Lincolnshire sausages are a distinctive variety of

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; ...

sausage A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs may be included as fillers or extenders. ...

developed in and associated with the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

. A widely available variety at most UK

butcher A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale food establishm ...

s and supermarkets, the sausage is commonly dominated by the herb

sage Sage or SAGE may refer to: Plants * ''Salvia officinalis'', common sage, a small evergreen subshrub used as a culinary herb ** Lamiaceae, a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint or deadnettle or sage family ** ''Salvia'', a large ...

, rather than the more peppery flavour balance found in other regional English sausages such as the Cumberland sausage. Other herbs such as parsley and

thyme Thyme () is the herb (dried aerial parts) of some members of the genus '' Thymus'' of aromatic perennial evergreen herbs in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are relatives of the oregano genus ''Origanum'', with both plants being mostly indigen ...

are often used, although these are not considered authentic Lincolnshire sausages. Lincolnshire sausages are also characterised by their open, chunky texture, the result of the constituent pork being coarsely ground rather than minced.

Ingredients and manufacture

Lincolnshire sausages are made with coarsely chopped or ground pork mixed with binders, seasonings and preservative. Traditionally, the dominant seasoning flavour has always been the herb

, but some recipes include other herbs, such as parsley or thyme, and flavourings such as onion. Efforts to standardise and control the manufacture of Lincolnshire sausages have resulted in a proposed ingredients list to which future manufacturers of Lincolnshire sausages may have to adhere:

Ingredients

* British pork, coarse cut, minimum meat content 70% * Maximum fat content 25% * Breadcrumbs/bread

rusk A rusk is a hard, dry biscuit or a twice-baked bread. It is sometimes used as a teether for babies. In some cultures, rusk is made of cake, rather than bread: this is sometimes referred to as cake rusk. In the UK, the name also refers to a whea ...

* Sage, salt and pepper * Natural pork casings (or sheep casings, for chipolata-style sausages) * Sulphite preservative (to 450 ppm maximum)

Variations

Unlike the Cumberland sausage, there is no standard width or length for a Lincolnshire sausage, although there are conventionally eight sausages to a pound weight. Commonly, the variety is associated with a broader style, but Lincolnshire

chipolata A chipolata () is a type of fresh sausage, likely created in France. Sausages by that name appear in the 1903 edition of Escoffier's . Chipolatas are often prepared as a relatively thin and short sausage. Chipolatas are typically made from coars ...

sausages are also widely available. Some producers within Lincolnshire brand their products with a more specific local name, such as Mountain's Boston Sausage, named for their home in

Boston, Lincolnshire Boston is a market town and inland port in the borough of the same name in the county of Lincolnshire, England. Boston is north of London, north-east of Peterborough, east of Nottingham, south-east of Lincoln, south-southeast of Hul ...

, despite their recipe conforming to normal Lincolnshire sausage standards. Some manufacturers produce meat-free sausages that use sage as the dominant flavouring and these are commonly sold as vegetarian Lincolnshire sausages.

European protected status

In 2004, a group of 13 Lincolnshire butchers, led by the large sausage-producing firm of George Adams & Sons, began moves to protect the name of the Lincolnshire sausage, applying for Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status under

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

law. In support of the PGI application, the Lincolnshire Sausage Association was formed in early 2006. Under these proposals, to qualify as a 'Lincolnshire' sausage, not only would a sausage have to be manufactured in the county, but it would also have to conform to the standard ingredient list, above. In 2010, a group of Lincolnshire butchers introduced a voluntary 5 pence 'tax' in support of the PGI application, and to fund the fight against Lincolnshire sausages being manufactured elsewhere or making too much use of seasonings other than sage. However, objections to the PGI application were raised by other producers of the sausage, who claimed that more than 95% of existing commercial sausage production would be excluded under its terms. The PGI application was rejected by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in 2012, who cited a lack of strong ties to the county.

Competitions

Every year, a competition is held in Lincoln to find the best Lincolnshire sausage.

References

External links

Lincolnshire Sausage Association

History Of The Lincolnshire Sausage
{{English cuisine English sausages Lincolnshire cuisine