Sausage making originally developed as a means to preserve and transport
meat. Primitive societies learned that dried berries and spices could be added to dried meat. By 600-500 BC we have mention of sausages from
China,
Rome and
Greece. Sausages come in two main types fresh and cured. Cured sausages are subdivided into cooked and dried. Most cured sausages are smoked however this is not mandatory. The curing process itself changes the meat and imparts its own familiar flavors. An example is the difference in taste between a pork
roast and a
ham.
All smoked sausages are cured. The reason for this is the threat of botulism. The bacterium responsible, Clostridium botulinum, is ubiquitous in the environment, grows in the anaerobic conditions created in the smoke house and thrives in the 40 °F to 140 °F (5 °C to 60 °C) temperature range. Thus, for safety reasons, the sausages are cured before smoking.
Both nitrites and nitrates are used in curing meats and making sausages. Nitrites are used for all types of sausages and are the most common. Nitrates are used only in the preparation of the cured dry style of sausages. Over a period of time the nitrates are converted into nitrites. Nitrites themselves are very common in our food supply and for instance are found at levels up to 3,000 ppm by weight (w/w) in foods like beets, lettuce, potatoes, and radishes.
The human digestive system manufactures nitrites and this is likely what prevents botulism which would thrive in the anaerobic conditions and temperature range of the digestive system (gut). The lack of nitrites has been implicated in sudden infant death syndrome.
