Meat · Cured & processed meats

Chorizo

Paprika-red pork sausage: Spanish chorizo is cured and sliceable; Mexican chorizo is fresh and cooked crumbled.

Also called: chouriço, spanish sausage

A kind of pork

Photo: Amasuela-Luis Lafuente Agudín, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

What it is

Spanish and Portuguese chorizo (chouriço) is coarsely chopped pork seasoned with garlic and smoked or sweet pimentón, then cured; it can be soft for cooking or firm and dry for slicing. Mexican chorizo is a fresh raw sausage seasoned with chillies and vinegar, removed from its casing and fried. Check which a recipe means.

How it’s used

Sliced for tapas, platters and sandwiches
Fried with potatoes and eggs
Paella, bean stews and caldo verde
Mexican chorizo con huevos and tacos
Pasta and pizza toppings

Characteristics

Taste: Smoky, garlicky and spicy or sweet.
Texture: Firm and chewy (cured); soft and crumbly (fresh).
When cooked: Releases bright red, paprika-flavoured fat when fried, which seasons the rest of the dish.
Sold as: cured, fresh, smoked
Cooking uses: Usually eaten raw, Commonly cooked, Suitable for frying
Common in: Spanish, Portuguese, Mexican, Colombian, Argentine, Filipino

Storage

Refrigerated. Keep in the fridge once opened; whole dry-cured chorizo keeps a long time in a cool place. Fresh Mexican chorizo is perishable like raw mince.