A Guide To Sausages Around The World

What comes to mind when you think of sausage? For the average American, you may picture a round patty served with breakfast, a polish hot dog, or perhaps a bratwurst nicely marked from the grill and served with a pile of sauerkraut. Although these are all delicious options, they're just a glimpse into the grand scheme of sausage making around the globe. 

While many countries claim to be the originators of the cured and cased ground meats, in reality, no one can truly hold that title. Sausages emerged in many cultures out of the independent need to be able to preserve leftover meats. The first recorded sausage was discovered in Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq and West Asia) where carvings in a wall depicted the process of stuffing cleaned animal intestines with cured meat.

Nowadays, regional varieties of sausage are seemingly infinite. This guide will cover many unique sausages from around the world that will hopefully peek your interest into trying something new. Truth be told, it would take a whole book to really cover all of the diverse histories and processes to sausage-making worldwide. Each region is defined by unique spice blends, and specific curing, fermenting, or drying instructions that yield different kinds of sausages in incredible variety.

In Oceania, which includes Australia, New Zealand, and thousands of islands from Polynesia to Micronesia, unique spices and technique for making sausage aren't as common as in other parts of the world. However, the culture of eating them is definitely there.

In Australia, the land of Vegemite (which actually goes great in marinades) sausages are referred to in true Australian style as snags. If you're ever invited out to a "sausage sizzle" to grill up some dogs, just know that you'll probably be eating your snag on a slice of white bread rather than a hot dog bun.

Although they're not making an appearance at every neighborhood sausage sizzle, you can also find sausages made of kangaroo or emu in the land down under. Scientists are encouraging locals to eat the boxing 'roos, as they overwhelm the ecosystem in prevalence.

When most Americans think of sausage, they're unlikely to think of Asian varieties — but East Asia has some killer recipes that are definitely worth seeking out. If you've ever had a fried noodle or perhaps a bao bun containing slices of sausage that have a surprisingly sweet flavor, that is Chinese lap cheong. Sausage-making in China was recorded as early as 544 A.D. as a method for preserving meat. The more modern Cantonese version uses sugar and rice wine in the curing mix to make the lap cheong that began appearing in the 19th century.

Japan is one of the few countries to have a common form of fish sausage. It's not altogether surprising, considering there are better ways to preserve fish than squishing it into a tube. Nevertheless, this Japanese snack is called gyoniku soseji, and is made from a ground fish paste and sold ready-to-eat.

If you have the chance to visit Korea or you're lucky enough to find them in a Korean restaurant, sundae (soon-dye) are a must try. Meaning "sausage" in Korean, these traditional blood sausages come in many colors and varieties, sometimes stuffed inside a cylindrical squid head to achieve those surf-and-turf flavors. They use glass noodles as the starch to hold the blood together, and they are deliciously seasoned with kimchi, gochujang, or onions and garlic.

From Thailand to Indonesia, each country in South East Asia seems to have its own specially crafted sausage seasoned with spices unique to the region. Bright colors and strong flavors abound, like the Lao and Northern Thai sausage called sai uoa. It's a vibrant, yellow-orange color, evidence of the array of mouth-watering spices it contains including turmeric, ginger, lemongrass, and red chilis. In Vietnam, sausages are commonly seen in many street foods — a few of which were favorites of Anthony Bourdain. Chả lụa is perhaps the most common; steamed in a banana leaf, this sausage is made from lean pork and is pale in color. It's often served in spicy broths that complement its simple flavor. 

In Myanmar, a long curled sausage is a local specialty, seasoned with a peppercorn called Kayah that gives it a unique flavor, along with turmeric and other spices.  In Bali, there's a similar sausage with yellow-tinted pieces of fat from turmeric and galangal powder (a root in the same family as ginger). Although in Bali they utilize the warm environment to ferment the sausage outdoors, giving it a unique flavor and consistency.  Just next door in the Philippines, achuete powder is used to give a red tinge to longganisa sausage, the Filipino version of the Spanish longaniza. 

Any one of these incredible South East Asian sausages will have you yearning for more. Their strong flavors pair well with fresh veggies, in noodle dishes, with eggs and rice for breakfast, or simply grilled on a stick.

Given that the first recorded sausage in history was on a wall in modern-day Iraq, you would expect the Middle East to be producing some especially tasty cured links, and you would be correct.

The history of basturma (also called pastirma, among other names) goes back a few thousand years to around 45 B.C., where it was first mentioned in Armenia (although in a territory that is now modern-day Turkey). This strikingly colored and highly seasoned beef sausage is popular in many countries, including Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Syria.  If you're lucky enough to be near one of these communities in the U.S., you may be able to find it on a restaurant menu or served in a local sandwich shop (like Sahag's Basturma shop in Los Angeles). The basturma is typically sliced thin and served in a panini-like sandwich with black olives and pepperoncini. Its rich flavor comes from loads of garlic and a seasoning blend that includes fenugreek, all of which helps in the curing process and makes it very enjoyable.

Over in Lebanon, makanek sausages made of lamb, beef, and occasionally pork are smothered in pomegranate molasses and eaten with bread. This adds an incredible tartness to cut through the fat of the sausage. 

North Africa has a large Islamic population. Given that pork is strictly forbidden for practicing Muslims, creative alternatives are used to make equally enticing sausages that have left their mark on the culinary world.

Merguez is perhaps the most common, as the French took a liking to it when they colonized North Africa and introduced it to the Western world. A lamb-based sausage with a bright red color, these links are packed full of flavor from cumin, garlic, and most importantly, harissa — a spice paste common in the region. It pairs perfectly with cooling yogurt sauces (or more harissa, if you love the burn), rice pilafs, in sandwiches or wraps, or sliced into a lentil stew.

In Libya, a lamb sausage called ousban is quite popular, although it finds its difference from merguez by utilizing the chopped heart and liver of the lamb to add an earthy flavor. These cuts are complemented by fresh mint, tomato, and herbs to brighten the final product. In Egypt, some opt to not stuff the sausage casing with any meat at all, instead using rice and a hearty mixture of onions, tomatoes, and seasonings as a filling (although it's not vegetarian, considering an animal's intestine is still used as a casing). Called mombar, this dish is often used to celebrate Eid, the end of the month long fast of Ramadan. 

The deeper you go into Central and South Africa, lamb becomes less common and the sausages tell the story of colonization by the Dutch. Boerewors, droëwors, and biltong are all common cured meats to see, primarily in South Africa — although they have spread to surrounding countries as well. Generally they're made from beef, although other meats like veal, pork, duck, and kudu (African antelope) can also be used as variations. As is the case with many regional varieties of sausages, the key is in the spice blend that gives it unique flavor. In this case, it's a hearty mix of coriander, nutmeg, and cloves that lends a rich, unmistakable fragrance to the meat. Boerewors, meaning "farmer's sausage" in Afrikaans, is squeezed into thick, long coils of intestine. If you're buying it, know that in order to legally use the name, the meat and spice content must follow specific regulations (so you'll enjoy a uniform product). On the other hand, droëwors is typically much smaller so that it can dry easily, while biltong is almost a beef jerky-like snack of cured and dried meat. 

In Nairobi there's a sausage that establishes itself in the culinary world as a historic blood sausage. Mutura wasn't influenced by colonization — it is a traditional blood sausage born out of Kenya. It's typically made from goat blood, minced meats like beef and mutton, rendered fat, and seasonings like onion, garlic, and coriander leaves. 

Have we really even scratched the surface of sausages until we've talked about Italian cured meats? The Italians have been experimenting with drying, curing, spicing, and perfecting sausage-making since Ancient Rome, and the products to prove they are no joke. Many of them have a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status, meaning the product must hail from a certain region of Italy that does it just right. Salami, mortadella, prosciutto, Italian sausage (which you can easily make at home) are just to name a few. Perhaps one of the most underrated is 'nduja, which is both spicy and spreadable.

Italy isn't the only Mediterranean country that knows its way around a sausage — smoked Greek loukaniko is uniquely flavored with orange and oregano and is sometimes served stuff with the Greek cheese kefalotyri, in pita bread, or on Greek salads. Spain also has a broad variety of sausages including longaniza, which uses more black pepper than paprika, and the much-loved chorizo. Their version of blood sausage is called morcilla, and depending on the region of Spain is sometimes made with variations like raisins, nuts, or anise.

Next door in Portugal, there's a sausage called alheira, which has a background rooted in cultural perseverance. Detailed by the BBC article, this poultry-based sausage was originally filled with bread crumbs and crafted to resemble a pork sausage to allow Jews (who can't east pork) facing persecution. This helped them blend in with the ruling Christians.

There's no doubt that some of these Central European staples are the most famous, familiar, and possibly the most-consumed. Americans love throwing some bratwurst on a barbecue, although this is just one of many delicious and varied sausages that hail from Central Europe. In Germany the list goes on: leberwurst (a spreadable liver sausage), blutwurst (blood sausage), currywurst (which is more about the sauce then the sausage in it), bregenwurst (which used to be made from brains until BSE outbreaks), and weisswurst (white sausage) are just to name a few. It's no secret that the home of Oktoberfest knows its way around some perfectly-cured meats.

Just South of Germany, Austrians are cooking up a seriously enticing sausage that is perfect for soaking up a few beers — käsekrainer is a pork-based sausage stuffed with hearty chunks of cheese that bubble and ooze out of the skin while it grills. It doesn't get much better than that. 

When speaking on Central European sausages, you can't skip over Polish kielbasa. This smoked, coiled sausage has gained massive popularity in the U.S. — thanks to Polish immigrants — and its smoky, spiced flavor cooks up incredibly well when poached and grilled. In Hungary, kolbász (the Hungarian word for sausage) is heavily influenced by kielbasa, but it includes paprika in the seasoning for additional spice. 

Sausages in England earned the nickname "bangers" around WWII, as the water content would cause them to pop and explode when fried in oil. Several different English varieties are produced with much pride, including the infamous black pudding (the English version of blood sausage), Lincolnshires (seasoned with sage), Oxfords (pork and veal), and saveloys, which are colored bright red from loads of spice and typically served battered and fried.

Irish sausages are fairly similar to English, although the main difference is in the filler. While English sausages might use a normal breadcrumb, Irish links fill the gaps with egg and "rusk" — a hard biscuit or bread that is twice baked. It might not be very noticeable in taste, but points to cultural differences. 

In Scotland and Wales, the sausages differ quite a bit. Wales is known for a vegetarian sausage called a GGlamorgan that's made from cheese, breadcrumbs, eggs, and seasoned with mustard and herbs. Deep-fried into a log, it mimics the shape of a sausage, although some might consider it more of a fritter due to the absence of an intestinal casing. Meanwhile, Scotland's national dish is not always so appealing. Haggis is a combination of oatmeal, sheep's heart, lungs, and liver, suet (a hard fat), and spices, crammed into a sheep's stomach. It may not sound the most enticing, but when battered and fried and served with a good sauce and side of potatoes, this dish certainly brings the flavor (and the calories). 

The original land of the Vikings was not easy to survive on, so curing and preserving meat was a necessary step for survival. In Norway, the sausage morrpølse dates back to Viking times, and it puts the less-enjoyable parts of animals (tripe, offal, etc.) in a casing that is dried and cold smoked for preservation. In Iceland, salt was hard to come by (as were most resources). In turn, lactic acid was used in the creation of yogurt to preserve the meat in their sausage, the Icelandic pylsur. While not a super common sausage in other parts of the world, this innovation under trying circumstances is quite admirable.

In Sweden, potatoes are used generously in combination with beef and pork to make a potatis korv sausage, which helps stretch more expensive meat for a longer period of time. Similarly, the Swedish stångkorv utilizes barley as a filler and is fermented to provide a nice tang. While Swedish sausages rely on starch to round out the meat, in Denmark, the medisterpølse sticks to pork, spices, and generous amounts of suet or pork belly for a rich, flavorful effect.  

The cuisine and culture of South America has been heavily influenced by Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and German immigrants — sausages included. Long before the arrival of Europeans, however, the Incas were curing and drying alpaca and llama meat into a sort of jerky called ch'arki for easy preservation. In modern-day Peru, a sausage called Huacho — named from the town it originates from — is dyed and seasoned with the native achiote seed, prized for its bright red color and complex flavor.

Post-European immigration and colonization, many of the sausages in South America use the same name as their European counterparts, but the flavors and techniques have evolved. Take chorizo, for example. Each country adds its own twist on the seasoning that makes it its own: in Columbia, brighter green herbs are added, sometimes including mint. In Chile, the focus is on wine. Argentinian chorizo leans closer to the Spanish version by focusing on pimentón (paprika). Although influence by the original Spanish recipe, each country makes it uniquely their own based on what's available around them.

In Brazil, a uniquely Brazilian sausage called linguiça Blumenau was created by German immigrants, the sausage being named after the area of Brazil they lived in. It is now a staple in Blumenau's culture, and it's a popular item at the local Oktoberfest.

North American cuisine is sometimes hard to put a finger on, largely because it has been so heavily influenced by immigration, colonization, war, and crop availability. Wild game sausage are common in Canada and the U.S., like the one sometimes on the menu at Salmon n' Bannock in Vancouver, B.C. Made with meats typical of the region like elk, bison, reindeer (caribou), and boar, these sausages vary in recipes, but typically find ways to incorporate the less popular cuts of meat in order to utilize the whole animal.

In the American South, the state of Louisiana has taken the French andouille sausage and made it its own. Using a different cut of meat, more spice, and specific smoking rituals to achieve great Cajun flavor, this sausage has become key in achieving the depth required for dishes like gumbo and jambalaya. Similarly, in nearby Texas, the Polish kielbasa originally introduced by immigrants has become a staple of the region, and it's available on many barbecue menus. 

In Mexico, chorizo rojo or verde are common at street taco stands, but Mexican chorizo is very unique from the Spanish version. It has more fat, a spicier kick, and skips the drying process in favor of cooking the meat on a flat top next to the tortillas that hold it. All in all, North America is a melting pot of culinary traditions that are still developing right in front of our eyes as different cultures and culinary traditions merge together.