Spicy, spicy, pork chorizo sausages can be very different. And not only because these products have many varieties. Depending on the region of origin, sausages are prepared according to different recipes. The main producing countries of chorizo are Spain, Mexico and Portugal.
How chorizo is prepared in Spain
Spanish chorizo sausages are made from coarsely chopped minced pork, generously seasoned with red, hot, smoked pepper - pimento. Pepper gives chorizo not only its characteristic scarlet hue, but also a recognizable smoky flavor and aroma. In addition, white wine is generously poured into the minced meat for the Spanish chorizos and the minced meat is slightly marinated with spices and alcohol. Sausages come in all shapes and sizes. They are dried or smoked, sometimes pre-soaked in brine. Shorter sausages are believed to be spicier, less fat and more suitable for serving as a tapas. Thick and long ones are not only fatter, but also a little sweeter. They should be used as an ingredient in various hot dishes. Such chorizos are put in stews, soups and paella, grilled, added to dishes made from beans, eggs, vegetables.
Pimento (pimenton) - so called in Spain hot cayenne pepper. It is put into chorizo not only dried and ground, but also pre-smoked.
The most famous chorizo varieties from Spain are:
- pamplona - similar to salami, not too fatty sausages;
- le leon - sausages cooked with more garlic than usual;
- soria - thick pork loin sausages;
- del pyrenees - these chorizos are dried high in the Pyrenees.
Chorizo blanco stands out among all varieties of sausages. The peculiarity of this variety is, as the name suggests, white color. These chorizos are made from pork fillet, garlic and white pepper.
How chorizo is prepared in Mexico
Mexican chorizo sausages are very different from Spanish ones. Minced meat for them is passed through a meat grinder, so it is much smaller. Because the transportation of Spanish paprika makes it an expensive spice outside the country, plain dried bell peppers are added to Mexican sausages. Also, not wine is added to chorizo from Mexico, but vinegar. But the main feature of this type of sausages is that they are sold raw. Before use, sausages are grilled, if they are cooked in a natural casing, or squeezed out like a paste from a tube and fried, crushing with a fork, like minced meat. Sometimes Mexican chorizos are mixed with other types of finely chopped meat. Sausages are served with eggs, burritos and tacos, enchilada and quesadilla.
Burritos, tacos, enchilada, quesadillas are national Mexican dishes. They necessarily use a soft tortilla - a tortilla, in which the filling is wrapped in one way or another.
Portuguese chorizos
Portuguese sausages are more like Spanish sausages. They are also made with minced pork, seasoned with smoked pepper, salt, garlic and wine. But there is one exception - the blood Portuguese chorizos (chourico de sangue), which, as the name implies, contain a generous dose of pig blood. These sausages are an essential ingredient in the traditional Portuguese version of the Brazilian national dish, feijoada.
