Cumberland sausages are a long, coiled sausage made with minced pork and seasonings, traditionally made in Cumbria, UK with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status. Recipes include nutmeg, sage, marjoram, and cayenne pepper, and can be used in various dishes.
Cumberland sausages are a blend of minced pork and seasonings stuffed into a long sausage casing. Traditionally, the sausage is very long and is rolled into a spiral. Technically speaking, a Cumberland sausage has to be made in Cumbria in the UK because it has Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status, but many recipes for home-made Cumberland sausages still exist. Recipes usually include pork belly, pork shoulder, and seasonings like nutmeg, sage, marjoram, and cayenne pepper. Many different recipes can be made using Cumberland sausages, including one dish where they are served with red wine, rosemary and lentils.
The coiled shape of Cumberland sausages is one of their most distinctive characteristics. You can buy them in smaller, straighter sausage shapes, but the long, coiled sausage is more technically accurate for a true Cumberland sausage. Often, the entire sausage spiral will be cooked at once and then cut into pieces to be served to numerous guests. It is the same as most other sausages, in a basic sense, being made from minced pork and seasonings stuffed into a sausage casing.
Like other foods and drinks such as champagne, Parma ham and Stilton cheese, Cumberland sausages have a PGI. This means that if something is to technically be called Cumberland sausage, it must be made in Cumbria, a county in northwest England. To display the brand, the sausage must have been prepared and manufactured in Cumbria and sold in the traditional coil. It is also necessary that the sausage contains at least 80% meat and contains a mixture of seasonings. The specific seasonings differ from butcher to butcher, but many recipes exist online if chefs want to recreate it at home.
Recipes for Cumberland sausages can be found online, and while chefs can’t technically call the product a true Cumberland sausage, the taste of the sausage would be reasonably accurate. Most chefs mince pork shoulder or pork belly before combining it with other ingredients. Seasonings often used in recipes include nutmeg, sage, marjoram, mace and cayenne pepper, as well as salt and pepper. This is mixed with the meat, together with some breadcrumbs, and then stuffed into sausage casings.
Many dishes can be made including Cumberland sausages. Any dish that includes sausages can substitute for Cumberland sausages, such as sausage casserole. You may need to cut the sausage into smaller pieces to include it in some recipes, but some allow you to use spiral sausage. Many of the dishes including the coiled sausage include a sauce and side dish to go with the meat. An example of a recipe like this is Cumberland sausage with red wine and rosemary sauce, served with lentils.
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