Chorizo

Chorizo is a pork sausage originating from Spain. It is made from coarsely chopped fatty pork and usually seasoned with chili and paprika. The mild Spanish paprika used is what gives this sausage its characteristic flavor. It can be found as picante (hot) or dulce (mild). Some varieties are hung in cold dry places to cure, as happens with jamón serrano (ham). The Pamplona variety grinds the meat further.

Better known in the Western hemisphere are the Mexican and Caribbean versions. In these versions, the pork is ground rather than chopped and different seasonings are used in addition to chili.

Recently because of the spread of the tapas bar in the UK, chorizo has started to be quite popular and is becoming a essential in a delicatessen counters in supermarkets. One reason is the growth of city breaks to Spain.

Chorizo can be eaten as is (sliced or in a sandwich), simmered in sidra, barbecued or fried. Like breakfast sausage, it is used as an ingredient of other dishes. It also can be used as a partial replacement for ground beef or pork.

In Argentina and other South American countries, chorizo is the name for any coarse meat sausage. Argentine chorizos normally contain beef and do not tend to be terribly spicy. When served in a bread roll they are called "choripanes".