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Vienna sausage

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Vienna sausages are small, tasty meat links.

Vienna sausage
Vienna sausage

The name comes from a German word. It means "Viennese." This name links the food to the city of Vienna. In many places, people love these sausages for their unique taste. They are a special part of food culture in many lands.

Vienna sausage
Vienna sausage

Making these sausages involves a careful way of working. Makers start by grinding meat into a smooth paste. They mix this paste with salt and many spices. They might use garlic powder or onion powder. They also add coriander, cloves, nutmeg, and red pepper.

Vienna sausage
Vienna sausage

The meat is stuffed into a long casing. It is then thoroughly cooked. Some makers even use low heat to smoke the meat.

These sausages have a long history. European colonists brought them to North America a long time ago. Around 1903, the name began to change in North America. It started to mean only small, short, canned sausages. In Europe, you might find fresh wieners at a butcher shop. These are often longer and thinner than the canned kind.

Vienna sausage
Vienna sausage

There are many different kinds of these sausages today. In Europe, some are made from chicken or turkey. This is helpful for people who do not eat pork. Some sausages, like the debrecener, are filled with paprika. In North America, the style changed in the 1950s. Makers began to remove the outer skin, or casing.

Vienna sausage
Vienna sausage

Now, the meat is cut into short segments for cans. You can find them in mustard, chili, or barbecue sauces.

Vienna sausages are very familiar to many people. You might see them in a can with a clear jelly. This jelly is similar to something called aspic. In Europe, people often eat long wieners in a bun. They call this whole meal a "hot dog." Many people enjoyed these sausages between the 1940s and 1970s. They remain a well-known food across the world.

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