A little sausage called merguez

Cinzia Cuneo 13 ottobre, 2012 carne, cucine del mondo

Merguez is a little red sausage spiced with cumin, pepper and other spices. The meat used in its preparation is beef and lamb. It originated in the Maghreb, which is the North African region between the Mediterranean Sea, the Sahara, the Atlantic Ocean and Egypt.

An important part of any good couscous, with less fat than other sausages and not containing any pork, merguez has became popular beyond the borders of the Maghreb over the last fifty years.

Variations may exist in its composition, but the meat mixture is always stuffed in a casing (or gut) of lamb or mutton. It is the spices it contains, including chili or harissa, which gives merguez its characteristic red color. It is sometimes prepared with other spices like fennel, sumac, or even garlic.

Try our recipe for Couscous and Merguez Sausages

Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on October 13, 2012.

Autori

Cinzia Cuneo

Italiana di nascita e canadese d'adozione, Cinzia ha deciso di coniugare le sue competenze professionali e la sua passione per la buona tavola sviluppando un servizio per aiutare i numerosi «aventi bisogno» a riprendere il controllo della loro alimentazione. Così è nata SOSCuisine. Ingegnere di formazione al Politecnico di Torino, Cinzia ha conseguito un Master's Degree in scienze applicate all'École Polytechnique de Montréal.