''Droëwors'' (;
Afrikaans
Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...
literally "
dry sausage
Fermented sausage, or dry sausage, is a type of sausage that is created by salting chopped or ground meat to remove moisture, while allowing beneficial bacteria to break down sugars into flavorful molecules. Bacteria, including ''Lactobacillus'' ...
") is a
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...
n
snack food
A snack is a small portion of food generally Eating, eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at home.
Traditionally, snack ...
, based on the traditional,
-seed spiced
boerewors
Boerewors, () is a type of sausage which originated in South Africa. It is an important part of South African cuisine, South African, Zimbabwean, Botswana and Namibian cuisine and is popular across Southern Africa. The name is derived from the A ...
sausage. It is usually made as a ''dunwors'' (Afrikaans for "thin sausage") rather than ''dikwors'' ("thick sausage"), as the thinner sausage dries quicker and is thus, less likely to spoil before it can be
preserved. If ''dikwors'' is to be used, it is usually flattened to provide a larger surface area for drying.
The recipe used for these dried sausages is similar to that for boerewors, though
pork
Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE.
Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...
and
veal
Veal is the meat of calves, in contrast to the beef from older cattle. Veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed, however most veal comes from young male calves of dairy breeds which are not used for breeding. Generally, v ...
are usually replaced by
beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus'').
In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantity ...
, as the former can go
rancid when dried, mutton fat replaces the pork fat used in boerewors. Drying makes the sausage ideal for unrefrigerated storage.
Droëwors is unusual among dried meats in being dried quickly in warm, dry conditions, unlike traditional
droge worst and
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
cured salumi
Salumi (singular salume) are Italian meat products typical of an antipasto, predominantly made from pork and cured. Salumi also include bresaola, which is made from beef, and some cooked products, such as mortadella and prosciutto cotto.
The ...
, which are dried slowly in relatively cold and humid conditions. A further difference is that droëwors does not contain a curing agent as found in a traditional cured sausage. A direct result of this is that droëwors should not be kept in moist conditions as mold can begin to form more easily than would happen with a cured sausage.
This product is related both in name and in nature to the Dutch droge worst, also known as
metworst
Metworst () or droge worst (; "dry sausage") is a type of traditional Dutch sausage. The sausages have a strong flavor, and are made from raw minced pork which is then air dried.
''Droge worst'' simply means "dry sausage", referring to drying ...
.
See also
*
Biltong
Biltong is a form of dried, cured meat that originated in Southern African countries (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia). Various types of meat are used to produce it, ranging from beef to game meats such as ostri ...
*
List of dried foods
This is a list of dried foods. Food drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from the food, which inhibits the growth of bacteria and has been practiced worldwide since ancient times to preserve food. Where or when d ...
*
South African cuisine
South African cuisine reflects the diverse range of culinary traditions embodied by the various communities that inhabit the country. Among the indigenous peoples of South Africa, the Khoisan foraged over 300 species of edible food plants, su ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Droe Wors
Fermented sausages
Afrikaans words and phrases
South African English
South African cuisine