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Italy

Salsiccia is a term often used as a universal name for different varieties of fresh Italian sausages made with minced or ground meat flavored with spices and stuffed in a natural casing. They are produced all over Italy, but the region of Marche is especially renowned for their pork liver sausages, recognized as traditional Italian agricultural products: salsiccia di fegato and mazzafegato, also known as salsiccia matta, or the mad sausage. Salsiccia di fegato is a very soft, creamy delicacy best enjoyed as an appetizer, spread over slices of toasted bread, while mazzafegato has a strong flavor and is usually served as a hearty secondo piatto, grilled or baked in the oven, accompanied by a glass of a robust red wine.

Salsiccia (Marche)

Salsiccia sotto strutto or salsiccia sotto sugna is a Campanian specialty born out of need to preserve fresh meat by avoiding the process of oxidation. To prepare it, fresh or lightly smoked salsiccia is first placed inside ceramic or glass pots, and it is then covered in lard - over time, the meat becomes extremely tender, while the color and flavors remain unchanged. Especially renowned is the salciccia sotto sugna made with locally bred Casertano pigs, which are allowed to freely roam the local pastures or chestnut woods.

Salsiccia sotto sugna

Vairano Patenora is the place of origin of a very special kind of sausage &ndash; a bright red, more than a meter long sauciccia, covered in lard and placed in handmade terracotta pots. It is prepared in winter months using only prime cuts of locally bred Casertano pork, which must be finely chopped with a knife. Small pieces, called tagliuzzi are flavored with paparuoli (local, bright red chilli pepper variety), wild fennel seeds, salt, and other spices. After 30 days of drying, sauciccia is placed inside terracotta pots - little hand-made pieces of art produced in local artisan workshops. This decorative delicacy is best consumed at the end of the summer when the days become shorter and temperatures slowly begin to drop.

Salsiccia sotto sugna di Vairano Patenora

Croatia

Samoborska če&scaron;nofka or če&scaron;njovka is a traditional sausage originating from the city of Samobor. This smoked sausage is made with a combination of ground pork, and beef or veal, with pork fat and the addition of garlic, dry red wine, black pepper, sweet and hot paprika (or pickled hot peppers), and salt. The mixture is stuffed into natural pork casings and shaped into pairs. The sausage is hot-smoked and enjoyed boiled, saut&eacute;ed, or fried. The texture is elastic and succulent, the aromas are garlicky and smoky, while the flavor is that of boiled pork with a mild spiciness. Each pair of sausages should weigh between 250 and 300 grams. The sausage links are sold as they are or packaged.

Samoborska češnofka

France

Saucisse de Montb&eacute;liard is a smoked sausage made from pork and presented in a natural pork intestine casing. It has a uniquely distinctive smoky flavor which comes from using the wood and sawdust in the smoking process. That process also gives the sausages their amber, golden-brown color. The pork meat used in the production is lean pork and pork fat, minced and kneaded to perfection, while spices and herbs such as cumin and pepper are added to the mixture to provide a tasty, moist, and tender texture and a delicate smoky flavor when cooked. It is recommended to cook them soaked in milk, with potatoes, or serve them with bacon and vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, or leeks.

Saucisse de Montbéliard

This traditional Toulouse sausage consists of coarsely minced pork, with the only other additions being salt and pepper. It first appeared in the 18th century, and nowadays it is a hallmark product that is usually sold rolled in a coil at traditional markets in Toulouse. The sausage is commonly used in cassoulets, but it can also be grilled, braised, or fried, then served alongside mashed potatoes and braised vegetables.

Saucisse de Toulouse

Australia

Sausage sizzle is a popular Australian and New Zealander event in which sausages are grilled or barbecued. The event mostly occurs in large public spaces. Sausage sizzles can be a free event or a fundraiser event for a local community organization such as bush fire brigades or public schools. The term sausage sizzle denotes both the event and the barbecuing technique. Cheaper sausages (a.k.a. snags) are grilled or barbecued, then served on a slice of bread. Ketchup, barbecue sauce, and mustard are the typical condiments, while fried onions are usually placed on top of the sausage sandwich. The onions have recently caused a big debate because Bunnings, the Aussie home improvement store which offers barbecue facilities for hire, has decided to alter the sausage sandwiches and place onions on the bottom for ''safety reasons'', causing a massive outrage in the country.

Sausage sizzle

Saveloy is a bright pink, heavily seasoned sausage that is typically served in fish and chip shops throughout the country. Originally, it was made with pork brains, but nowadays it is prepared with a combination of beef, pork, spices, and rusk. People often compare its flavor with red pudding or frankfurters. Saveloy must be cooked before serving, and it is usually boiled, grilled, or fried in batter. For the best experience, it is recommended to serve it with chips on the side. However, in the North East of England, saveloy is commonly consumed in a sandwich with pease pudding. This tasty sausage is also popular in New Zealand in Australia, where it&rsquo;s colloquially known as sav.

Saveloy

Schmierwurst, along with mettwurst and teewurst, belongs to the category of uncooked or raw sausages (rohwurst) that are typically fermented and smoked. The sausage usually consists of finely ground pork, bacon, and spices such as white pepper and coriander, which are combined into a smooth mixture and then added into a natural or artificial casing. The preparation of the final product involves fermentation and gentle smoking, yielding a soft sausage that is perfectly good to be enjoyed without additional cooking and can easily be spread over a slice of bread. It is this distinctive soft and spreadable nature of the sausage that has probably been the reason why it had earned the name schmierwurst, meaning smear sausage or sausage spread.

Schmierwurst

Switzerland

Sch&uuml;blig is a popular Swiss sausage made with pork or beef. It is usually prepared with nonfat milk, onions, and selected spices. The sausage is traditionally consumed raw and uncooked, but the local varieties are typically lightly smoked to add extra aroma. However, some people prefer them boiled or grilled.

Schüblig

This soft, finely-textured, fresh Finnish sausage consists of pork meat and various spices. Although it can be cooked with the casing, it is usually crumbled or squeezed out of the casing and subsequently fried, cooked, and incorporated into other dishes, such as the siskonmakkarakeitto soup and various casseroles. The name of this traditional Finnish sausage is derived from the French word saucisse, meaning small sausage.

Siskonmakkara

United States

Smoked bologna sausage is a traditional dish originating from Oklahoma. Also known as Oklahoma prime rib or Oklahoma tenderloin, the dish consists of thick barbecued slices of bologna sausage that are scored and rubbed with spices. During the process, the strong flavor of smoke seeps into the porous texture of bologna. People usually use bologna with a mix of pork and beef, or just pork, beef, or chicken. The dish was originally made by poor people who couldn't afford meat, but nowadays it's an Oklahoman staple. It's regularly served with other barbecued meat, but it's also often served on its own, accompanied by soft buns and barbecue sauce.

Smoked Bologna Sausage

Spain

Sobrassada is a unique specialty from the Balearic Islands, a sausage with a reddish-orange color, made from ground pork, pork fat, paprika, salt, and pepper. The meat should come from locally grown black pigs which are related to the Ib&eacute;rico pigs living on the mainland. The sausages are cured in the open air between one and eight months. The texture of sobrassada is like a soft p&acirc;t&eacute;, so it is usually spread on bread or toast instead of being cut into slices, but it can also be added to other dishes or used as a topping for coca flatbreads.

Sobrassada

Som moo is a Laotian fermented pork sausage that is adapted from a traditional celebratory Vietnamese dish of the same name (translated as sour pork). It can be found in most Southeast Asian supermarkets and local eateries, and can be consumed by itself as a snack, or used to create other dishes, such as nam khao (rice ball salad). The process of making som moo involves mixing minced pork and pork skin with garlic, sticky rice, chili peppers, and salt. The concoction 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.

Som moo

Slovakia

Spi&scaron;sk&eacute; p&aacute;rky is a smoked sausage that comes in sheep intestine casings which have been separated by twisting. It has been produced for more than a century in the Slovak Republic and was first made during the visit of the Hungarian nobility to the grand fair held by Spi&scaron; Castle, where a local butcher sold them and attracted significant attention with this specialty. 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 color. The finished product is hung in a smoke room to dry and smoke and, therefore, has a unique aroma and flavor. It is important to cook the sausage before consumption, keeping in mind that the water must not come to a boil, as the natural casing would burst. If the defined proportions of the ingredients are used in their production, Spi&scaron;sk&eacute; p&aacute;rky should make a distinctive cracking noise when broken or bitten. These sausages have a pleasant freshly-smoked aroma. Their taste can be described as fairly salty and slightly piquant. Spi&scaron;sk&eacute; p&aacute;rky is a very popular product in the whole of former Czechoslovakia and beyond. It is best when served with mustard or other sauces and some fresh vegetables and cheese.

Spišské párky

Germany

Stippgr&uuml;tze is a Westphalian specialty made from barley groats cooked in sausage broth, and combined with fat, pork offal, and spices like pepper or thyme. The mix is then minced and shaped into a cylindrical form. The most common way to prepare the stippgr&uuml;tze is to fry it, which results in a porridge-like mass. When served, the meat is usually accompanied by bread, roast potatoes, gherkins, or beet. Stippgr&uuml;tze is traditionally made during the German pig slaughter season, which starts in October.

Stippgrütze

Sucuk or sujuk is a semi-dry, spicy sausage with a high fat content, popular in Middle Eastern, Balkan and Central Asian cuisines. It is 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. It can be served cold and sliced thinly, but it is more commonly fried and paired with eggs and vegetables. In Lebanon, it is often consumed with tomatoes and garlic sauce in a pita bread, while in Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and Israel, sucuk is often used as a pastry topping.

Sucuk

At least 51% of the ingredients for this liver sausage must come from Thuringia. Added spices and seasonings such as salt, braised onions, ground pepper, and Thuringian marjoram give this sausage its special flavor. After preparation, the sausages are cooled and cold-smoked over beech wood until they reach a golden-yellow color. This delicacy enjoys a reputation as one of the most beloved sausages of the region. The tradition of preparing these sausages is as long as the Thuringian butcher's trade itself. Nowadays, Th&uuml;ringer Leberwurst is still made at farm slaughter festivals and eaten fresh from the sausage pan.

Thüringer Leberwurst

Th&uuml;ringer Rostbratwurst is a product with centuries of tradition. The oldest known recipe, held at the Weimar State Archives, dates back to 1613. Martin Luther and Goethe both appreciated it, and it was often praised in literature. Only finely minced pork (sometimes mixed with beef or veal) is used to make this sausage, and the spice mixtures that are added vary depending on the recipes and regional characteristics. These sausages are easily distinguished from other German sausages by their low fat content and a distinctive combination of spices and seasonings &ndash; salt, pepper, caraway, marjoram, and garlic. Due to its unique and delicious flavor, Th&uuml;ringer Rostbratwurst is still very popular in Germany and beyond, and it can be found at most sausage stands in Thuringia.

Thüringer Rostbratwurst

This is a specialty blood sausage made from pork, a small amount of pork liver, and spices and seasonings such as salt, black pepper, marjoram, allspice, cloves, and onions. It can often be found in butcher shops throughout Thuringia, and it has been prepared and consumed for centuries at farm slaughter festivals. Today, it is produced all over Thuringia by several major producers. Th&uuml;ringer Rotwurst is known in the region as the "queen of black pudding".