The chorizo is then air cured for several, if not many, weeks. Mexican chorizo, on the other hand, must be cooked before eating. Chorizo con huevos (eggs), scrambled eggs with chorizo mixed in. One of the most beautiful aspects to chorizo is that it’s perfect for when you’re feeling creative. A lighter, spicier take on surf and turf, this pasta pairs briny clams and Mexican chorizo sausage with fresh parsley, garlic, and a little vodka. Because the chorizos have been made differently, they are prepared differently before serving. Chorizo did not exist in what is now Mexico before the Conquest. All week (and all summer) long, we'll bring you transportive flavors and travel-inspired ideas from around the world, so you can take your tastebuds on a trip and give your mind a mini vacation while you're still at home. The sausage is then fermented and slowly smoked; the smoking helps preserve the meat and contributes greatly to the product’s flavor. Softer, fattier kinds of Iberian sausage are perfect for adding flavor and texture to soups, stews, and other cooked dishes. Related Reading: Why Use Vodka in Pasta Sauce? What is definitely true is that domestic pigs—as well as cattle, sheep, and goats—were brought to the Americas by the Spaniards. ), Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, A Thanksgiving marked by surging covid-19 cases and questions about a leading vaccine candidate, France outlaws discrimination based on regional accents. If you’re a sausage lover who hasn’t tried chorizo (we’re not sure how that’s possible, but we’re not judging you! As happens with many other charcuterie or “lunch meat” products, chorizo often includes parts of the animal that would not otherwise be used, because of their appearance or texture. The finished product is usually stuffed into short links in edible or inedible casings and “aged” by air-drying for anywhere from one day to a week. Get the Queso Fundido recipe. Chorizo tacos are good any time, including in the a.m. potato chorizo egg breakfast taco recipe Spanish chorizo is commonly made more often of pork, though beef is not unusual. What Is the Difference Between Mexican and Spanish Chorizo? © Provided by Chowhound Think of our Mushroom and Chorizo Pizza recipe as an open-face alternative to our Mushroom and Chorizo Quesadilla recipe—but know that you can't go wrong with either one. © Provided by CBS Interactive Inc. (video) Scotch eggs are a traditional UK pub treat, but swapping in chorizo for the usual breakfast sausage gives them a kick. Chowhound. Read the Basque Chorizos - GEM MEATING PACKING CO. IDAHO discussion from the Chowhound Restaurants, Mountain States food community. Chorizo with scrambled eggs is a common example, as is refried beans flavored with the sausage. (The Portuguese term for this sausage, pronounced in a similar way, is chouriço.). Food writer who lived in Mexico City for 20 years, learning key flavors and techniques to create Mexican food recipes. Our Chorizo at Chúuk is inspired from the Tuluca region of Mexico. (Or for a self-contained spin on the same flavors, try our Chipotle-Chorizo Jalapeño Poppers recipe. chorizo and olive flatbread Get easy-to-follow, delicious recipes delivered right to your inbox. It is common in its many versions across most of Latin America, including Spanish and Mexican varieties. It's a fatty, pork sausage, spicy, red from some form of chili or paprika pepper, made wherever the Iberian empires rested their foot. ), © Provided by CBS Interactive Inc. (video) Chúuk Restaurant on Instagram: “What is Mexican Chorizo? It’s a salty type of sausage found in Mexican and Spanish cuisine, and it’s oozing with the type of flavors that have you coming back for bite after bite. There are actually many differences between the two, from what it is made of to how it is used to its history, even how the word "chorizo" is pronounced. Mix soft Mexican chorizo with ground pork for burger patties that make ground beef seem bland. Even cooked chorizo is rarely eaten as is; its strong, spicy flavor makes it a great element for combining (in relatively small quantities) with other ingredients. You can do traditional components of stuffing, such as cooked cornbread, but then amp it up with chorizo,” says Sánchez. Both are must-tries, but they’re importantly different. Chowhound. Ingredients: While it is usually made of pork, Mexican chorizo is a highly seasoned fatty sausage and can be made out of other meats like beef. © Provided by Chowhound This pepper, then, crucial to both the flavor and color of chorizo today, was brought back to Spain by early conquistadors and traders. Try this Easy Homemade Chorizo recipe if you want to make the Mexican-style sausage from scratch—no casings required. The pronunciation of the word "chorizo" in Mexican Spanish is choh-REE-soh, with the "z" pronounced like an "s." In Castillian Spanish, chorizo is pronounced more like choh-REE-thoh, with the "z" having a "th" sound. The mix is stuffed into natural or artificial casings and formed into links that can be short to quite a long length. Chorizo Scotch Eggs recipe Mushroom and Chorizo Pizza recipe Any excess grease is poured off before the meat is eaten. Legend has it that the conquistador Hernan Cortes was the one who started the first pig farming operation (in Central Mexico’s Toluca Valley, a chorizo-making center to this day). Connect with friends faster than ever with the new Facebook app. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. Chowhound's Chorizo and Olive Flatbread. © Provided by Chowhound © Provided by Chowhound Spanish chorizo is a hard sausage that’s been cured like a salami,” explains Sánchez. (The Portuguese term for this sausage, pronounced in a similar way, is chouriço.) Pair sliced Spanish chorizo with crisp potatoes and a fried egg for our Chorizo Potato Breakfast Taco recipe. Mexican chorizo should be pan-fried or browned like any ground sausage. “There’s really no wrong way to eat chorizo, but I like to make a taco with Mexican-style pork chorizo, grilled pineapple, some beautiful Mexican cheese, and tons of cilantro,” he says. Get our Linguine with Clams and Chorizo recipe. Both the Mexican and Iberian versions of this sausage are made in a myriad of regional and cultural varieties, as well as in a range of quality levels, in their respective countries. Chowhound. For more details, see our, A Quick Guide to Sausages From Around the World, Ham, Cheese, and Chorizo Appetizer With Bread, Spanish Chorizo and Its Traditional Preparation, Spain's Food and the 6 Different Culinary Regions. Pork has been a fundamental foodstuff in the Iberian Peninsula for many centuries, and curing meat in order to preserve it was developed out of necessity—but the modern version of chorizo sausages was not possible until the “discovery” of the Americas. “If I have Longaniza, it’s all about the eggs with some roasted chiles and onion. Try some of our favorite recipes for Mexican and Spanish chorizo: © Provided by Chowhound If you're feeling more ambitious, either variety of chorizo works wonderfully in an empanada too, whether it's our Breakfast Empanada recipe with eggs, or our Chicken Chorizo Empanada recipe for later in the day. Its soft texture generally precludes it from being sliced or eaten with the casing on, so this sausage is taken out of its casing—if it was even packaged into one—and fried before consuming or using in another recipe. Because it’s crumbled, Mexican chorizo is a highly versatile ingredient for adding huge flavor to dishes. You can opt-out at any time. Today, the Mexican variety is made all over the country, though the area around Toluca (capital city of Mexico State) is the region most renowned for sausage making and, in recent decades, the development of chorizo verde, a green-colored sausage that owes its color to the inclusion of cilantro, tomatillos, and/or green chiles. Spanish chorizo and Mexican chorizo share a name, and both are sausages, but that’s where the big similarities end. If you have a favorite Mexican dish, it can be made with chorizo—tortas (Mexican mayo, beans, jalapeno, lettuce, tomato, onions, avocado, and a protein layered between a traditional Mexican roll), tacos, tostadas, burritos, nachos, chilaquiles, and the list goes on.