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Cumberland sausage
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Cumberland sausages are a type of traditional sausage that originated in the ancient county of Cumberland, England, now part of Cumbria. They are usually very long (up to 50cm), and sold rolled in a flat circular coil but within western Cumbria they are more often served in long curved lengths.
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Cumberland sausages are a type of traditional sausage that originated in the ancient county of Cumberland, England, now part of Cumbria. They are usually very long (up to 50cm), and sold rolled in a flat circular coil but within western Cumbria they are more often served in long curved lengths. Sometimes they are made shorter, like ordinary British sausages, and sometimes they are served in breadcrumbs.
The meat is pork, and seasonings are prepared from a variety of spices and herbs, though the flavour palate is commonly dominated by pepper, both black and white, in contrast to the more herb-dominated flavours of sausage varieties such as those from Lincolnshire. There are traditionally no colourings or preservatives added. The distinctive feature is that the meat is chopped, not minced, giving the sausage a chunky texture.
They are traditionally served in a long curved length with a fried egg, accompanied by chips and peas. Although they are sold in coils, the custom in Cumbria itself is to cut them to the required length before cooking, but outside Cumbria they are often cooked and served still in coil form.
There is currently a campaign by some Cumbrian butchers and meat manufacturers to have Cumberland sausage placed under a British Protected designation of origin classification under European Union rules. This would provide the same protection as is afforded to Parma ham and Feta cheese. The association is still discussing the exact criteria for the sausages, but so far they include a high meat content of more than 80%, the sausage to be coiled, not linked, a wider diameter than conventional sausages, and a rough-cut texture. It says the sausage should be prepared in Cumbria. While individual butchers have their own recipes, they are generally more highly seasoned than traditional sausages, possibly due to the historical import of spices at Whitehaven.
The product takes its name from the old Cumberland pig. Heavy boned, slow to mature, and extremely hardy, the creature became a symbol of the region, but was allowed to die out in the early 1960s. As an alternative the following breeds can be used:
The Cumberland pig breed has now been revived, although not officially recognised by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.
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