Longaniza
Thin, long sausage, leaner than the chorizo and without paprika, whose seasoning varies from region to region: aniseed in Aragon, black pepper in Catalonia, garlic and oregano in Valencia. Its name, like that of the luganega, comes from the Latin lucanica.
| Lean pork (leg or shoulder) | 750 g |
| Back fat | 250 g |
| Fine salt | 22 g |
| Ground black pepper | 4 g |
| Fresh garlic, crushed | 8 g |
| Grated nutmeg | 1 g |
| Aniseed (crushed) | 2 g |
| Ground cinnamon (a pinch) | 0.5 g |
| Dry white wine | 30 ml |
| Narrow hog casing (Ø 24–28 mm) | — |
- Preparation: Trim the meats carefully. Cut into cubes, then chill hard to −2 °C.
- Mincing: Mince through the fine 5 to 6 mm plate to obtain the characteristic tight texture.
- Seasoning: Lightly crush the aniseed in a mortar. Mix all the spices with the wine. Add into the meat, then knead for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Resting: Refrigerate for at least 24 hours to develop the aromas.
- Stuffing: Stuff into the narrow casing, forming one long continuous sausage (whence the name ‘longaniza’ = long). It may be coiled into a spiral.
- Drying: Hang for 24 to 48 hours in a cool, well-ventilated place.
- Cooking: Grill, fry in a pan or add to dishes. The Aragonese longaniza is often dried longer.
The name longaniza belongs to the etymological family of the Roman lucanica, which the luganega entry traces in detail. What separates it from the chorizo, its frequent neighbour on Spanish counters, is the absence of a dominant paprika. The medieval recipes describe it seasoned with pepper, cumin and garlic, without chilli. When pimentón took hold in Iberian charcuterie in the sixteenth century, the chorizo adopted it as its defining ingredient; the longaniza, in most of its variants, remained faithful to its earlier profile.
The regional variants are numerous and technically distinct. In Aragon, the longaniza de Graus, protected by a PGI, is seasoned with green anise and dried for several weeks, placing it between fresh and dry sausages. Anise, used in pork charcuterie since the medieval pharmacopoeia for its digestive properties, is also found in the fennel salsiccia toscana and the finocchiona of central Italy (a large-format Tuscan salame). In Catalonia, the version is more peppery, leaner and eaten fresh or grilled. In the Valencian Community, the longaniza de Pascua contains pimentón and is prepared for the Easter festivities. In Navarre, the Pamplona version is more garlicky and sometimes lightly smoked.
Spanish colonisation exported the longaniza to the Philippines and to Latin America. The Philippine longanisa is today a wholly autonomous product, sweeter and dominated by garlic, divided into dozens of regional variants (Vigan, Cebu, Iloilo) resulting from four centuries of independent evolution. In Latin America, it is present in most countries in various forms. In Spain itself, its renown remains largely eclipsed by that of the chorizo.
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