pork, egg and milk.  

Hurka – Hungary: A popular Hungarian sausage consisting of ground pork liver, lungs, rice, and onions. There are two main varieties: májas hurka, made with liver and rice, and véres hurka, made with blood, rice, and seasonings.

Kazy – Kazakhstan: A Kazakh horse sausage traditionally, the sausage is made with meat and fat taken from the ribs. It is usually seasoned with garlic, pepper, and salt before being stuffed into natural casings.

Jitrinice – Czech Republic: The most common pork sausages in the Czech Republic. They mostly consist of pork cuts, various internal organs, and pork liver. Depending on the tradition, some incorporate barley or soaked wheat buns in the basic mixture. They can be seasoned with a variety of herbs and spices such as marjoram, allspice, garlic, and pepper. Jitrnice is usually large, they vary in colour and consistency, but are distinguished by a wooden stick tied at each end.

Lukanka – Bulgaria: A traditional, aromatic sausage made with a mixture of minced pork and veal. The sausage is usually heavily spiced with salt, black pepper, hot and sweet peppers, cumin, nutmeg, and coriander.

Kranjska Klobasa – Slovenia: Kranjska has the perfect meat-to-bacon ratio: at least 80% coarsely ground good-quality pork cuts and 20% bacon, seasoned with salt from the Sečovlje saltern, black pepper, and garlic.

Kupati – Georgia: Kupati is a spicy Georgian sausage made with pork or beef, onions, and flavourings such as black pepper, cinnamon, garlic, salt, and coriander. It is traditionally accompanied by sauerkraut or sliced onions and garnished with freshly chopped coriander and pomegranate seeds.

Bahur – Bulgaria: Bahur is made with a combination of rice and trimmings and the blood of sheep, beef, or pork. Onions, bay leaves, cumin, and allspice are also added to the mixture. The ingredients are sautéed before they’re stuffed into thick pork intestines.

Spišské Párky – Slovakia: A smoked sausage that according to a traditional recipe, it is made with a mixture of fresh beef, fresh pork, pork rind, and spices such as sweet and hot paprika that give the sausage its pinkish-red colour. The finished product is hung in a smoke room to dry and smoke and, therefore, has a unique aroma and flavour. 

Karnacheta – Bulgaria: This sausage is made by combining ground pork meat with a mix of traditional Bulgarian spices, and then stuffing the mixture into a sheep casing. Typical spices include winter savoury (chubritsa), paprika, black pepper, dried red peppers, salt, and (optionally) cumin or fenugreek powder.

Caltabos – Romania: A  liver-based pork sausage that is traditionally prepared and eaten during the winter holiday season. All the ingredients are boiled with garlic and bay leaves before they are minced and combined with meat, caramelized onions, spices, and (optionally) rice. Unlike other types of Romanian sausages, caltaboși are boiled instead of fried. They are traditionally served cold with bread and raw onions or pickles on the side.

Hungarian – Hungary: Hungarian varieties of sausage are made of pork and flavoured with garlic and paprika. You might find Hungarian sausage smoked, dried or fresh.

Češnjovka – Croatia: A traditional Croatian sausage made from pork it is highly flavoured with garlic and the name translates to garlic sausage.

Kielbasa – Poland: One of our favourites and when we went to Krakow Poland we got to try several different types of kielbasa. Kielbasa is sold fully cooked, but we like to grill it or sear it to add flavour.

Kiełbasa wędzona is a type of traditional Polish smoked kiełbasa. It is prepared with ground pork meat which is cured before it is seasoned with salt, pepper, sugar, garlic, and (optionally) marjoram.

Middle Eastern types of Sausage

Makanek – Lebanon: These are small Lebanese sausages made with lamb, beef, or a combination of both. The sausages are seasoned and spiced with cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, pine nuts, vinegar, and white wine. They are served either fried or grilled before serving, and they’re traditionally accompanied by pomegranate molasses.

Merguez – North Africa: A sausage that comes to us from the Bedouins and this sausage due to the Islamic prohibition on pork is always made from lamb. It consists of minced beef and mutton, then chilli (sweet or hot) and various spices are added such as paprika, cumin, pepper or even harissa, which give it a typical dark red colour.

Mumbar –  Egypt, Syria, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Lebanon, Palestine: Also called fawaregh (in Lebanon and Palestine) is a sausage made with beef, parsley, garlic, rice, onion and coriander. Several varieties of usban (as it is known in Libya) exist, and the herbs and spices used can vary but typically include cayenne pepper, black pepper, turmeric and cinnamon, as well as dried mint, parsley and dill. This is added to spring onion, tomato, vegetable oil and rice.

African types of sausage

Droewors – South Africa: A South African dried jerky sausage based on the popular boerewors sausage. It’s made from beef or mutton with sheep tail fat, coriander, vinegar, and various spices. It’s sometimes enriched with garlic or chilli peppers.

Boerewors – South Africa: A South African sausage must have at least 90% meat (beef, lamb, pork), while the other 10% consists of spices including nutmeg, allspice, cloves, black pepper and the fat cannot exceed 30%. Traditionally cooked on the BBQ or braai and served with bread and sauce.

Mutura – Kenya: A sausage that is made with goat meat, goat blood and seasonings including ginger, garlic, coriander, and Piri-Piri chillies. The sausage is traditionally boiled and then placed on the grill in order to dehydrate the meat and give it a unique, smoky flavour.

So you do have a favourite type of sausage? Where have you travelled to find your perfect type of sausage?

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