Mettwurst

The Low German word mett, meaning 'minced pork without bacon', is derived from the Old Saxon word meti (meaning 'food'), and is related to the English word 'meat'.

Mettwurst can be prepared and eaten in a variety of ways, such as cooked or fried or spread on rye bread with onions and eaten raw. When minced raw pork is prepared without curing or smoking, it is called simply Mett. The skin is designed to be eaten and is typically not removed.

It is important that high-quality, fresh ingredients are used; otherwise, deadly microorganisms and toxins can develop. In January 1995, 23 children became very ill, one of whom died, which the coroner found was a result of eating garlic mettwurst.^[1]

In South Australia, due to large German immigration in the 19th century (to, for example, the town of Hahndorf), mettwurst (sometimes spelled "metwurst") is common: it is created in the northern German style and served as a cold cut. It is often consumed in school lunches and as a snack during parties.

In the United States, mettwurst is most commonly associated with the city of Cincinnati, where it is regarded as a signature dish.^[2] The town of Mineola, Iowa, which was settled almost exclusively by immigrants from Schleswig-Holstein, hosts an annual heritage dinner with "Schoening-style" cold-smoked Mettwurst known in the Low German dialect as Metvuss.

Finnish meetvursti resembles the Dutch metworst or salami; it is dry, hard, strong-flavored and dense, and is eaten as a cold cut on bread.

• List of sausages
• List of smoked foods