Chorizo
italics=unset is a type of pork sausage originating from the Iberian Peninsula. It is made in many national and regional varieties in several countries on different continents. Some of these varieties are quite different from each other, occasionally leading to confusion or disagreements over the names and identities of the products in question.
In Europe, Spanish italics=unset and Portuguese italics=unset is a fermented, cured, smoked sausage which gets its smokiness and deep red color from dried, smoked, red peppers ; it may be sliced and eaten without cooking, or added as an ingredient to add flavor to other dishes. Elsewhere, italics=unset may not be fermented or cured, requiring cooking before eating. In Mexico it is made with chili peppers instead of paprika.
Iberian italics=unset is eaten sliced in a sandwich, grilled, fried, or simmered in liquid, including apple cider or strong alcoholic beverages such as aguardiente. It is also used as a partial replacement for ground beef or pork.
Varieties by region
Europe
According to the EU geographical indications register, in 2023, there were 8 recognized varieties in Portugal: Chouriço de Ossos de Vinhais, Azedo de Vinhais, Mouro de Portalegre, Abóbora de Barroso-Montalegre, Portalegre, Carne de Estremoz, Estremoz e Borba, and do Baixo Alentejo. In Spain there are two varieties recognized: Chorizo Riojano, and Chorizo de Cantimpalos.Spain
Generally, Spanish italics=unset is made from coarsely chopped pork and pork fat, seasoned with garlic, pimentón and salt. It can be classed as either picante or dulce, depending upon the type of pimentón used. There are hundreds of regional varieties of Spanish italics=unset, some smoked and some unsmoked, that are each made somewhat differently and may include herbs and other ingredients. For example, chorizo de Pamplona is a thicker sausage with the meat more finely ground. Among the varieties is chorizo Riojano from the italics=unset region, which has PGI protection within the EU.italics=unset is made in short or long and hard or soft varieties; leaner varieties are suited to being eaten at room temperature as an appetizer or tapas, whereas the fattier versions are generally used for cooking. A rule of thumb is that long, thin italics=unset are sweet, and short italics=unset are spicy, although this is not always the case.
Spain produces many other pork specialties as well, such as lomo embuchado and salchichón, that are cured and air-dried in a similar way. Lomo is a lean, cured meat, served in slices rather than for cooking, made by marinating and air-drying a pork tenderloin. Salchichón is another cured sausage without the pimentón seasoning of italics=unset, flavoured with black peppercorns instead.
Depending on the variety, italics=unset can be eaten sliced without further cooking, for example in a sandwich, or can be grilled, fried, or baked alongside other foodstuffs, and is an ingredient in several dishes where it accompanies beans, such as fabada or cocido montañés and can be served as a tapa, such as "italics=unset in Red Wine sauce".
Versions of these dishes con todos los sacramentos include other preserved meats such as tocino and morcilla along with the italics=unset.
Portugal
Portuguese italics=unset or italics=unset, the latter usually denoting a larger or thicker version, is distinct from Spanish italics=unset. The base ingredients are pork, fat, paprika, garlic, and salt. Wine and hot peppers are also common in some regions. It is then stuffed into natural casings from pig or lamb and slowly dried over smoke. The many different varieties differ in color, shape, spices and taste. White pepper, piri-piri, cumin and cinnamon are used in some varieties. Many dishes of Portuguese and Brazilian cuisine make use of italics=unset, including cozido à portuguesa and feijoada.A popular way to prepare chouriço is slicing it part-way through and cooking it over an alcohol flame at the table in purpose-made glazed earthenware burners.
In Johannesburg, South Africa, the many Portuguese immigrants in the 1960s from Portugal and Mozambique tended to settle in a suburb called La Rochelle. Most of them either returned to Portugal or moved on to more affluent suburbs in the city, but restaurants in the area and the very well-supported annual "Lusitoland" fundraiser festival have italics=unset on the menu.
In the heavily Portuguese counties in the US states of Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts, italics=unset is often served with little neck clams and white beans. italics=unset sandwiches on grinder rolls, with sautéed green peppers and onions, are commonly available at local delis and convenience stores. Stuffed quahogs, a Rhode Island specialty, usually include italics=unset.
In Portugal, italics=unset can be made with blood, similar to blood sausage or black pudding and is called chouriço de sangue or morcela. Other types of italics=unset include chouriço de vinho, chouriço de cebola, chouriço fumado, chouriço de ossos, chourição and chouriça de vinha d’alho.
Americas
Mexico
Based on the uncooked Spanish chorizo fresco, the Mexican versions of italics=unset are made not only from fatty pork, but also beef, venison, chicken, and turkey. Kosher and vegan versions are also available. The meat is usually ground rather than chopped, and different seasonings are used. Due to the historically high cost of imported Spanish paprika, Mexican italics=unset is traditionally made with native cultivars of the same species of chili pepper used in Spain, making the Mexican version spicier than the Spanish one. Mexican italics=unset also typically uses vinegar, instead of the white wine normally used in Spain.This spicy, fresh-prepared sausage is the main type of italics=unset in Mexico and other parts of the Americas, including most of the United States, but is not frequently found in Europe.
The area around Toluca specializes in "green" italics=unset, made with some combination of tomatillo, cilantro, chili peppers, and garlic. Most Mexican italics=unset, though, is a deep reddish color. It is often available in two varieties, fresh and dried, though fresh is much more common. Some of the cheapest commercial chorizos use offal stuffed in inedible plastic casing to resemble sausage links, rather than muscle meat. Before consumption, the casing is usually cut open and the sausage is fried in a pan and mashed with a fork until it resembles finely minced ground beef. Some italics=unset is made without any casings. Pork and beef are cured overnight in vinegar and chili powder. Served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, it has the finely minced texture mentioned above, and is quite intense in flavor.
In Mexico, restaurants and food stands make tacos, queso fundido, burritos, and italics=unset using cooked italics=unset, and it is also a popular pizza topping. Chorizo con huevos is a popular breakfast dish in Mexico and areas of the United States with Mexican populations. It is made by mixing fried italics=unset with scrambled eggs. Chorizo con huevos is often used in breakfast burritos, tacos, and taquitos. Another popular Mexican recipe is fried italics=unset combined with pinto or black refried beans. This combination is often used in tortas as a spread, or as a side dish where plain refried beans would normally be served. In Mexico and the southwestern United States italics=unset is also used to make chorizo con queso, a popular appetizer consisting of small pieces of italics=unset served with melted cheese and eaten with small corn tortillas or tortilla chips. In heavily Mexican parts of the United States, a popular filling for breakfast tacos is chorizo con papas, diced potatoes sautéed until soft with italics=unset mixed in.
Central America and the Caribbean
In Puerto Rico, Panama, and the Dominican Republic, chorizo and longaniza are considered two different types of meat. Puerto Rican italics=unset is a smoked, well-seasoned sausage nearly identical to the smoked versions in Spain. Puerto Rican and Dominican longanizas have a very different taste and appearance. The seasoned meat is stuffed into a pork casing and is formed very long by hand. It is then hung to air-dry. Longaniza can then be fried in oil or cooked with rice or beans. It is eaten with many different dishes.Salvadorean italics=unset is short, fresh and tied in twins.
United States
In contrast to Spanish italics=unset, in the United States the term generally refers to a sausage that is never dried, has a fattier filling, and is very spicy. It is most popular in areas with large Cuban, Dominican, or Puerto Rican populations or near the Mexican border, especially in the Southwest near Chihuahua, Sonora, and Nuevo León. It is also found further north in places like Austin, Texas or Santa Fe, New Mexico, where its earliest evidence dates to well before the Wild West. It is most commonly eaten for breakfast on its own, or mixed with a local version of migas.In Louisiana, Creole and Cajun cuisine both feature a variant of italics=unset called chaurice, which is frequently used in the Creole dish of red beans and rice. As with its cousin to the west, smoking this variant is an acceptable practice in local cuisine.
South America
In Ecuador, many types of sausage have been directly adopted from European or North American cuisine. All sorts of salami, either raw or smoked, are known just as salami. Most commonly known are sorts from Spanish italics=unset, Italian pepperoni, and wiener sausages; wieners are the most popular. Some local specialities include morcilla, longaniza, and chorizo. Morcilla, as in most Spanish-speaking countries, is basically cooked pork blood encased in pork intestine casing. Longaniza is a thin sausage containing almost any mixture of meat, fat, or even cartilage, smoked rather than fresh. Chorizo is a mixture of chopped pork meat, pork fat, salt, whole pepper grains, cinnamon, achiote, and other spices, which produce its characteristic deep red color. A traditional dish consists of fried egg, mashed potatoes, avocado, salad, and slices of fried italics=unset.In Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela, chorizo is the name for any coarse meat sausage. Spanish-style italics=unset is also available and is distinguished by the name chorizo español. Argentine italics=unset are normally made of pork, and are not spicy hot. Some Argentine italics=unset include other types of meat, typically beef. In Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, and Peru, fresh italics=unset, cooked and served in a bread roll, is called a choripán. In Colombia, italics=unset is usually accompanied by arepa.
In Brazil, chouriço is the word used for what in the rest of Latin America is morcilla; meat sausages similar to the italics=unset of other Latin American countries are called linguiça. Many varieties of Portuguese-style italics=unset and italics=unset are used in many different types of dishes, such as feijoada.
In Bolivia, italics=unset are made of pork, fried and served with salad, mote, and a slice of bread soaked with italics=unset fat. italics=unset sandwiches, without mote, are also eaten.