Food Encyclopedia

cervelat

A style of sausage that combines chopped pork and/or beef with various mixtures of herbs, spices and other flavorings like garlic or mustard. Cervelats are uncooked but safe to eat as is because they've been preserved by curing, drying and smoking. They range from semidry to moist and soft. Many countries make cervelats; two of the more well known are Germany's thuringer sausage and Italy's mortadella. These sausages can be sliced and served with bread or cut into pieces and used in a variety of other dishes.