Chipolata
Sus scrofa domesticus · Meat
Top 10 pairings
A chipolata is a small, thin fresh sausage — usually coarse-ground pork seasoned with salt, pepper, herbs and a little spice and stuffed into a narrow sheep casing. Its slim, finger-sized shape and mild savour make it a favourite for grilling, frying and roasting, and a fixture of the British Christmas dinner, where the little links are wrapped in bacon as "pigs in blankets."
Picking a good onedrag
Fresh from the counter: taut, pale, cleanOff: slimy, sour, grey-green or mouldy
Chilled and soundBuy itTaut and clean, the pale colour even and the smell still herby. Take it home cold, keep it cold, and cook it right through exactly as you would a fresh one.
Casing and surfaceTaut, faintly moist from the pack, still clean
Colour through the casingEven pale colour, flecked with pepper and green herb
Smell at the endMild and meaty, the herb quieter, nothing sour