Chorizo ( or, from Spanish; Spanish pronunciation: [t͡ʃoˈɾiθo] or [-so]) or Chouriço (from Portuguese; Portuguese pronunciation: [ʃo(w)ˈɾisu]) is a type of pork sausage. Traditionally, it uses natural casings made from intestines, a method used since Roman times.
In Europe, chorizo is a fermented, cured, smoked sausage, which may be sliced and eaten without cooking, or added as an ingredient to add flavor to other dishes. Elsewhere, some sausages sold as chorizo may not be fermented and cured, and require cooking before eating. Spanish chorizo and Portuguese chouriço get their distinctive smokiness and deep red color from dried, smoked, red peppers (pimentón/pimentão).
Due to culinary tradition and the high cost of imported Spanish smoked paprika, Mexican chorizo is usually made with native chili peppers of the same Capsicum annuum species, used otherwise rarely in Mexican cuisine, but as used extensively in Mexican-American restaurants. Spanish-American cuisine adds vinegar instead of the white wine usually used in Spain.
Chorizo can be eaten sliced in a sandwich, grilled, fried, or simmered in liquid, including apple cider or other strong alcoholic beverages such as aguardiente. It is also sometimes sliced and used as a pizza topping in a similar manner to salami and pepperoni. It also can be used as a partial replacement for ground (minced) beef or pork.
