Things You Didn't Know About Sausage

From religious condemnation to literary cameos, sausage has a storied history, and a huge fan base.

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Things you didn't know about sausage Travel to the U.K., Ireland or Germany and you will notice that sausage, or Würste, isn’t just a national dish—it’s a way of life. These cultures take their sausages seriously. Maybe that’s why only 9 percent of Germans don’t eat meat (surprisingly, the second highest rate of vegetarianism in the E.U.) and a mere 3 percent of the U.K.’s population consider themselves strict vegetarians [Public Attitudes To Food].

But what is it that makes sausage so special? Sure, it can be prepared in thousands of different ways. It delivers exquisite flavor into a deliciously encased meat treat.

The Facts About Sausage

Need a few more reasons? Below you'll find some strange and fascinating facts you probably didn’t know about sausages.

British Bangers Sausages acquired the British name “bangers" during World War II because they contained so much water that they exploded when fried.

The average German consumes 67 pounds of sausage per year.

Germany is said to produce more than 1,500 varieties of sausages (which explains the 67-pound consumption—gotta have ’em all!).

alt= The British Sausage Appreciation Society awards the title of Britain’s Star Sausage at its annual British Sausage Week each November. German sausage has four basic “groups": fresh sausage (Rohwurst), scalded sausage (Brühwurst), cooked sausage (Kochwurst) and ham; some of these are subdivided into even more specific types.

So good it’s sinful: The early Catholic Church considered eating sausage a sin, due to its association with pagan festivals.

Image Source: Italian Food Net/Associated Press

In Germany, 60 percent of all sausages manufactured are the scalded type (Brühwurst). Scalded sausage is made from raw pork or beef, bacon and finely crushed ice.

Guinness World Records recognizes the world’s longest sausage to a U.K.-made behemoth spanning 59.14 km (36.75 miles). The title of world’s longest smoked sausage is held by Caroli Foods in Bucharest, Romania, measuring 392.89 m (1,289 ft.)—but Italy may have beaten the record in 2011 with a 597.8 m (1,961 ft.) wurst.

Sausages in the Odyssey The word sausage comes from the Latin word Salsus, which means “to salt."

Sausages are mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey written near the end of the 8th century BCE.

The most famous of Germany’s sausages are Würstchen, or wurst, and it’s considered a snack or “convenience" food.

In WWI-era France a shallow valley south of the village of La Boisselle was named Sausage Valley because the Germans frequently flew a sausage-shaped observation balloon above it.

The most expensive sausage ever made was from fillet steak with Champagne and truffle, costing £20 (about $32) a pack.