Summer sausage facts for kids
Summer sausage is an American term for any sausage that can be kept without refrigeration until opened. Summer sausage is usually a mixture of pork and other meat such as beef or venison, unless the product has the word "beef" in its name, in which case it only contains beef. Summer sausage can be dried or smoked, and while curing ingredients vary significantly, curing salt is almost always used. Seasonings may include mustard seeds, black pepper, garlic salt, or sugar.
Traditionally, summer sausage is a fermented sausage with a low pH to slow bacterial growth and give a longer shelf life, causing a tangy taste. The distinctive taste can be copied using citric acid as a shortcut to keeping cultures to ferment the following batch.
In Spain, summer sausages include salchichón, chorizo, longaniza, fuet, chistorra, and other types of embutido.
