 Raw boerewors | |
| Place of origin | South AfricaBotswanaZimbabwe |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | Minced meat |
Boerewors (pronounced[ˈbuːrəˌvɔrs]) is a type ofsausage which originated in South Africa. It is an important part ofSouth African,Setswana,Zimbabwean cuisine and is popular across Southern Africa. The name is derived from theAfrikaans wordsboer (literally, a farmer) andwors ('sausage').[1] According to South African government regulation, boerewors must contain at least 90 percent meat or fat from beef, pork, lamb or goat.[2] The other 10% is made up of spices and other ingredients. Not more than 30% of the meat content may be fat. Boerewors may not containoffal other than the casings, or anymechanically separated meat (as recovered through a process where meat and bone are mechanically separated).[3]
Boerewors is made from coarselymincedbeef, mincedpork,lamb and or goat. When locally available antelopes such as springbok or oryx are included, the sausage must be labeled with the species from which the meat originates.[3] It also containsspices (usually toastedcoriander seed,black pepper,nutmeg,cloves andallspice). Like many other forms of sausage, boerewors may contain a high proportion of fat, and ispreserved withsalt andvinegar, and packed in ediblesausage casings, which are the only part of the sausage which may be offal.[3] Traditional boerewors is usually formed into a continuous spiral. It is often served withpap (traditional South African porridge /polenta made frommielie-meal). Boerewors is also very common throughoutNamibia,Botswana,Mozambique as well as withexpatriate South African communities worldwide.[4]
On 3 May 2014, theGuinness World Record forbraaiing the longest boerewors in the world was broken in South Africa by Aiden.[who?] The sausage measured 1,557.15 m (5,108 ft 9 in) in length. The boerewors was distributed freely to old-age homes and the Abraham Kriel Orphanage.[5][better source needed]
Boerewors is most traditionallybraaied[6] (grilled over charcoal or wood), but is often cooked under an electric grill, or roasted in an oven, or fried in a pan. When cooking Boerewors, pricking the casing will lead to the sausage losing much of the moisture and fat during cooking.[citation needed] A local variant of the hot dog is the boerewors roll,[7] or "boerie" roll, which is a piece of boerewors in ahot dog bun, often served with a tomato, chili and onionrelish orchakalaka.[8] Some people prefer boerewors stew which can be prepared with mashed potatoes or pap.
The many varieties of boerewors include specialties such as garlic wors,kameeldoring (camel thorn),[citation needed][clarification needed]Karoowors (sausage from theKaroo region in South Africa), andspekwors (made withcubed pork fat). Other ingredients include cheese and chilli peppers.[citation needed][clarification needed]
A similar sausage may also be made from the meat of different animal species, such askudu, andspringbok, but it may not be sold as boerewors. Instead, it is named after the predominant meat species, but only if it contains at least 75% meat from that specific species. When a sausage is made from different types of game, it may not be labelled boerewors but must be labelled as game sausage and with the names of the game species in it.[3]
Boerewors does not keep well unrefrigerated. A similar dried orcured sausage calleddroëwors is prepared instead in a process similar to the preparation ofbiltong. Droëwors has become popular in its own right as a snack.
In response to the modern plant-based food movement, various vegan boerewors substitutes, mostly made by small and home-based industries, have begun to appear in retailers and food markets in South Africa. They may not be labeled as boerewors.[3]
The preparation and grilling of boerewors has become a fine art with many local, regional and national competitions taking place. TheShoprite supermarket chain hosts an annual competition to determine the best new preparations. The winner of this competition has the privilege of having their product/recipe manufactured and sold in all Checkers stores nationwide, under the Championship Boerewors brand.[9]
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| Fresh sausage | |||||
| Dry sausage |
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| Smoked sausage | |||||
| Cooked sausage | |||||
| Cooked smoked sausage | |||||
| Precooked sausage | |||||
| Grilled sausage | |||||
| Related articles | |||||
