Chorizo, the smoky, spicy pork sausage that is a staple in Goan cuisine is a familiar indigenous ingredient that has colonial influences with Portuguese origins. The fermented sausage which is cured by a slow cooking technique called smoking, is deep red in colour, courtesy of the heavy dose of chillies that are added to the meat before it is encased. Typically eaten as a stir fry with plenty of onions for added sweetness and balance of spice, with fresh local bread, the sausage is also great to use in other applications like curries, sandwiches and stews. However, despite the similarities in process and ingredients, Spanish chorizo has slight differences to its local counterpart in terms of treatment, fat content and flavour profiles. Here’s how you can tell the difference:
Goan Chorizo
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Thanks to the rule of the Portuguese in Goa four centuries ago, a large percentage of Goan Catholics make chorizo using a blend of ginger, garlic, cumin, cloves, pepper and cinnamon along with a healthy dose of coconut vinegar, which adds much-needed acidity to cut through the richness of the pork meat. Eaten with pearl onions and crusty bread as a breakfast staple, the Goan chorizo is also famously added to pulao, a rice preparation which is cooked in the rendered fat from the sausage. The distinction that sets Goan chorizo apart is the three different ways in which it is cured – sun drying, salting and wet curing. Depending on what method of curing has been used, the size of each sausage link varies from the usual long variety to the tiny, bite-sized links that are a common feature in local grocery markets. What’s common in all three variations is the distinctive peppercorn-vinegar flavour.
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Spanish Chorizo
Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons
Compared to the Goan chorizo, the Spanish variation is much simpler and uses minimal ingredients like smoked paprika (also known as pimenton), salt and garlic. What sets Spanish chorizo apart is the texture of the meat which ranges from tiny little chunks that can be crumbled into just about anything from shakshouka or eaten as is as part of a charcuterie board along with crackers and cheese. Spanish chorizo also comes in sweet varities, unlike the Goan ones, which are only spicy no matter what the curing technique. Spanish chorizo also employs the use of lean meat, unlike Goan chorizo which uses a healthy dose of pork fat to add flavour. Leaner Spanish chorizo doesn’t need any additional cooking and can be eaten as is whereas the chorizo that uses a higher percentage of fat, might need to be cooked for more pronounced flavours.