There are largely two different types of globally popular foods. There’s those that belong to one particular culture and those which become broadly interpreted and enjoyed.
A great example of the first is sushi. Sushi is unmistakably Japanese and is enjoyed across the world by all classes and cultures, from Michelin star restaurants to convenience meal deals.
Learn more about how sushi became a global sensation in this article from The Guardian.
At the other end of the scale, you have dishes which are enjoyed all over the world but are interpreted and enjoyed differently wherever you go. Generally, this means they don’t have one individual identity.
A brilliant example of this is sausage. Sausage is defined by dictionary.com as:
“Minced pork, beef or other meats, often combined, together with various added ingredients and seasonings, usually stuffed into a prepared intestine or other casing and often made in links”
This definition is pretty vague and sums up the versatility of the dish. This is why there are so many iterations of it around the world.
In the UK the classic banger is the sausage of choice at meal times. It picked up the name during the Second World War when meat was in short supply.
Sausages had a much higher water content and tended to burst or “bang” when placed in the oven or frying pan.
The classic British dish, of course, is bangers and mash which is simply pork sausages and mash potato covered in an onion gravy.
However, this is massively different to some of the other popular sausages around the globe.
Consider Spanish chorizo, German Bratwurst, American Corn Dogs and the many others, all varying massively from one another.
Infographic
In fact, sousvidetools.com has created a globetrotting and mouthwatering infographic which charts the different types of sausage from all across the world.
It’s called ‘How Do People Eat Sausages Around The World?’ and you can read about all of those mentioned above, along with plenty more in the infographic below.
How Do People Eat Sausages Around The World? – An infographic by the team at SousVideTools.com