A sausage is a prepared food product originating in all parts of Europe and the European cuisine, usually made from ground meat, animal fat, salt, and spices, and sometimes other ingredients such as herbs, and generally packed in a casing. Sausage making is a very old food preservation technique.Traditionally casings have been made of animal intestines, though they are now often synthetic. Some sausages are cooked during processing, and the casing may be removed at that time. Sausages may be preserved by curing, drying in cool air, or smoking. The distinct flavor of some sausages is due to fermentation by Lactobacillus during curing.There is no consensus if similar products not packed in casings, such as pâté, meatloaf, scrapple and head cheese should be considered sausage.Besides being eaten on its own, sausage is also used as an ingredient in other foods.
