Homemade Sausage Information and Recipes

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Homemade Sausage

Part 1: Sausage ingredients depend on the maker

More of this Feature

• Part 1: Sausage history and ingredients
• Part 2: Sausage cases and grinding
• Part 3: Low-fat sausage alternatives
• Part 4: Sausage Recipes

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You may shy away from commercially-made sausage fearing not only fat content, but what odds and ends manufacturers dump into the mix. And, rightfully so. But, if you make your own sausage at home, you can ensure only the best ingredients and spices are used, plus control the fat content. Don't make the mistake of thinking sausage is strictly a meat product. The featured sausage recipes also include seafood and vegetarian sausage blends.

Sausage history
The word sausage comes from the Middle English sausige, which came from sal, Latin for salt. In France they are sausissons and in Germany, wurst. In practice for over a millenia sausage-making was originally a method used to preserve meats, especially lesser cuts.

Today, sausage-making has become an art. More than 200 different varieties are made in the United States alone, and thousands more worldwide, varying by regional tastes and ingredient availability. Hot dogs are popular in the United States, sausage is the ultimate Finnish fast food, and seafood sausages are popular in Asia.

What is in sausage?
Sausage is defined as ground meat mixed with fat, salt and other seasonings, preservatives and sometimes fillers. Some sausage mixtures are sold in bulk form, and others forced into casings to form links. Sausage is available in fresh form, which needs to be cooked before consumption, and dry or cured form, which are already cooked. Virtually any type of meat can be used in sausage, but most common are pork or pork blends. Variety truly is the spice of life, with spicy, hot sausages and bland sausages, and flavorings running the gamut from garlic to nutmeg. Creative chefs are also making sausages from vegetable and seafood blends for those who eschew meats. Click here for a listing of categories of sausages.

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