Italian sausage facts for kids
Raw rolled italian sausage
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| Alternative names | salsiccia |
|---|---|
| Course | Sausage |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Region or state | Basilicata |
| Main ingredients | pork, fennel |
| Variations | Various Italian sausages |
In North America, Italian sausage is a type of pork sausage. It is often known for its special seasoning. The main spice used is fennel. In Italy, however, many different kinds of sausages are made. They can be quite different from the one found in North America.
Most "Italian sausages" sold in supermarkets come in three main types: hot, sweet, and mild. The hot kind has spicy red pepper flakes added to its seasoning mix. The mild kind does not have these flakes. The sweet kind often has sweet basil added to it.
In Australia, a mild sausage called salsiccia fresca is sold as "Italian sausage". Salsiccia fresca means "fresh sausage". It is mainly seasoned with fennel.
History of Italian Sausage
The first ideas for this type of sausage go back a very long time. Around 500 BC, a Roman historian named Marco Terenzio Varrone wrote about it. He described how people would stuff minced meat into a pig's intestine. They added spices and salt to it.
He wrote: "They call lucanica a minced meat stuffed into a casing, because our soldiers learned how to prepare it from the Lucanians." This means Roman soldiers learned how to make it from people in a region called Lucania. Today, this region is known as Basilicata in Italy. Other ancient writers like Cicero and Martial also mentioned Lucania as the birthplace of this sausage.
See also
In Spanish: Salchicha italiana para niños
