Sausage soufflé
It is rare to meet an adult who has never made a sausage. In fact, we’d venture to guess that there are few teenagers who have. This is no coincidence, because sausages are a simple and surprisingly versatile dish that can be a hit with even novice cooks and is a real jolly joker in many families.
Do you cook it or heat it? It doesn’t matter, as the former can easily sprout, and cooking is unnecessary, since heating would be sufficient if you want to serve it warm, but in cold preparations it is enough to grate it.
There are many different sausage products on the shelves these days, but it’s worth looking behind the labels and choosing the ones with the highest meat content. This guide also includes recipes.
Sausage history quick guide, or sausages have been around longer than we think
Would you have guessed? Sausages have been in our lives for centuries. The German food was first mentioned in 13th-century sources, and appeared in modern gastronomy as early as the 1270s to be precise. From the very beginning, sausages were made under strict control: initially, they were only allowed to contain pork and were stuffed in sheep intestines. It is this type of sausage that bears the name “frankfurter”, since it originated in Frankfurt am Main. The Frankfurt sausage dominated the market for a long time, but its dominance was broken in 1805 thanks to the Swiss-born butcher Johann Georg Lehner. Lehner put his knowledge of Germany to good use in Vienna, where he also slightly redefined the recipe for the sausage and made his mark on sausage history.
And he did it with the revolutionary innovation of the Vienna sausage, a new type of sausage in which beef was added to pork. Lehner was not only innovating, he was also breaking the rules, since at the time, as mentioned above, it was forbidden to mix different types of meat in sausages. Vienna sausages were one of Emperor Franz II’s favourite dishes. In addition to frankfurters and Vienna sausages, there are now also products made from poultry meat.
What is a sausage and how to choose a quality one?
The Hungarian Food Guide defines sausages as foods in which the meat content of the finished product is at least 51%. The meat pulp (prado) is stuffed into natural or artificial casings and the diameter of the finished product must not exceed 26 mm. The meat content obtained mechanically from bones may be limited to a maximum of 10%. In addition to the meat pulp, the sausage has a flavour of paprika and a slight taste of salt and pepper.
Not all sausages are what they seem! There are products that at first glance may appear to the uninitiated eye to be sausages, but they do not meet the standards of the Hungarian Food Codex for sausages, for example in terms of the proportion of ingredients. For this reason, such products are not even allowed to bear the name ‘sausage’, but are sold under other names, such as ‘sticks’ or ‘sticks’.
What do we do if we want to buy good quality sausages?
Take a look at the packaging, as it can be a great help in finding your way around! One of the key factors in choosing a good sausage is the meat content. The higher the meat content, the more reliable the product. So the higher the meat content, the better, but from there it’s up to your own taste to decide which is your favourite.
You should also make sure that the packaging is not damaged, as the expiry date will no longer be valid. When properly stored in the fridge, the sausages will keep for the period indicated on the packaging and should be consumed within 2 days of opening. The same is true for products bought from the deli counter: KOMETA meat experts recommend 1 to 2 days in the fridge.
It is not recommended to buy a product if there is no information on the meat content, the manufacturer cannot be identified or the expiry date of the product is not indicated. Good sausages are also defined by their proportionate seasoning and crunchiness – which of course can only be tested by tasting. In many cases, sausages may also contain soya, which is typically added when the sausage would not meet the protein content required by the Hungarian Food Guide. If soya is present, the manufacturer must label it, as soya is an allergenic ingredient.
How to prepare the sausage?
Sausages are a favourite among novice cooks, as they can be made into a hot meal in seconds, but they are not the only ones who can find them a challenge to serve. It can crack during cooking. Yes, but if you want to eat a hot sausage, you can actually just put it in boiling water for a while or heat it in the microwave.
Misconception! You don’t need to cook the sausages at all, as the ones you can buy in the shops are already cooked. We’re used to eating them hot, hence the misconception that they’re only good cooked, when in fact you need only think of the mayonnaise and corn salad with cold sausage, which is served cold and diced.
How can we make sure the sausage does not crack? Which is not just a question of aesthetics, but can also affect the taste experience, as water seeps into the layers. This can be avoided by using the right heating technique. The sausage can be heated in water at 80-90 degrees Celsius. It is therefore not necessary to drop the product into the boiling water. Instead, it is sufficient to take the pan off the heat, put the sausage in and cover it for a few minutes. There are also products that can be heated in the pouch and even microwaved.
Did you know? Why we eat sausages on New Year's Eve
Sausages are a staple of the New Year's Eve menu, and they're an automatic addition to the shopping list in the run-up to the festive season. In our country, the origin of this tradition is to eat only foods that bring good luck in the New Year. Pork, as a traditional sausage ingredient, may be a good choice for the holiday philosophy of folk superstition, as pork is a good luck charm.
Exciting sausage dishes
A hot dog in a delicious bun or bun, loaded with all kinds of goodies can make dinner a real treat! In addition to the sauces, you can add diced cucumbers, dried onions or even bait.
The sausages can be baked or even grilled. I wonder how many house parties have included a cheese-filled sausage on the table with a salad and bread? And the kids’ favourite is sausages wrapped in puff pastry, but always make sure you serve them with vegetables as well as sauces. But speaking of sauces, you can make sausages tastier with any kind of sauce you can buy in the shops or make at home, be it barbeque, garlic sauce or any other sauce. Let your imagination run wild and feel free to experiment, either from your own well or from the many recipes available. And if you prefer the traditional, simple but great accompaniments, mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise and horseradish are great choices.
Of course, you can also eat the sausage cold, so you only need to slice it up for a salad with mayonnaise, for example.
Sausages are the basis of many satisfying hot dishes: they can be diced into scrambled eggs, added to paprika fries or even in lecsó. And let’s not forget the wonderful Frankfurt soup, a nutritious dish that fits into a balanced diet.
