Chorizo is a name given to a variety of sausages, both fresh and cured, originating from the Iberian Peninsula (now Spain and Portugal). And it’s delicious. Nowadays, it varies from Central America to the Iberian Peninsula. When it comes to chorizo, there are a few things we all should know, from the different types to their usage. So, let’s see!

1. The first thing we all should know about chorizo is that it is a seasoned chopped or ground pork sausage highly used in Spanish and Mexican cuisine.
2. Spanish and Mexican chorizo are not the same. Spanish chorizo is a cured, or hard, sausage made from chopped pork. It is very red due to a fair amount of paprika used in the spice mix. Depending on the person’s preference, the type of paprika used will make the chorizo either sweet or spicy. Mexican chorizo usually uses ground pork meat, and the sausage is fresh rather than cured. It is also a red sausage, but unlike the Spanish counterpart, it’s not due to paprika but to spicy red pepper.
3. What to make with Spanish chorizo? Since it is a cured sausage, it can be eaten without cooking – often referred to as chorizo salami and a very common part of a tapas assortment; or used to add flavour to cooked dishes such as paella and stews.
4. What to make with Mexican chorizo? This type of chorizo is raw and must be cooked prior to eating. It can be cooked in its casing or removed from the casing and cooked like ground meat. It’s very popular to grill or a replacement of ground beef in tacos, burgers, soups, burritos, chili, and so on.

There are other varieties of chorizo, which we carry, but they’ll be part of another blog post.