What is a sausage?

Answer

To help answer this question, I consulted my trusty cook-book, "The All-Purpose Cookbook, Joy of Cooking" by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker in 1964.  That name is usually shortened to, the "Joy of Cooking".  The Rombauer family (I think) has carried on the tradition of publishing a "Joy of Cooking" nearly every year since 1931, when the first book was published.  I received this book when I got married in 1968, and have treasured the book all these years.  It has been a treasure trove of information about cooking, food preparation, food qualities and quantities, handling foods, etc.  (I can look up a chart of a side of beef to see where certain cuts come from.)  I looked up sausage to see whether the Rombauers have an answer to the question:  "What is a sausage?"

"At burchering time in our valley, the popular man is the one who knows how to flavor the sausage--not too much pepper or sage and just enough coriander.  This process has to be played by ear, for > uncooked meat cannot be tasted to correct the seasoning and the strength of spices is so variable.  The best way to learn is to mix a small batch and cook up a sample for the always-hungry helpers to test.

1.  To each part:  Firm diced lard

Use:  2 parts lean ground pork

Season the lard with a mixture of:

     Thyme

     Summer savory

     Coriander

     Sweet marjoram

     Pulverized bay leaf

     Freshly ground pepper

>  To cook fresh sausage patties, start them in a ^ cold ungreased pan over moderate heat and cook until medium brown on both sides and done throughout."

"II     6 Medium Patties

If you have a sudden hankering for one of these small-scale recipes, grind ^ twice with the finest grinder knives:

     1/2 lb lean pork

     1/2 lb pork fat

     1/2 lb lean veal

Mix in a large bowl:

     1 cup bread crumbs

       grated rind of 1 lemon

     1/4 tsp each sage, sweet marjoram and thyme

     1/8 tsp summer savory

     1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

     2 tsp salt

       A grating of fresh nutmeg

Add the ground meat and form this mixture into a 1 1/2-inch layer.  Store overnight refrigerated and covered to blend the seasoning.  ^  To cook, see 1 above."

On a preceding page, the Rombauers state:  "There is freshly ground sausage meat or Country Sausage (see recipe above), which must be used at once.  There are smoked sausages:  frankfurters, wieners or Vienna sausage, Bologna and Mettwurst--all of which may be eaten as bought, but may also be simmered, baked or broiled for serving with pasta, hot vegetables and fruit garnish.  If you broil or pan-fry cased sausages, prick them to keep the skins from bursting.  This is not necessary if you have added a small quantity of water to the pan at the beginning of cooking or have first blanched, dried and floured them lightly before frying.  Even then, if they swell quickly, prick them lightly before they burst, to give greater protection to the meat.

Dry sausages are also available:  hard and soft cervelat, salami, saucison de Lyon, mortadella, pepperoni and chorizo.  They are delicious as hors d'oeuvre, in sandwiches and for seasoning bland dishes.

Be sure that any kind of sausage you buy or make involves good quality meats.  Cereal 'stretchers' are almost certainly present in commercial sausages unless they are marked 'pure' or 'all meat.'  When properly made and if the casing is intact, dry sausages may be kept indefinitely in a cool place.  For this reason, they have become known as 'summer sausages'--although they are available the year round.  Dry types are particularly prized when refrigeration is lacking.  Available, too--although they need constant refrigeration--are spiced meats like liver loaf or Braunschweiger, blood sausage, deviled minced ham and veal loaves.  Once the sausage casing is cut open, smoked or cooked sausage can be stored refrigerated about 1 week; semidry and dry types, 2 weeks or more."

Surely that answers your question!

     Cathy Williams

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