Differences Between Longaniza And Sausages
Present in the gastronomic culture of different parts of the world, longanizas and sausages differ in more ways than you can imagine. Its ingredients, its way of preparation, as well as its texture and flavor, are the most striking.
Longanizas and sausages, made by hand or industrially, can cause a lot of confusion. What is a sausage? What is a sausage? We explore the differences between these two popular types of sausage that are used in endless recipes so that you never have doubts when it comes to distinguishing them.
What are Longaniza
Longaniza is a fresh or cured sausage made from lean minced pork and bacon, all marinated with different spices. This mixture of minced meat and bacon is stuffed into pork casing or artificial casing and subsequently cured or cooked over a fire. The term longaniza comes from the Latin luganica, which refers to a type of sausage that was made in Luganica, current Basilicata, in Italy, and of which there is evidence for the first time in written form during Roman times.
What are sausages
Sausage is a sausage generally made up of minced pork, poultry or beef. It also contains a portion of fat, as well as various condiments that add flavor to the meat, which is subsequently stuffed in natural or artificial casing. If the casing is natural, pork or sheep casing is usually used, while if it is artificial casing, the most common is usually collagen casing. The term sausage has its origins in the Italian word salchiccia, which is how the Romans knew this preparation that, however, goes back much further in time, as there are records of foods that would resemble sausages already in ancient Mesopotamia.
How to differentiate Longaniza and Sausages
Although they may seem similar at first glance and be easily confused to the point of only being differentiated in the name in extreme cases, we will see that longaniza and sausages generally not only differ in their origin but also in their composition or preparation. , flavor, texture and uses in cooking.
Origin: from Mesopotamia to Roman influence
Sausage is a very broad term and we could date its appearance long before sausages since meat sausages have been a historical resource for preserving meat for longer. Longanizas, on the other hand, can be considered a type of sausage whose name at least seems to come from southern Italy and which the Roman Empire was responsible for spreading throughout the Mediterranean arc of the Iberian Peninsula, so it is common to attribute its origin and popularity to Spain.
The production of meat sausages is an ancient technique that allowed the meat to be preserved for longer. The most primitive versions of what could be considered a sausage were born as early as ancient Mesopotamia and spread for centuries through cultures such as Greek and Roman. During the Middle Ages, the sausage spread widely throughout different European territories, enjoying greater popularity. This is how the Germans turned the sausage into a true symbol of their culture and tradition, giving rise to the famous Frankfurt sausage.
The sausage, however, is born later. The term is associated with luganica, a sausage made in southern Italy, in Lucania, where the inhabitants of that mountainous region needed to preserve pork to have it available all year round. This is how they came up with a non-perishable and tasty technique: season it with salt and spices, chop it, and stuff it into pork intestines, which they then let air dry to make a cured product that would last longer. In any case, nothing that had not been done many centuries before.
Ingredients and preparation: with pork or anything
Longanizas are usually made with minced pork, bacon, salt, and different spices, but sausages allow a wider range of ingredients in which beef, pork or poultry, salt, spices, and all types of ingredients are mixed depending on the of the sausage type. Colloquially, sausages are usually associated with a more artisanal type of preparation, whether fresh or dried (even when produced industrially), while the term sausage is usually associated more with the idea of processed or ultra-processed food.
Made using pig intestine as a casing, sausage is a sausage mixture of lean minced pork with a small percentage of pork belly, usually around 30%, and different spices. First, the leanest parts of the pork are taken to finely chop them, then the bacon is chopped, which must be cut into small squares so that it integrates better with the meat. Mixed meat and fat, add salt and spices such as garlic powder, pepper, oregano, thyme, nutmeg and anise. The next step is the sausage, a process by which the meat is introduced into the casing. Subsequently, the sausages are left to rest for a period ranging between 24 and 48 hours at a temperature between 25 ºC and 28 ºC. During this period, lactic bacteria develop, which will define the flavor and aroma of the sausage. Finally, if it is cured sausage, the sausage is dried for approximately 25 days.
As for sausages, they are made from a mixture of minced pork, poultry or beef mixed with pork fat, spices, and all kinds of additional ingredients. The meats are minced with rotating blades at high speed until obtaining a paste, mixed with fat, salt, and a mixture of spices such as garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, cumin, oregano, and cinnamon. , cloves, and nutmeg. Then, the mass injected under pressure into the casing is stuffed through a stuffer, resulting in a compact sausage. After starting the process of closing or tying the sausages, they are scalded at temperatures ranging between 76 ºC and 86 ºC, cooled in water at room temperature and finally stored in cold rooms until packaging.
Texture and flavor: meat or processed?
The sausage is made with minced meat, but this meat still maintains a certain firmness and consistency, it has not been excessively processed and it is still possible to distinguish the lean and fatty ingredients, which are well linked. Although there are many types of sausage and it would not be correct to generalize, the typical ultra-processed sausage has a smooth and uniform texture that is only reminiscent of meat because of its color, usually brown. Regarding the flavor in general terms, we could say that sausages have the flavor of meat and spices, while sausages can taste like practically anything, from meat and spices in the case of artisans to clouds of candy thanks to the industrial innovation of our days.
The sausage is characterized by having a firm and soft consistency to the touch, as well as by a well-connected cut in terms of meat and fat. If the sausage is fresh, its texture will be softer, and it will be more compact if it is a cured sausage. Depending on the spices used in its preparation, the nuances in terms of flavor can vary , being almost always marked by garlic, oregano, and pepper.
For their part, sausages understood as processed products have a much more compact and uniform texture since the meat part is not differentiated from the fat, but rather it is a homogeneous mass. Depending on the type of sausage it is, its flavor may vary. In the case of Frankfurt sausages, the smokiness stands out, Vienna sausages, for their part, have spicier notes, while Bratwurst (characterized by its lighter color) draws attention for its spicy and citrus flavor.
Uses in cooking: sausage, more international
In general, the culinary uses of sausage and its influence are more limited. The sausage, given the breadth of the term and being a product spread throughout the world that also benefits from being the indispensable star ingredient of the hot dog, one of the most recognizable icons of fast food, is in all probability the most used and versatile. , although to tell the truth a fresh sausage would never look out of place where there is a sausage and the vast majority of people would not know how to distinguish one thing from the other.
sausages can be prepared in various ways, whether stewed, grilled or grilled on a barbecue. Some of the favorite stew recipes of all audiences are sausages in wine, sausages with onions or sausages with tomato: traditional dishes that continue to be made today at family gatherings. If they are cured, sausages are ideal as a snack, to be eaten accompanied by bread as an aperitif, on a sausage board or enjoyed in a sandwich.
Sausages, for their part, are one of the most versatile meat products in the kitchen, since in addition to being able to prepare them in wine or tomato, you can add them to spaghetti or macaroni with sausages, or to a pizza. Likewise, they are a fundamental part of international dishes such as the famous hot dog or hot dog, the English breakfast, the Colombian tray paisa, the currywurst made with Bratwurst sausages or the Creole jambalaya .