Sausage

Germany

For over 120 years, Aachen's Christmas sausage has played an integral part in the cultural tradition of the city and has made its butcher shops famous. Aachener Weihnachts-Leberwurst dates back to the 19th century, when the butchers of Aachen perfected the production of Aachener (&Ouml;cher) sausage for the holiday season, always using fresh liver in the process. A special feature of the Aachen Christmas liverwurst is the addition of cream and the use of a special mix of spices, which most often includes cardamom, anise, coriander, and cranberries or honey. The renowned quality and reputation of this delicacy have been established through the Aachen Christmas sausage competition which has been held for over 40 years. During this event, trained and independent judges assess the quality of the products on the basis of German Agricultural Society standards.

Aachener Weihnachts-Leberwurst

This smoked Portuguese 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. To disguise as Christians, they started producing sausages but would replace the traditional pork meat with poultry and game. The sausage soon became popular throughout the country, and today it comes in numerous varieties that sometimes even use fish or pork meat and fat as the base. Though it can be grilled or boiled, it is most commonly deep-fried, topped with a fried egg and accompanied by rice, salad, and fries.

Alheira

Portugal

With a history dating back to the 15th century, this sausage delicacy was invented by the Jewish community in Portugal. When given the choice between converting to Christianity or being expelled from the country, the Portuguese Jews opted for the latter, but decided to keep practicing Judaism in secret. In order not to draw unwanted suspicion while still abiding by Kosher law, they began making and eating sausages using meat other than pork, such as rabbit or poultry. Nowadays, Barroso-Montalegre sausage is made by combining different meats and bread with spices that provide it with a unique flavor. Pimento, sweet red paprika (known locally as piment&atilde;o), onions, parsley, and olive oil give alheira de Barroso-Montalegre its unmistakable aroma and color.

Alheira de Barroso-Montalegre

The filling for this traditional smoked delicacy is made by combining small pieces of meat and bread. This sausage is traditionally smoked using olive or oak wood, which gives it a unique flavor, aroma, and color while enhancing the flavor of the spices. Mirandela sausage contains beef and pork meat along with fat, poultry meat, wheat bread, olive oil, and lard, and it's flavored and seasoned with salt, garlic, and sweet or hot paprika. This sausage is an irreplaceable ingredient in traditional Portuguese dishes such as a&ccedil;orda, cannelones, and pies, but it can also be served as a main dish with a side of potatoes or vegetables.

Alheira de Mirandela

The municipality of Vinhais is the fumeiro (smokehouse) capital of the Tr&aacute;s-os-Montes region, and it produces some of the best cured meat products in the world. Vinhais sausage is a smoked sausage made with cooked meat of locally raised b&iacute;saro pigs, which is only lightly flavored and seasoned with salt, garlic, and paprika. After the meat has been cooked, bread is added to the mixture before it's stuffed into sausage casings. Vinhais sausage has a yellowish-brown color and a very pleasant, uniqe aroma and flavor. Alheira de Vinhais can be eaten fried, oven-roasted, or grilled, and it is typically served with a side of boiled or fried potatoes and cooked vegetables.

Alheira de Vinhais

Spain

Androlla is a traditional Galician semi-dry sausage. It's made from pork spare ribs and skins, garlic, oregano, white wine, hot and sweet piment&oacute;n, and salt. The combination is stuffed into natural casings, and it's then smoked and dried up to 2 months. The flavor of androlla is influenced by the quality meat from local, free-roaming celta pigs. This sausage is always cooked in water before it's eaten. It's typically served with turnip greens and boiled potatoes on the side.

Androlla

Australia

Barbecue snags are thick Australian sausages, usually with a mild flavor 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, chutneys, and loaves of artisanal bread on the side. Today, there are also snags with numerous modern, gourmet fillings such as lamb and rosemary, chicken and cheese, or beef and red wine.

Barbecue Snags

Bauernbratwurst, which translates to "farmer&rsquo;s bratwurst", is a traditional sausage known for its rustic and hearty flavor. It is typically made from coarsely ground pork, though some variations may include a mixture of pork and beef. The meat is seasoned with a blend of spices such as garlic, pepper, marjoram, paprika and sometimes onion or nutmeg. What distinguishes Bauernbratwurst from other bratwurst varieties is its rustic, country-style preparation. The sausage has a coarser texture than finer bratwursts and is often smoked, which gives it a deeper, richer flavor. This sausage is often associated with rural areas, where it has historically been made by farmers using traditional sausage-making methods. Bauernbratwurst is typically cooked by grilling or pan-frying, which helps develop its savory flavor and crispy exterior. It is usually served with classic German accompaniments such as sauerkraut, potatoes, mustard, or simply with bread.

Bauernbratwurst

United States

Also known as Wisconsin's soul food, beer brats are a unique American addition to German cuisine. As there was a large number of German immigrants in Wisconsin, the German sausage known as bratwurst became very popular in the region, especially during the 1920s. They quickly became a staple at sports matches. Beer brats are poached in beer before grilling, to seal in the juices so the sausages stay succulent and moist. They are served in brat buns or hard rolls, usually accompanied by potato salads, chopped onions, ketchup, mustard, or sauerkraut. The dish is a common sight at summer cookouts, and every year there is the Brat Fest, which claims to be the world's largest bratwurst festival, held in the city of Madison in Wisconsin during the Memorial Day weekend.

Beer Brats

Austria

Berner Würstel is an Austrian sausage dish consisting of a pork or veal sausage wrapped in bacon and often filled with cheese. It is typically grilled or pan-fried until crispy. The dish originated in Austria and is named after the butcher who first created it. It is commonly served with mustard, horseradish, and a side of fries or bread.

Austrian sausage wrapped in bacon and filled with cheese

Bockwurst is one of the most common sausage varieties enjoyed in Germany. The sausages were originally prepared with finely ground veal, but today they can employ various types of meat and numerous combinations of spices and fresh herbs. They come in different shapes and are usually pale in color. Bockwursts are typically stuffed in natural casings, which makes them perfect for simmering in hot water or grilling. According to a popular belief, they were invented in Berlin in 1889 by a pub owner named Richard Scholtz, who served them alongside bock bier. Today, they are internationally famous and especially favored in Germany and Austria, where they are usually enjoyed with a dollop of mustard, sauerkraut, or boiled potatoes on the side.

Bockwurst

Boerewors is a South African sausage that's shaped into a coil and must contain at least 90% meat, while the other 10% consists of spices (nutmeg, allspice, cloves, black pepper...) and other ingredients. The fat in the meat must not exceed 30%. The sausage must contain beef, but it can also have lamb, pork, or a combination of both, while offal or mechanically processed meat is forbidden. The name boerewors is derived from two words &ndash; boer, which means farmer, and wors, which means sausage. Boerewors is traditionally grilled on the braai (South African barbecue), and it's usually served with pap and sous (sauce). Alternatively, the sausage can also be placed into a bun and eaten as a hot dog with a tomato and onion relish on top, when it's known as boerie.

Boerewors

Botifarra is a Catalan specialty, a white sausage made almost in the same way as the morcilla blood sausage, but without blood. There is also a blood sausage variety of the sausage, called butifarra negra Catalana. The sausage is based on ancient Roman recipes and consists of pork meat and numerous spices and seasoning, as well as additional ingredients that may vary. Some varieties of botifarra are made with unusual ingredients such as truffles, eggs, boiled rice, and tripe in the mixture. Although botifarra is usually not cooked, it can be boiled when prepared in the dish known as escudella i carn d'olla, a traditional Catalan dish with boiled vegetables, meat, and beans.

Botifarra

Belgium

Boudin blanc de Li&egrave;ge is a Belgian white sausage made from pork shoulder and belly, crumbled white bread, onions, cream, and milk. All of the ingredients are combined, stuffed in casings, and cooked in hot water, then left to cool and dry for a short period of time. What distinguishes boudin blanc de Li&egrave;ge from other white puddings is a hint of marjoram, but it can be flavored with other ingredients such as bay leaves, carrots, or cloves.

Boudin blanc de Liège

France

Boudin blanc de Rethel is a white pudding sausage made from prime cuts of pork, pork fat, fresh eggs, milk and a secret blend of seasonings which has been protectively treasured since the 17th century. It is traditionally produced in the Rethel district of the French region of Ardennes. This sausage is light in color and its texture can be either fine or medium-coarse. It is available in several varieties: plain, forest, mushroom, truffle, or truffle juice. Boudin Blanc de Rethel is typically grilled and served with roasted or mashed potatoes and a glass of champagne on the side.

Boudin blanc de Rethel

Switzerland

Boutefas is a Swiss sausage produced in the region of Vaud. The sausage is made with pork, and it's stuffed into a pig intestine, resulting in a typically plump shape that is closed with a string. Its shape keeps the sausage moister on the inside than its thinner cousins. The name boutefas is derived from the phrase boute la faim, meaning end to hunger. The sausage can be boiled, then sliced, and consumed cold (usually with cheese and other cold cuts), or it can be boiled and sliced, often served with papet vaudois &ndash; a combination of potatoes and leeks cooked in cream.

Boutefas

Braadworst is a typical Dutch sausage characterized by its large size. The name means roast sausage in Dutch, so braadworst is typically pan-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, although the primary flavor should be that of meat. The sausages can be paired with anything from stamppot and mustard to onions and cucumbers.

Braadworst

What was once an item for survival during the cold winter months and a technique of not wasting meat scraps is nowadays a delicacy consumed throughout Germany and abroad. Bratwurst stems from two words, an Old High German word brat, meaning meat without waste, and wurst, which means sausage. Bratwurst has origins with the Celtics, but the Franconians developed it further. It dates back to the 1300s in a region that would eventually become Eastern Germany. Bratwurst is usually consumed for breakfast, due to the tradition of farmers who would make the sausages in the morning and eat them by noon, as they would otherwise spoil. Technically, a bratwurst must be made from either pork, veal, or beef, but there are more than 40 varieties of the sausage throughout Germany. The oldest recipe for bratwurst was discovered in 2000 by a historian named Heinrich H&ouml;llerlhas. The same recipe, for the Thuringian bratwurst (one of the most famous varieties), says that the makers had to use only the purest, unspoiled meat in the production process. Today, bratwursts are commonly served with sauerkraut, potato salad, horseradish, or mustard in Germany, but the sausages are also popular in the United States, especially in Wisconsin, where they are commonly found at summer cookouts and barbecues.

Bratwurst

Braunschweiger is a German dish using liverwurst sausage as the main ingredient. The sausage is first sliced into smaller pieces, then combined with smoked meat (such as bacon) in a pan. The two are fried together until they develop a nice, browned color. Braunschweiger is typically served as a main meal, and it is often accompanied by mashed potatoes, vegetables, or pasta.

Braunschweiger

Bregenwurst is a traditional sausage originating from Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. The sausage is made from pork, pork belly, and (in the past) either pig or cattle brain. It's often enriched with the addition of white pepper, cumin, mace, and onions. The name Bregenwurst is derived from the word bregen, meaning brain and referring to one of the ingredients used for its production. Bregenwurst is eaten raw as it is, but it's also often boiled or stewed, after which it develops a spreadable texture. In the colder months, the sausage is typically served with kale (gr&uuml;nkohl) and potatoes on the side.