Over the holiday season you likely find yourself seeing summer sausage throughout the stores, in holiday gift baskets, and served as part of appetizers for holiday gatherings. You may be scratching your head wondering, “Why is summer sausage a holiday favorite?” It doesn’t seem right that something with “summer” in its name would be a popular holiday food, but it tends to be. We are going to review what summer sausage is and why it is a holiday favorite for gifting, serving, and eating.
What is Summer Sausage?
Summer sausage is an American term for any sausage that can be kept without refrigeration until opened. Summer sausage is usually a mixture of pork and other meats such as beef or venison, unless the product has the word "beef" in its name, in which case it only contains beef. Summer sausage is fermented, and can be dried or smoked, and while curing ingredients vary significantly, curing salt is almost always used. Seasonings may include mustard seeds, black pepper, garlic salt, or sugar.
To put it simply, summer sausage is a type of hard, dried, and smoked sausage that is similar to salami in preparation and can be kept without refrigeration.
Where did Summer Sausage Come From?
The concept for summer sausage was first brought to the United States by German immigrants. When they came to the US, there was no refrigeration, so they had to come up with ways to make food last. Meats were very precious, so they created ways to preserve it to serve at a later time (InsideHook).
How did Summer Sausage get its Name?
As we reviewed above, summer sausage typically does not need to be refrigerated. This results in a sausage that has a greater resistance to spoilage, especially in the hotter months of the year, summer. Since this meat was traditionally cured during the winter and remained consumable through summer, that’s how the name came to be.
Why is Summer Sausage a Holiday Favorite?
Summer sausage is a holiday favorite for gifting and serving due to the lack of need to refrigerate this meat. Holiday gift baskets can have summer sausage in them and not need to be cooled, making them more convenient for the gift giver and receiver. Not to mention, they ship well, if needed.
The holidays tend to come with lots of chatting over foods and leaving them out for longer periods of time. Summer sausage will not spoil as other meats will, making them a good choice for any host.
Looking to Make the Perfect Holiday Gift Basket?
At Five Star Sausage, we are proud to offer premium sausage, meat, pickle, and cheese products to our customers. Our products can help you make the perfect holiday gift basket for any occasion. We have a wide variety of sausages to fulfill anyone’s needs or desires. Our premium product boxes make excellent gifts for friends or family, or even a well-deserved treat for yourself.
