Sunday, March 1, 2009

Cravings Magazine, Autumn 2009: Bangers & More


Australians like sausages a lot. At least 70% of households eat them for dinner each week. We enjoy them fried in a pan or on the barbie grilled, in hotpots, at charity sausage sizzles and when visiting hardware superstores. We like them for breakfast, lunch or dinner and most of all, we like them nestled in a soft white roll with optional onions and an obligatory dollop of sauce.

The word 'sausage' is derived from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted. The sausage was originally invented as an efficient means for butchers to sell the parts of an animal that were high in nutritional content, but low in visual appeal. Organs, blood, fat and meat scraps were salted, minced and stuffed into casings, then either cooked or, in the case of salamis, hung up to cure and dry.

This is one of the oldest known methods of preserving food, and is a practice that has been replicated around the world for centuries. The practice of sausage making is believed to have originated in the region that is now home to Iraq, in around 3000BC. Sausages were a predominant dish on the menu throughout the Greek and Roman empires, and the Chinese version, la chang, consisted of goat and lamb meat.

Historical literature has also been instrumental in guiding us along the sausage's journey. During 500BC, Greek dramatist Epicharmus wrote a comedy titled 'The Sausage', while in 8th century BC, the Greek poet Homer mentioned blood sausages in his epic poem 'The Odyssey'.

Over the years, Australian tastes have gentrified and diversified, thanks in part to multiculturalism. No longer does the traditional beef sausage reign supreme; joining it is a dazzling array of gourmet sausages. Now the local butcher stocks varieties such as lamb and rosemary, bush tomato, spicy Italian, chicken, pork and fennel, chilli, chipolatas, chorizo, bratwurst and the list goes on.

What's in a sausage?

We've all heard the urban myths about what goes into sausages: lots of fat, gristle and nasty bits. The 'snag has always had a bit of a reputation for being a 'non-food' that the kids enjoy, with very little nutritional content.

Nowadays, however, sausages have come of age and any good butcher would be aghast at the very idea of using inferior products.

David Torres, from Torres Butchers in Northbridge, is one such butcher.

"We don't compromise with our ingredients," says David. "We only use new season baby beef and veal in our shop, so all the secondary cuts are taken out and trimmed of all gristle and fat. Even with our pork sausages, we only use baby female porkers. We don't just buy male pork trim in," he says.

"Our barbecue sausages are 90% lean. When you put them on the barbecue, they don't start doing backstroke. There are a lot of barbecues and sausage sizzles where there is just too much oil and fat. It's up to each and every retailer to specify to their customers exactly what is in their sausages".

Preserving Tradition

In these fast-paced days, there are not too many among us who have the time to shop for food on a daily basis. Preservatives have received a bad rap over the years, yet they are vital to extend the life of some produce.

"We try to stay as natural as we can with our preservatives," says David.

"We use Vitamin C extract to control the life of our sausages. Preservatives will generally give them seven days of life. In all honesty, it's a very small amount. It retains the integrity of the product.

"The only option for making sausages without preservatives is to freeze them as soon as they are bought, then thaw them and use them immediately.

It's advisable to ask your butcher what ingredients and preservatives are in their sausages. Many sausages contain traces of soy, wheat, bread or gluten extract, so it's always best to check.

"If kids are a little bit intolerant, we suggest parents go for the Italian-style sausages, because they don't contain any gluten, wheat or bread", says David.

The Seamless Snag

Joe Princi, from Princi Butchers in Beaconsfield, believes there is an art to cooking the perfect sausage. This starts with giving them top priority on the barbecue.

"Its quite a fine line. But, if you get it right, the sausages should be very juicy on the inside," says Joe.

1. Always put sausages on first. Cook them over a very low heat, or the outside will burn without any heat penetrating inside. Steaks, chops and other meats can then be added to the hot plate so that everything is ready to eat at the same time.

2. Keep the turning to a minimum. Don't be tempted to prick them or the juice and flavour will run out. To check if they are cooked, break one in half to see that it's cooked through to the centre. If it isn't, leave the remainder to cook. When sausages are ready, the skin will start to shrivel a little on the outside, forming a slight crust.