Artisanal dry sausage comes in many varieties and unique flavors, each offering a memorable taste experience. Here's an overview of the main types of dry sausages to add to your list for your next appetizers.
Artisanal or industrial dry sausage?
Before diving into the different varieties, it is important to distinguish between two main categories of dry sausages :
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A true artisanal sausage is made exclusively from natural ingredients , including the skin and string. A flower coats the sausage, a sign of slow and natural maturation in the open air. In the Ardèche, the exceptional climate favors this maturation and gives a gray-green color to the sausage's flower. Contrary to popular belief, the natural skin of artisanal sausage is edible and adds to its unique taste.
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Industrial sausage : Wrapped in a smooth synthetic skin (edible or not), it often contains additives such as flavor enhancers. Although convenient, this type of sausage is less healthy and less flavorful than its artisanal counterpart. For an authentic experience, always choose artisanal charcuterie , which is both delicious and more respectful of your health.
Types of dry sausages according to their dimensions
Artisanal sausage is made with natural pig casings, and the size varies depending on the casing used. It is by size that we differentiate the different types of sausage.
The classic dry sausage
Most dry sausages are stuffed into pork sausage , which comes in varying diameters. This is the sausage we find most often ( they are distinguished by their place of manufacture).
Mini sausages
They are usually stuffed into pork loin , a thinner casing that allows for thinner pieces. The drying and curing of mini sausages therefore takes less time compared to other types of sausages. In our shop, you have a box of mini sausages that gives you the opportunity to taste several flavors without fear of waste. It is also a great gift idea.
Sausage on the perch
It has roughly the same dimensions as the ordinary sausage, but is distinguished by its curved shape . This is because the sausage is wrapped around a pole. In our catalog, we offer the Aveyron pole , a good local sausage that will not fail to cheer up your guests, to be served whole with a good knife.
Jesus and the rosette
The rosette of Lyon and the jesus have one thing in common: their imposing size . These two dry sausages are stuffed into the caecum , the spindle or pork sac, a part located at the anterior end of the large intestine, and which has a larger caliber than the rest of the intestines. The jesus is distinguished by its shape resembling an enormous pear.
Types of sausages according to their composition
French dry sausage is primarily made from pork. Our master butchers use a basic mixture of 80% lean and 20% fat, with cuts from the animal's prime cuts (ham, shoulder). However, there are also other types of sausage that include other meats and different flavors to vary the flavor.
Flavored dry sausages
If you're looking for an original experience, try our flavored sausages : from a simple pepper coating to chunks of Cantal cheese, including Provençal herbs and hazelnuts, there's something for everyone. Local cheeses pair wonderfully with meat, each in their own way: the intensity of Roquefort, the buttery sweetness of Cantal Nouveau, or the slight acidity of goat's cheese give each type of sausage a different flavor, full of character. Dried fruits add an irresistible crunch, while herbs and spices make the charcuterie even more refined. We also have an authentic flavored flagship that won the award for best sausage in 2023: the dry sausage with Saint-Joseph , an AOC red wine from Ardèche.
Corsican sausages: from nustral pork to wild boar
Corsican charcuterie is originally made from nustral pig meat , a breed raised in semi-freedom for several months, then slaughtered at the beginning of winter. Today, this type of meat is no longer as available as it once was, but we have kept the traditional recipes and the concern for quality by using only meat labeled "French Pork". It constitutes our lonzu, coppa and figatellu. We also offer a dry wild boar sausage , still from Corsican traditions.
Chorizo: a sausage of Iberian origin
Originally, chorizo came in two versions : dry sausage, more common in Spain, and cooked sausage, which is more common in Portugal. In all cases, this charcuterie is distinguished by the use of pimento , a spice that gives it its spiciness and rusty color. At the Sausage Shop, we offer a 100% French chorizo , made from a French Catalan recipe.
Types of labeled dry sausages
Some sausages have specific labels: IGP, AOP, Label Rouge. Each of these indicates specific characteristics.
The Red Label
The Label Rouge certification is a " French quality mark that attests that a product has a higher level of quality than a similar standard product." This quality is based on the product's sensory qualities, production conditions, as well as its presentation and related service. It is a label awarded by the State and monitored by the National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO).
The AOP or AOC label
The protected or controlled designation of origin is a label that directly concerns the origin of the products. For example, the AOP "Noir de Bigorre" sausage is made from the meat and fat of pigs of this breed. Similarly, the AOP Charolles sausage is made exclusively from AOC Charolles meat. This also concerns the other ingredients that go into the composition of the sausage, such as our Beaufort flavored cheese . We use a AOP cheese that therefore meets the specifications relating to the production of this local product.
The IGP label
The Protected Geographical Indication ( PGI) is a label linked to the place where the sausage is produced. Thus, ourIGP Ardèche sausage is an authentic piece made using the region's artisanal know-how, benefiting from the local climate. All stages of making this type of sausage are carried out in Ardèche by passionate master butchers, following the ancestral recipe and traditional values.
