Ham sausage and sausage both belong to the category of edible sausages. They sound similar and many people confuse them, but in fact, they are very different, not only in their production process but also in their texture.
First, let's provide the definition of these two terms:
Sausage: Refers only to a type of edible sausage product made primarily from meat, which is minced into a paste and mixed with some starch.
Ham sausage: This is made by mincing cured ham into a paste, adding starch, and stuffing it into a casing. Like sausage, it is ready to eat.
The differences between ham sausage and sausage:
1. Flavor: Sausage has a special smoky flavor due to its smoking and drying process, whereas ham sausage does not.
2. Processing technology: Ham sausage is a high-temperature meat product, a packaged meat product that is sterilized by cooking at 121°C, giving it a long shelf life. Sausage, on the other hand, is a low-temperature meat product that is pasteurized at a lower temperature, typically between 68-72°C. Additionally, sausage involves the process of stuffing meat into casings, while ham sausage does not.
3. Ingredients: Ham sausage on the market has a low meat content and many additives, making it a low-grade product. Sausage has a high meat content, stricter ingredient requirements, and is relatively high-grade.
4. Storage: Ham sausage can be stored at room temperature, while sausage requires low-temperature storage to ensure its shelf life.
In addition, let's detail the production methods for both:
1. Ham is made from high-quality pork legs through processes such as curing, washing, drying, shaping, and fermentation.
2. Sausage is made from the lean pork from the shoulder and hind leg, along with some fatty pork. Due to well-seasoned spices and skilled techniques, the resulting sausage has a beautiful color and delicious flavor.
3. Ham sausage is made using livestock and poultry meat as the main ingredient, supplemented with fillers (such as starch and plant protein powder), then adding seasonings (salt, sugar, wine, monosodium glutamate, etc.), spices (onion, ginger, garlic, cardamom, sand ginger, star anise, pepper, etc.), quality improvers (carrageenan, vitamin C, etc.), color fixatives, water retainers, preservatives, and other substances. It is processed through methods such as curing, chopping (or emulsifying), and high-temperature cooking.
From the above, it can be seen that ham sausage contains more additives and spices, and frequent consumption can be harmful to health. As for sausage, homemade versions are safe to eat, but attention should still be paid to the amount consumed.