What Do Sausages Taste Like? [28 Different Kinds]
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For someone who hasn’t tried out the best sausages yet, you are surely missing out on great things! Indeed, sausages are the perfect item to complement any breakfast menu. But if you haven’t tried it out yet, you might be thinking, what do sausages taste like? There are several types of sausages now available on the market!
Basically, all sausages have a meaty kind of taste that can complement any salad or breakfast. It is made out of chunks of meat, so it has the same kind of taste and texture as meat. Besides, you can enhance the taste with the addition of spices of your choice.
Now, to dive into the world of sausages to learn more about the sausages that are available out there! If you want to choose the next ones on your to-taste bucket list, please give this article a read!
1. Salsiccia Di Calabria
It is a very tasty pork sausage, hailing from the lands of Southern Italy. Basically, it is a European variant of sausage. Typically, it has a horseshoe shape. It is made with ground meat from pork shoulders and bacon. Then, spices are added as per choice. It is commonly seasoned with a mix of pepper, salt, and fennel seeds.
Usually, Italians prefer it to be “bianca,” that is, not too hot. In the Bianca variant, chili is not added, so it has a kind of sweet taste. Others prefer it to be “dolce,” containing sweet chili, or “piccante,” which is a bit hot and spicy!
2. The Androlla
Androlla is a very popular kind of sausage in the Galicia region of Spain. Basically, it is semi-dry in nature. The main ingredient here is spare pork ribs, so they can come to great use when you are about to throw away the excess.
Actually, it is a fusion of pork ribs or skins with white wine, garlic, oregano, hot pimentón, and salt to taste. The smoked stuffing is then kept to dry up. It is a different kind of sausage than your regular ones. It takes about two months to prepare Androlla.
Nevertheless, the way you eat Androlla is unique too. Before frying or cooking it, you have to cook it in water for a while. You can serve Androlla with a side of mashed potatoes and a fine glass of wine!
3. The Longeole
It is another special pork sausage originating from Geneva. That is, it comes from a cold country itself, Switzerland. So, it is best for cold weather and during the winter with a glass of wine.
The twist here is that it also contains pork rinds, in addition to ground pork meat and spices. Actually, pork rinds are pork skins. So, they help to retain the moisture content of the sausage. Besides, cooking pork skin mixed sausage takes longer than cooking regular pork sausages.
The Longeole is very popular during Christmas. The weather remains cold, and there are chills and snowfalls everywhere. You can enjoy this dish by the side of a fire on a cold winter day!
4. Boutefas
When it comes to European countries, you can observe a lot of innovative ideas in cooking. Most commonly, the Swiss love to add one or two fusions to their regular sausages. It gives the sausages a new flavor.
Boutefas comes from the Swiss word “bout de la faim.” It means the end of your urge to eat. Boutefas comes from Vaud. If you want to prepare it the way it is meant to be, then the ground pork meat must be kept inside a pig’s gut. It creates the original lumps and helps to keep the meat stuffing moist.
The two ends are tied with threads or ropes. Basically, this is how the Swiss used to make it originally. But now, with time, several variations can be seen in the process of making Boutefas.
Usually, the inside of the sausage is very moist, and the outside is a bit dry. It tastes good with a side of a creamy dish or even with cream! You can either boil it or just eat it cold.
5. Boudin Blanc La Liege
Just like its name, it is yet another exquisite kind of dish. It looks heavenly when decorated on a plate! It is creamy, juicy, tender, and moist to the meat! Basically, it comes from Belgium. The stuffing is made of pork belly, bread (white), pork shoulders, cream, and milk. Hence, it has a lovely white texture.
Typically, Boudin Blanc La Liege requires a tiny bit of marjoram, which is its secret ingredient. You can also add in some cloves or bay leaves to spice it up a bit more!
Boudin Blanc can taste amazing when stuffed in casings and cooked in warm water. You must leave it to cool and dry up for a while to get the best taste!
6. Salsiccia Di Fegato (Marche)
If you ever visit Italy, this is another popular dish in Marche that you must taste. It is different from other varieties of pork sausages because it contains a mix of ground pork liver and fat. The stuffing usually contains ground pork meat, nutmeg, pepper, garlic, salt to taste, pork lard, pork liver (the key ingredient), and gratings of orange zest.
Salsiccia Di Fegato is a traditional Italian dish. It has a mix of sweet and salty flavors. The spices are added to decide the extent of how hot or sweet you want it to be. It tastes very creamy because of the ground ingredients. You can have it on top of toasted bread. Besides, you can also grill it in the oven and serve it with potatoes.
7. Mazzafegati
The parts of the pork that are usually discarded are used to make Mazzafegati. It is another popular dish in the Marche region of Italy. The spare or leftover pork parts, such as liver, lungs, heart, tail, tongue, spleen, etc., from the pork, are used here by coarsely grinding them.
With these ingredients, fennel, garlic, pepper, salt to taste, pepperoncini, lime juice, orange peels, etc., are added to bring out the real Italian flavor.
Besides, if you want to make it less hot or sweet, add in nuts, cinnamon, sugar, red wine, etc. You can grill it or bake it in the oven. It is also known as “Salsiccia Matta,” which means “Mad Sausages.” Knowing the ingredients, you can surely guess why it is called so!
8. Schmierwurst
Schmierwurst is raw sausage. They hail from the land of Germany. It looks brown on the outside, and on the inside, it has a creamy white texture. They are eaten after fermenting and smoking them. Add in the spices and put them inside some casing to give them the proper shape.
They contain ground pork, bacon, and pepper. After preparing the stuffing, the ultimate result is best achieved by fermenting and smoking it. You can have it on top of bread or just eat it the way it is.
That is to say, you do not have to cook, boil, or fry it any further. The name comes from the fact that you can have it as a bread spread or on top of any crust. So, it is basically a sausage smear or spread.
9. Zampone Modena
The name is very peculiar and probably has some Italian origins. This dish too comes from Italy. It was first seen in the 16th century in Italy and was prepared from cured pork meat. During that time, there was a war in Italy. So, the people there had very little resources to feed the masses. Then, they slaughtered all the pigs and used the pork meat for food.
It is said that the meat was ground and mixed with spices and then put inside pig guts to give the shape. Modena has a very nice flavor and smell. After infusing the spices, the aroma increases manifolds! Some even use red wine in the stuffing. Zampone Modena is now a common dish in many cities in Italy.
10. Knack D’ Alsace
If you have heard of the Frankfurters, you will definitely get confused after seeing Knack D’ Alsace on a plate. The only difference is that it is a bit darker in color because the stuffing is made with both pork and beef.
The French have a knack for naming foods after some unique criteria. Likewise, they thought when you bite into this sausage, it produces a sound like “Knack.” Hence, they named it so!
The key ingredients are ground pork and beef. Crushed ice, sugar, salt, spices, aromatic herbs, etc., are added and then put inside the casings. The process of smoking these sausages is unique too. It should be done only on Beachwood.
The sausage has a good crust on the outside, so it is a bit crispy. But on the inside, it is delicate and juicy, just how you like it!
11. Regensburger Wurst
This kind of sausage also originates from Germany. You can have it with salads, sandwiches, or just on its own if you want. It was first made in Regensburg in the 1800s. So, they named it after the place.
You can serve it hot or cold. Also, it is up to you whether you want to use finely ground pork meat or coarse stuffing for the sausage. The specialty of this sausage is that it does not contain any amount of pork fat.
12. Siskonmakkara
They originate from Finland’s kitchens. These are some very adorable miniature sausages. Usually, they are the size of your little finger! You can cook them with the casing. They taste delicious when deep-fried in oil.
Most importantly, it is made of ground pork. The pork meat is mixed with spices and herbs to get the final result. It can be served with casseroles or in soup.
13. The Traipen
It is a delight in Luxembourg. Typically, it is a black pudding made with pork meat. The meat used here comes from the pork head. Besides, it also contains a fair share of pig blood, lungs, kidneys, heart, tongue, onions, old bread, and cabbage. The black or dark color of this sausage is due to the use of pig blood.
Along with the common spices, a special spice from Luxembourg is also present in this dish. It is the bounekräitchen. The people of Luxembourg enjoy this dish during the cold winter days. It tastes the best when fried or cooked. You can also bake the sausage and serve it with a side of applesauce. It tastes heavenly!
14. Salsiccia Di Fegato (Abruzzo)
It is similar to the previous salsiccia discussed above, but it comes from Abruzzo. It is also primarily a liver sausage. You could say this is also a poor man’s friend as it can be made from leftover stuff from pigs. But it contains a good amount of pork fat, for which it is exempted from such ideas.
These sausages are kept for a month to let the meat process and bring out their best flavor. However, if you want to eat it fresh, you can fry it in olive oil and wine. Or, you can simply grill the sausage and have it with a side of some other dish.
15. Smoked Bologna Sausage
You must have heard of Bologna pasta, but what is Bologna sausage? Basically, it is a traditional dish of Oklahoma in the United States. It can be made of any kind of meat, be it pork, chicken, or beef. Since the meat is smoked, it has the strong flavor of barbecued meat.
Previously, it used to be the dish of poor people, as it did not require much to be made. But nowadays, it is very popular all over Oklahoma and in several areas of America. You can serve it with soft bread or buns and some BBQ sauce.
16. Alheira De Vinhais
This sausage comes from Bragança, Portugal. To be fair, the city of Vinhais is already famous for making the best-cured meat in the world. It is made from the cooked meat of the local pigs. This also requires the use of as few spices and seasonings as possible.
The stuffing is then combined with loaves of bread, and the mixture is put into sausage casings. You can see it has a particular skin color or a yellowish-brown color. You can boil it, roast it, or fry it. It smells incredible! Serve it with a side of coleslaw or some baked potatoes.
17. Crawfish Boudin
Originally, it came from Louisiana. However, it is a common dish now and belongs to the Cajun cuisine, which is the food of the French Canadians. Usually, it is made from the meat of crawfish, onions, veggies, garlic, celery, parsley, green onions, capsicum, etc. Then, you have to combine this mixture with cooked white rice.
The ultimate result is a coarse mixture. You can consume this dish in many ways. Some prefer to have it the regular way by putting it inside casings and making the traditional Cajun sausages. Or you can shape them into balls or flattened chops and then dip them in some batter, coat them with some breadcrumbs, and deep-fry them.
On the other hand, you can also smoke it, grill it, bake it, or simply smoke it. You can also have it on top of some crust or crackers. Then cover it with some spicy sauce or honey mustard. It will taste incredible!
18. Schüblig
It is a popular dish in the Toggenburg region of Switzerland. The Swiss people love to make fusions with sausages. This dish was made with beef initially. Later, many variants using both pork and beef were found to taste delicious as well.
The stuffing is made with milk, especially skimmed milk without fat, onions, cloves, garlic, etc. It gives off a beautiful aroma when it is smoked. The locals usually prefer to have it raw. You can also fry it, grill it, or even boil it. It looks like it has thin, wrinkled brown skin on the outside. The insides are very tender and light pink in color.
19. Lyoner Wurst
It is a unique German sausage, as it is parboiled. Typically, pork is used in Lyoner Wurst. But you can also use a fusion of beef and pork meat. It is entirely up to you to decide how you want to prepare the stuffing. Add in the spices of your choice. Then, put it in a casing to get the ideal shape. Tie the two ends of the casing. After that, shape it into a typical horseshoe shape.
Lyoner Wurst is also popular in many parts of Germany as Fleishchwurst. Although it comes from Germany, the name actually comes from the French city of Lyon. Basically, Lyon was the first place to give birth to this sort of meat dish. Therefore, the dish takes its name from ancient Lyon history.
20. Barbecue Snags
Now, let’s move a bit south. The continent of Australia is also famous for its innovation in sausages. Barbecue snags are just the perfect example. No Australian household can host a party without barbecue snags! Basically, they are the staple sausages there.
To make barbecue snags, you will need both beef and pork. However, many other variations use chicken, lamb meat, cheese, rosemary herbs, red wine, etc. Nevertheless, the choice of spices is up to you, and you can modify the recipe however you want to!
You can serve it with mashed potatoes, grilled tomatoes, sauces, dips, BBQ sauce, chutneys, etc. It will make a perfect combo with some buns or loaves. However, if you want to have a side of coleslaw or sautéed vegetables, it’s up to you!
21. The Sai Oua
These are pork sausages too. The specialty of this dish is that it has to be spicy. Commonly, it is popular in Laos and Bangkok. In Bangkok, it is served with the native dish, sticky rice. The fried chunks of meat taste wonderful with a side of sticky rice!
The Thai love to infuse a hint of fish sauce in their dishes, creating a very native taste. So, among the spices, notable ones are fish sauce, lemongrass, chilies, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, shallots, etc.
Most importantly, Sai Oua requires the use of pork shoulders in the stuffing to get the best result. If you get the ingredients right, you can get the perfect Thai flavor!
22. The Presskopf
It is a special kind of sausage made from the meat of calves. Besides, it comes from Bavaria, Germany. It has a unique feature. You need to add meat from unusual places for the stuffing. Besides, the skin of animals is also a common ingredient here.
Some people even use pork blood in the stuffing. It has different names in different parts of Germany. Some even call it ‘presswurst.’ You can add the regular sausage spices, and if you want to create fusions, you are most welcome! The use of animal skin keeps this sausage moist. It is best served after cooking the meat, as you can’t eat it raw.
23. Gelbwurst
It looks like slices of sausage, or you can say sausage tortillas! It is another popular sausage in Bavaria, Germany. It also uses saffron, hence it has a yellow hue. That’s why gelbwurst is also called “yellow sausage” in many areas of Germany.
For spices, you can add ginger, garlic, cardamom, mace, nutmeg, lemon juice, salt to taste, etc. Actually, the basic ingredient is chicken or veal meat. The fusion of these spices with chicken can taste heavenly!
It has a pale color. The stuffing is finely ground, and so you will love the cut of the slices! It is now sold in colored casings. Usually, yellow or orange casings are the common ones. The texture is very smooth and fine, and the flavor is really mild.
24. Salsiccia Di Bra
The city of Bra in Cuneo, Italy has produced this amazing sausage dish. The use of veal meat combined with pork fat creates a wonderful fusion. But the secret lies in adding the ingredients in perfect proportions. If you add something in excess, it won’t taste good at all!
You can add nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, fennel, leeks, cheese, and sparkling wine, which is also popular as prosecco. Prosecco is popular during Christmas. Then it is put inside some animal’s gut to give it shape, or you can simply put it in casings. Also, you can eat it raw with lime juice. This sausage can be a good snack item.
25. Makanek
The name is weird, but the dish is not. It is a combination of lamb and beef, or it consists solely of lamb meat. Makanek hails from Lebanese cuisine. So, it is eaten with something sweet, typically molasses made of pomegranates.
Add spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, vinegar, nuts, white wine, cumin seeds, etc. The dish must have a very native Lebanese flavor. Otherwise, the whole point is worthless! You can eat it after frying or grilling it.
26. Dröewars
This sausage hails from South Africa. It is very dry. Typically, it consists of mutton or beef seasoned with sheep fat. Besides, the regular spices are coriander, salt, pepper, vinegar, lime juice, etc. However, if you want to make it hot, add lots of chilies and peppers.
The sausages are typically very dry to resemble the dry weather of South Africa. You can store it in your refrigerator for several months and then fry it whenever you want.
Besides, some people prefer using pork instead. In that case, you must consume it as soon as possible. Otherwise, the meat can go bad and turn sour quickly! You can’t keep it dry like the native Dröewars.
27. Stornoway Black Pudding
It has a deep, dark, and coarse texture. Basically, it is made of very high-quality beef suet, onions, oats, water, salt to taste, black pepper, etc. In addition, a small amount of cow blood is added to it. In fact, if you don’t have cow’s blood around, you can use sheep’s blood or pig’s blood. It creates a highly enriched texture.
Most importantly, other spices are not necessary. Besides, it has a rough and moist texture. The rough texture is due to the use of oats. As no animal fat is present in this, it has no lumpy texture. However, some fat content is present in the English and Irish variants. The meat itself is very juicy and moist and it tastes great with a side of roasted potatoes.
28. Goetta
It belongs to the land of the Germans. Basically, goetta is more like a patty of sausage. It is a common breakfast item and consists of ground beef, pork, uncooked oats, onions, and spices. It tastes good with a side of English beans and, sunny side up, with a side of bread. You can have it with some tomato or chili sauce.
It is fried in oil until it turns golden brown. Often, it is used in hamburgers as a topping. In Cincinnati, there is a popular Goetta festival that occurs every year. The main dish of this festival is goetta. People from all over the country celebrate with music, dance, and love!
