Sausages

Also known asBangers

Name: Sausages — minced meat (pork, beef, chicken, lamb or a mix), seasoned with salt, herbs and spices, and often mixed with fat, rusk or breadcrumbs, stuffed in a casing. They can be fresh (cooked before eating), cured, smoked or dried, and are found in every cuisine.

Description

Sausage-making is among the oldest forms of food processing, dating back thousands of years, as a way to use all parts of the animal, and preserve it. Fresh sausages include British bangers, Italian, German bratwurst, and Cumberland sausage, while cooked and smoked sausages include frankfurters, and cured and dried types include chorizo and salami.

Quality varies widely: some sausages are made of mostly meat, with simple seasoning, and others are made with fat, rusk, water, and additives, and a small meat content. Labels give the percentage of meat. Because they contain minced meat, sausages must be thoroughly cooked.

Main nutrition value

Processed meats provide protein, but they are typically high in salt and saturated fat, and cured products contain added nitrites. The nutrition of sausages depends heavily on the meat content and fat, and good-quality, high-meat sausages are the better choice.

How best to be consumed

Sausages are cooked all the way through, and eaten in moderation.

1. Cook fresh sausages until no pink remains and the juices run clear, to at least 71°C.
2. Grill, bake or pan-fry gently, turning often, to avoid burning the outside while the inside stays raw.
3. Choose sausages with a high meat content (above 80% for pork), and look for a short ingredient list.
4. Pair with vegetables, beans, mash or salad, and limit portions.
5. Keep raw sausages cold, and use or freeze them by the date on the pack.

Overconsumption could cause…

Sausages are a processed meat, best occasional.

1. Higher risk of bowel cancer and other conditions with regular intake of processed meat, which the World Health Organization's cancer agency classifies as carcinogenic to humans, because of nitrites, salt and smoking, so keep it occasional.
2. High salt (sodium), which can raise blood pressure over time, particularly in cured, canned and processed products.
3. Raised LDL cholesterol and heart disease risk from the saturated fat in fattier cuts, skin and processed products, so choose lean cuts and trim visible fat.
4. Food poisoning (E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter) from undercooked meat, especially minced meat and burgers where bacteria are mixed all the way through, so cook mince to 71°C and use a thermometer.
5. Parasites such as Trichinella and tapeworm, and hepatitis E virus, from undercooked pork, so cook pork thoroughly, to at least 63°C with a rest. This applies to undercooked pork sausages.
6. Nitrites and nitrates used in curing, which can form cancer-linked nitrosamines when cooked at high heat, so avoid charring cured meats. This applies to cured and smoked sausages.

GroupsProcessed Meat

Related foodsBaconCanned MeatChicken NuggetsChorizoCorned BeefDeli Meat

Wikipedia — Sausage, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sausage