Handbook of Meat Processing

Cooked Sausages 315

Mortadella

Mortadella is a large Italian sausage or cold

cut made of fi nely chopped pork sausage that

incorporates at least 15% small cubes of pork

fat (principally the hard fat from the neck of

the pig). It is delicately fl avored with spices,

including whole or ground black pepper,

myrtle berries, nutmeg, coriander, and pista-

chios. Traditionally, the pork fi lling was

ground to a paste using a large mortar and

pestle (Wikipedia).

Mettwurst

Mettwurst is a strongly fl avored German

sausage made from raw minced pork, which

is preserved by curing and smoking. The

southern German variety is soft and similar

to Teewurst. Braunschweiger mettwurst is

smoked somewhat but still soft and spread-

able, while other northern German varieties

such as the Holsteiner are harder and more

similar to salami, due to longer smoking. The

Low German word mett , meaning minced

pork without bacon, is derived from the Old

Saxon word meti (meaning food) and is

related to the English word “ meat. ” Mettwurst

can be cooked or fried or spread on rye bread

with onions and eaten raw (Wikipedia). In

some countries, mettwurst means sausage

where meat has been chopped still frozen to

get a grainy structure, but the sausage is

cooked in steam or in hot smoke rather than

fermented (Wikipedia).

Breakfast Sausage

A breakfast sausage (or country sausage) is a

type of fresh pork sausage found in the

United States, usually served at breakfast.

Breakfast sausage is not cured or smoked. It

is essentially highly seasoned ground meat,

so it does not keep and should be stored and

handled appropriately. Variations made from

pork and beef mixtures as well as poultry can

American hot dog bun. It is a very popular
form of “ fast food ” in German - speaking
countries, cooked and sold from small stands
and street vendors. Recipes for the sausage
can also vary; some sources list over forty
different varieties of German bratwurst. In
other countries bratwurst is also popular, for
example, in the United States, where brat-
wurst are typically grilled, rather than boiled.
Sometimes they are boiled in beer prior to
grilling. They are usually eaten on a hot dog
bun, brat bun, or a hard roll, topped with
mustard or many of the other condiments
often eaten with hot dogs. These may include
ketchup, onions (grilled or raw), sauerkraut,
pickle relish, shredded cheese, and mayon-
naise. The bratwurst is occasionally served as
a pair of links nestled in a buttered hard roll
with these same toppings; this is called a
“ double brat ” (Wikipedia).

Bologna

Bologna sausage is a fi nely chopped pork
sausage with no visible pieces of fat. Bologna
can alternatively be made out of chicken,
turkey, beef, or pork.
In addition to meats, nonmeat binders and
extenders (such as nonfat dry milk, cereal, or
dried whole milk) or isolated soy protein may
be used. Bologna is usually served in round
uniform slices pre - cut in a package or sliced
at a deli. There are many bologna producers,
including local delis and grocery store meat
counters.
Ring bologna or ring sausage is an ambig-
uous term with regional dependencies. One
form is produced in 2 - inch (5 - cm) diameter
sausages that are normally about a foot long
(30 cm). These can often be found pickled in
a combination of vinegar, salt, sugar, and
spices. One typical national variety is sauna
ring sausage that is most popular in Finland.
Bologna type sausages can be made by
mixing coarsely ground cured meat particles
(usually pork) into the batter at the very end
of chopping (Wikipedia).