Metworst () or droge worst (; "
dry sausage") is a type of traditional
Dutch sausage
A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs, may be included as fillers or extenders.
...
. The sausages have a strong flavor, and are made from raw minced pork which is then
air dried.
''Droge worst'' simply means "dry sausage", referring to drying process and texture of the product. The name ''metworst'' (''Met'' from
Low German
Low German is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language variety, language spoken mainly in Northern Germany and the northeastern Netherlands. The dialect of Plautdietsch is also spoken in the Russian Mennonite diaspora worldwide. "Low" ...
word ''mett'', "minced pork without bacon") is similar to the German ''
Mettwurst'', though only in name, as the taste and preparation of both sausage types are very different.
''Metworst'' is traditionally found throughout the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
and
Flanders
Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...
. Most of the production is the northern provinces of the Netherlands—
Groningen
Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...
,
Friesland
Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...
and
Drenthe
Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Jan ...
—where wind conditions are most suitable for rapidly air drying the sausages.
Finnish meetvursti n Finnishresembles the Dutch metworst or
salami
Salami ( ; : ''salame'') is a ''salume'' consisting of fermented and air-dried meat, typically pork. Historically, salami was popular among Southern, Eastern, and Central European peasants because it can be stored at room temperature fo ...
: it is dry, hard, strong-flavored, dense, usually made of pork and eaten as a cold cut on bread. Some recipes, typically those sold as 'Russian style', include horse meat.
In Sweden, sliced ''medwurst'' sausage (boiled or smoked) is typically used on bread for breakfast.
Originally ''metworst'', thanks to its preservability, served as an emergency meat supply to poor farmers in times of need or lack of fresh meat. As meat production gradually rose, the sausage began to be used as lunch for
field laborers.
The sausage is the direct ancestor of the better-known
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
n ''
droë wors'', which is near identical in its way of production, though the meat used is beef and mutton rather than pork.
See also
*
List of sausages
References
External links
*
{{sausage
Dutch sausages
Fermented sausages