Salsiccia

Salsiccia is a universal name for different types of fresh Italian sausage. It usually refers to a sausage made with minced or ground pork meat, pork fat, and numerous spices. The mixture is stuffed into a natural pork or sheep casing, and it is rarely cured or smoked.

It is sold fresh and intended for grilling or frying. Although there are some disambiguations, it is believed that the original salsiccia was created in the region of Basilicata, but the use of fresh sausages has become so common that each Italian region has their typical salsiccia type.

They mainly differ in the choice of meat, amount of fat, and spices. Next to pork, salsiccia can also include products made with beef, rabbit, and even seafood ingredients. They are usually heavily spiced with pepper, ground paprika, parsley, fennel, nutmeg, anise, coriander, while some even employ red wine.

They can also differ in size, ranging from short and bulky to thin and long varieties. Italian salsiccia is famous outside the country, primarily in the United States, where it is mainly familiar as a pork sausage spiced with fennel or anise. Italians consume salsiccia all year round, they eat it as the main dish, as a sandwich filling, atop traditional pizzas, or incorporated in pasta sauces or casseroles.