If you don't have Merguez you can substitute equal amounts of one of the following sausages:
- Linguicia - a flavorful Portuguese sausage
- OR - Sweet Italian pork or chicken sausage (salsiccia)
- OR Nigella Lawson suggests an alternative you can make yourself by combining ground or minced lamb with salt, pepper, cumin, fennel and paprika. You could also add harrisa to taste if you have it.
What can I substitute for smoked paprika in sausages?
Some sell sausages that are flavoured with smoked paprika (chorizo style sausage, though chorizo itself would probably be a little too rich) or with fennel and garlic. A more labour intensive alternative would be to use some ground or minced lamb and season it with salt, pepper plus cumin, fennel and paprika to your own taste.
How do you eat Merguez sausage?
You can eat the merguez in sandwiches, or use them in a couscous, but feel free to use this lamb sausage recipe with other traditional dishes such as shakshuka or a Moroccan tagine recipe. This merguez sausage recipe is validated by our expert in Tunisian cuisine, Chef Mounir Arem.
What can I substitute for Gingrass sausage?
The specialty sausage was made by Chefs Anne and David Gingrass but is no longer available but you can substitute a lamb Merguez or any smoky sausage of your choice.
What are the different seasonings of merguez?
Cumin, fennel and coriander seeds are traditional seasonings in merguez, and the slender sausages, usually measuring 20 to 22 millimeters in diameter and 20 to 30 centimeters in length, are often cooked by grilling. Dried, the sausage is a popular ingredient in various other dishes, such as lamb tagine and couscous.
See more
What is the difference between sausage and merguez?
Merguez is a sausage made with uncooked lamb, beef, or a mixture stuffed into a lamb-intestine casing. It is heavily spiced with cumin and chili pepper or harissa, which give it its characteristic piquancy and red color, as well as other spices such as sumac, fennel and garlic.
What kind of sausage is merguez?
To make merguez, lamb shoulder is ground, spiced, mixed with a little fat, and stuffed into sheep casings. This forms a small sausage, usually about 4 inches long and less than an inch in diameter. Lamb merguez is commonly available as a fresh sausage, though there are sun–dried versions in North Africa.
What does merguez taste like?
What Does Merguez Taste Like? Merguez has a spicy flavor, though it's balanced by the slight sweetness of the spice mix along with the citrusy flavor of the harissa. And of course, lamb has a distinctive flavor, which can vary depending on whether it's grass fed or grain-fed.
What does Lamb merguez sausage taste like?
This Lamb Merguez Sausage has rich lamb flavors with aromatic spices, hints of fennel, and cinnamon combined with cayenne pepper for a little spicy heat.
What sausage is similar to boerewors?
Thanks to the Dutch and German ancestry of Afrikaners, boerewors is similar to bratwurst. However, it uses vinegar and intense spices like coriander, clover, and nutmeg.
Is boerewors the same as sausage?
As you can see, the main difference between boerewors and sausage is the percentage of meat in the product. Boerewors is generally more expensive because it contains a higher percentage of meat. However, sausage can be just as delicious and it often offers better value for money.
Is merguez very spicy?
Merguez are pretty heavily spiced with various spices like cumin and coriander and are traditionally hot because of the addition of harissa. Of course, how hot you make it is always a matter of taste.
How do you pronounce merguez sausages?
0:010:24Merguez Meaning - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipMirga's red spicy sausage from North Africa made with lamb or beef. MP bar g ub z mirga's.MoreMirga's red spicy sausage from North Africa made with lamb or beef. MP bar g ub z mirga's.
What's merguez in French?
feminine noun. spicy sausage. Collins Beginner's French-English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers.
Why does Australian lamb taste different?
Much like beef, the taste of lamb often stems back to where and how the animal lived. Australian lamb is nearly always pasture-raised, feeding on richly green grasses in open fields. This diet increases the lamb's overall fat content—the factor that typically gives lamb meat that signature gamey flavor.
What country is merguez from?
Details. Merguez is spicy lamb sausage that originated in the North African countries of Morocco, Algeria, Libya , and Tunisia and became popular throughout the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Western Europe.
What is lamb's meat called?
muttonSheep – Meat from a mature sheep is called mutton, while meat from a young sheep or lamb is also called lamb.
What are South African sausages called?
Boerewors (South African Sausage) Boerewors is a South African sausage that is traditionally made with wild game. However, instead of wild game, we make our Boerewors with beef and pork seasoned with black pepper, coriander, clove, allspice, and nutmeg.
What's merguez in French?
feminine noun. spicy sausage. Collins Beginner's French-English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers.
What is the origin of merguez?
Merguez is spicy lamb sausage that originated in the North African countries of Morocco, Algeria, Libya , and Tunisia and became popular throughout the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Western Europe.
What is fennel sausage called?
Finocchiona is one of the most loved among Tuscan pork products. Its name comes from "finocchio", or fennel, used to flavor the lean pork shoulder and cheek fat used in the sausages.
Full question
I would like to make the Simply Nigella Merguez Meatballs, however I cannot find any Merguez sausages in any local shops. Are there any alternatives?
Our answer
Nigella's Merguez Meatballs (from SIMPLY NIGELLA) are easy and quick to make as Nigella makes the meatballs from the filling of merguez sausages and the rich sauce from tomatoes and chargrilled peppers (roasted red peppers). Merguez sausages are spicy sausages that originally came from North Africa.
Did You Know?
The Linguiça sausage, originated in Portugal and is vastly found in Portuguese dishes such as Francesinha (meaty sandwich) and Feijoada (beef, bean, and pork stew).
Andouille
Andouille is a spicy and heavy smoked pork sausage made from pork butt. It is often used in jambalaya and gumbo to give it that extra bit of spicy kick. This sausage is infused with peppers, onions, garlic, seasonings, and wine. Once stuffed it is smoked again.
Kielbasa
Kielbasa is also called kielbasy or Polish sausage. It is made from beef/pork permeated with cloves, pimento, and garlic. These come in chunky, 2 inch diameter links. These are sold precooked and they make great add-on in sandwiches, soups, in scrambled eggs, or vegetables.
Types of Kielbasa
Kabanosy: Thin, air-dried, made with pork and seasoned with caraway seed. Kiełbasa Wędzona: Smoked sausage. Krakowska: Straight thick sausage, smoked with garlic and pepper. Wiejska: Large U-shaped veal and pork sausage infused with garlic and marjoram and garlic. Weselna: U-shaped and medium in thickness, it is also a traditional blood sausage. Myśliwska: Dry smoked, pork sausage..
Spanish Chorizo
Spanish Chorizo is moist sausage made entirely of coarsely ground pork and pork fat. It is heavily seasoned with very hot spices viz. pimenton, salt, garlic, vinegar/ white wine, and other spices.
Get Updates Right to Your Inbox
Sign up to receive the latest and greatest articles from our site automatically each week (give or take)...right to your inbox.
What is merguez?
Merguez, in Arabic mirkas (ﻤﺮﻛﺲ), pl. marākis (ﻤﺮﺍﻛﺲ), mirkās (ﻤﺮﻛﺎﺱ), markas (ﻤﺭﻛﺲ) and mirqāz (ﻤﺮﻗﺲ), is a spicy fresh sausage prepared with uncooked lamb, beef or a mixture of both meats, from Berber North African cuisine.
What is the origin of merguez?
The first written record of a merguez sausage recipe dates from the 13th century, where it is mentioned in Andalusian Arabic as mirkās or merkās in an anonymous Hispano-Muslim cookery book. The word may come from the same root as Spanish sausages morcilla or morcon.
What are the different types of merguez and North African sausages?
Nowadays, there are several varieties of merguez available. For example, mirqaz kibda bi’l-liyya is prepared with two parts of mutton liver for one part of fat ( liyya) and seasoned with harissa, tabil (Tunisian spice blend), and salt.
The history of sausages
The word sausage comes from the Latin word salsus, which means “salty” or “salted”, a reference to how the meat is preserved. That word was later turned into the Old Norman French word saussiche, which later gave French words like saucisse (sausage) and saucisson (dried sausage).
Sausage making in Europe and the Mediterranean region
From the north to the south of Europe and the Mediterranean region, every country has its own sausage making traditions. In the southern regions such as the south of France, Greece, Italy or North Africa, you will find more dried sausages like salamis as the climate lends itself to drying the meat.
Casings and fillings
Traditionally, sausage casings have been made of the cleaned intestines, or stomachs in the case of Scottish haggis and other puddings. Nowadays, you can also find artificial casings made with collagen, cellulose, or even plastic, instead of natural casings, especially for industrially manufactured sausages.
Notes
Artificial casings (collagen, for example) can also be used instead of sheep casings. In this case, it will not be necessary to soak them in water before use.