FRESH AND READY TO COOK SAUSAGES

Cooked sausages that are pale pink or red in colour, around 12-14cm long, and usually sold in pairs. Very finely-ground, the meat is a blend of pork meat and possibly beef, seasoned with cumin and traditionally filled in natural casings produced from the large intestine of sheep. Nowadays, the sausages are sold skinless.
The earliest known record of saucisse de Strasbourg date back to the 16th century where they featured prominently in Maximum’s tables during the French revolution, which set the prices of various food items sold at the time. It was from the 17th century that the frankfurter became a popular food, and after France’s defeat in 1871 in the Franco-Prussian war that the hot dog, served with potato salad or alongside sauerkraut or choucroute, conquered Paris.

These sausages are best served warm, with a dash of mustard and bread, though still also delicious with potato salad.

A slightly smaller variant of hot dog, 10-12 cm in length, and pinky-orange in colour. It forms a key ingredient in choucroute or sauerkraut.

From Vienne in Isère, France, this sausage is prepared from veal and pork seasoned with coriander and chilli. It is slightly larger than the ‘knack’ or hot dog and the meat is encased in smaller skins prepared from sheep’s small intestine.

A variation on the famous Morteau sausage.
Made in exactly the same way, except with the added ingredient of cabbage, and as such must be consumed within 5-6 days of being made, to avoid any risk of the cabbage fermenting. Cabbage sausage requires cooking for an hour, with the skins intact, and when enjoyed with a green salad and potatoes, is a meal in itself.

Small, rustic pork sausage from the Savoie region of France. This is a fresh sausage best pan-fried and served hot.

A fresh, short, chunky sausage from Lyon, its distinguishing feature is its smooth pure pork interior which can be flavoured with either pistachios or truffles.
In the olden days, the recipe for cervelas sausage used to include brains, hence the name, (cervelle meaning ‘brain’ in French). These sausages are usually pan-fried with vegetables.

Around 25cm in length, the distinguishing characteristic of these uncooked sausages is their coarsely-grained meat. Leaner than the cervelas sausage, they can be flavoured with Porto, Madeira, Cognac or Banyuls. They generally require cooking for 40-60 minutes in a well-seasoned stock. Served as a starter or main course, they make a great match to steamed or fried potatoes.

Hailing from the Isère region, this sausage owes its name to the French word for clog ‘sabot’, for its shape in previous times.
Also known in South-west France by the name of coudenas, the sausage is prepared with pig’s head, rind and pork meat. This is a fresh sausage usually enjoyed hot and cut into thick slices.

A sausage prepared from coarsely-chopped lean pork and pork fat and delicately seasoned, with a hint of garlic and then smoked. It is best cooked for 20-30 minutes and can be enjoyed hot, in a stew or casserole.
Borfatte, sometimes called morfatte is a variant of the magland but much bigger.

A large, steamed, herby sausage prepared with green vegetables and pork in equal measure, and sometimes enhanced with a slug of eau-de-vie. Coarsely-ground, the sausage is then filled in wider skins prepared with the large intestine of cow or pig.

To prevent the vegetables fermenting, this particular sausage must be eaten within a week of purchase. Sold uncooked, it must be pricked before slowly boiled for 30-60 minutes. A great winter warmer, it is best served with potatoes which can be boiled at the same time for even more flavour.

Midi-Pyrenées in south west France stretches from Gascony to the Pyrenées. Its rich culinary tradition boasts a vast choice of specialities including the famous Toulouse sausage.

A fresh sausage best braised or pan-fried, it was already found on market stalls in Toulouse, a well-known culinary destination, as early as 1793. It was not until 1898 that the sausage reached a delicatessen in Paris.

Lean and coarsely-ground, the Toulouse sausage is made exclusively from pork filled in a pork gut casing. It is often presented rolled up in a coil and cut to the required length. It can be either grilled or slowly-cooked in oil, and is the main show-stopper ingredient in local Toulouse casserole.

All over France there are fresh sausages a-go-go which are a heavenly match to regional dishes. A prime example is the garlic sausage found in Auvergne casserole, or even Ficatelllu, a smoky part-dried sausage that Corsicans cook traditionally in their fireplaces. To name only two!