Italian Sausage

Here are the typical variations we have of "Italian Sausage". Sweet and hot are the most common. I doubt any really remind you of a sausage in Italy, but I would be curious to know if any do. And if so which reminds you of what?

http://www.johnsonville.com/lines/italian.html

snake,

In Canada we get a wide variety of Italian sausages, mostly identified by a region or province and they are quite different. As has been said most recipes call for the sweet or hot variety of a generic medium size fresh sausage.

Steve

Don't think too much about it. Here in the US, we have French fries, which are Belgian; American cheese, which isn't cheese; and Canadian bacon, which isn't made out of Canadians. Italian sausage is probably the least of our culinary crimes.

Except that in America, it's a whole lot easier to include Italian sausage as an ingredient, considering any of us can get it from the grocery store, than to specify "a fresh pork sausage seasoned with garlic, hot pepper, coriander and fennel."

If it's a regionally acceptable term, use it. The fact that someone in Italy might balk at an ingredient in one of Emeril's recipes probably doesn't even register on his radar. His money is made here.

Most Italians immigrants come from Southern Italy, which I will say, with some controversy I am sure, is typically the less affluent part of Italy (which is partly why they left). Most Italian food we serve here has its roots in Southern Italian dishes.

Additionally, most American Italian immigrants came between 1870 and 1910 with a few more smaller waves coming later related to the two world wars and the build up to them (Mussolini). Point being is several generations have passed and today's generations are quite removed from their families past (think Jersey Shore :pinch: ). Which is why only some of the Italian food served in restaurants is typical in Italy, especially when you consider the preparation and ingredients. I am sure this is the same for Italian sausage.

are you eating all over italy. the italian section of boston are more red sauce italians, dont remember fennel in the sausages simmered all day in the red tomato type sauces, fennel may have been hard to get here when the italians started moving here though. evrything here gets mixed up over time, my great great grandfater was from the azores and we eat alot of fennel and allspice, i know he used to grow his own fennel so it may not of been common in the markets back then

i put garlic, fennel,anise seed and some white zinfandel instead of water...i love it!.

Aw, come on, Judy. Have you ever bitten into an Italian sausage and found stems and leaves in it? Of course I meant ground, or whole fennel seeds! :laugh:

Italian Sausage in our version: Fresh Pork ground only once with large disc. Most of the time pork from the butts. Fat, must have lots of pork fat, where a lot of flavor comes from. Parsley, Fennel, Red Peeper Flakes, Salt, Black Peeper, and sweet Basel, this is our basic version. As much as I love garlic we never put garlic in our sausage. As for Hot, Mild, and sweet. Hot of course lot more Red Pepper Flakes, Mild not as much red pepper flakes and for sweet no red pepper flakes but maybe some more sweet Basel.

Thanks buddy, I have made a few pounds in my life time.

Snake, why do you live in Italia? Did you lose a bet? :woohoo: