Generality
Sausages are foods of animal origin. Traditionally, these are preserved meats that fall within the whole of cured meats and the 1st fundamental group of foods.
ATTENTION! Although most of the sausages is also a minced cured meat (eg salami), these two characteristics are absolutely NOT two synonyms; just think of the culatello, bresaola and rolled pancetta, which involve the processing of a piece of whole meat, salted then left to mature after being stuffed inside a coating.
There are many types of sausages; among those with minced meat we remember: raw and not seasoned (sausage), raw and slightly seasoned (cotechino, salami da pot, zampone, salama da sugo), raw and seasoned (salami), cooked (mortadella, frankfurter, coppa di testa) , smoked (nduja, smoked sausages) etc.
Coating - Animal Gut
The coating of the sausages can be natural or synthetic. The natural one is made up of hollow organs, portions of them or skin of animal origin; some classic examples are the small intestine, the large intestine, the bladder, the stomach and the rind. These coatings do not always come from the same animal slaughtered for meat; in fact, considering that most sausages are based on pork (binomial nomenclature: Sus scrofa domesticus) and that the adult pig is characterized by a large diameter intestine, for the preparations with a short maturation, this raw material tends to be unsuitable (instead that of the calf is preferred). Overall, for the elongated cured meats (sausages, dried sausages, salami, etc.), the following are used: small and large intestine of the calf, small and large intestine of the horse, small and large intestine of the pig.
Regarding sausages in the bladder, the best known are certainly the ventricina (a type of raw and seasoned salami), salama da sugo Ferrara (a type of more or less seasoned pot salami, to be eaten cooked or raw, depending on the type), culatello (a whole raw meat sausage), some fine mortadellas, very long seasoned salami (such as the Ferrara bondiola, even 2 years). For what concerns the sausages in rind, we mention the zampone (rind of hollowed pork leg).
The coatings for sausages, of course, are not used "natural". It is necessary to empty them, demucos them (remove the mucus), wash them, degrease them, sanitize them and possibly salt them, smoke them or dry them; this also applies to the bladder, but above all to the intestine. NB: For the rind, on the other hand, it is essential to apply a correct scraping to eliminate all superfluous bristles.
Alternative Coatings
As anticipated, the coating of the sausages can also be of another kind. In addition to natural ones, especially at industrial level, cellulose casings, collagen casings and glued casings are frequently used.
Cellulose casings are casings of mainly vegetable origin but not natural. Most of the time they also contain plastic materials, in order to implement their physical characteristics; they are not edible.
Collagen casings, on the other hand, are edible and are mainly used in the bagging of cooked meat products. They are obtained from certain meat processing waste such as skin and bones.
The glued casings are basically of foreign production; they are based on overlapping and glued intestine scraps. The use is the same as for animal intestine.
There is a "last rather different category of wrappers for sausages; it is based on 100% synthetic, basically plastic. It is used for cooked sausages, especially those of low quality; these are placed inside them, vacuum-sealed, heat-sealed and cooked. Obviously. , Are NOT edible.
Nutritional Characteristics
From what we have read so far, it should be quite clear that between the various types of sausages there can be substantial differences to say the least.
Speaking of bresaola and cotechino, it is certainly not easy to "make a bundle of all the grass", so let's try to make a general overview by being as clear and correct as possible.
Certainly, all sausages (ground or whole meat) boast a high content of table salt. This ingredient, used as a preservative and condiment, is partly (40%) composed of sodium. This mineral is potentially subject to a dietary surplus, with negative consequences for human health (obviously, we refer to the Italian population). It seems to be responsible for the increase in blood pressure (a very important cardiovascular risk factor). , even if this occurs mainly on predisposed, obese and sedentary subjects. Less known but still undesirable, the other consequences of excess sodium in the diet; these are: gastric disorders, increased risk of cancer in the digestive tract and excessive excretion of calcium through the urine (undesirable condition for growing and at risk of osteoporosis) Sausages are therefore a "free" food source of sodium which, together with the discretionary portion (added in cooking or at the table), should be eliminated or drastically reduced.
It should also be noted that most sausages are rich in fat. As for the energy-type molecules, that is triglycerides, in addition to being present in excess, helping to delineate a high-calorie profile (not suitable for the diet for overweight), it seems that they are characterized by a "high quantity of saturated chains. , fatty sausages also contain a lot of cholesterol. Saturated fatty acids are responsible for a negative metabolic impact, since (if in excess or in imbalance with unsaturated ones) they favor the increase of total cholesterolemia and above all of the LDL fraction (bad cholesterol). Also this circumstance (worsened by the intake of cholesterol contained in cured meats), like hypertension, represents a very important cardiovascular risk factor.
We remind you that the nitrate and nitrite content of sausages (additives with antioxidant and preservative action) represents an unfavorable element for human health; these additives are in fact related to the birth of carcinogenic nitrosamines in the stomach and, assisted by the sodium surplus, favor the onset of neoplasms of the digestive tract (stomach and intestine).
Fortunately, lean and unground sausages (culatello, bresaola) have fewer contraindications, as they are lean and with a contribution of nitrates and nitrites not comparable to the others.
As far as other nutrients are concerned, sausages are an "excellent source of high biological value proteins. They contain a lot of iron, which is especially important in the diet of fertile and pregnant women; however, for hygiene reasons, raw sausages are not they are admitted in the alimentary scheme of the latter case.
There is no shortage of significant amounts of potassium. Vitamins are also abundant (especially of group B), although dehydration and aging significantly reduce them.
The consumption of sausages (especially fat ones) should be limited to 1-2 times a week and in portions of less than 100g (depending on the total sodium content in the diet); in the feeding of the child it would be better if they were not present and, in any case, never in a systematic way and / or with abundant portions.
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