Merguez

Merguez is a fresh, red and spicy sausage from North Africa. It has spread to France and other parts of Europe, where it is typically grilled, served in sandwiches or eaten with french fries.

History

Merguez belongs to the Maghrebi culinary tradition, where it is made from lamb, beef or a mixture of both, stuffed into a lamb-intestine casing. Its exact origin is not well documented, but its presence in Maghrebi food is long-established.

The name is also uncertain. One explanation links it to the Berber word amergaz, meaning sausage. Another suggests a Latin loanword that reached the region through Al-Andalus. Arabic spellings have varied over time, partly because standard Arabic has no dedicated letter for the sound /g/. The same Arabic root is also thought to lie behind the Spanish names morcón and morcilla.

Its spread into Europe came mostly in the twentieth century. In France it grew popular in the 1960s and 1970s, as Algerian immigrants and pieds-noirs settled in the country and opened small shops and restaurants. Fast food chains later added merguez sandwiches and burgers to serve that clientele.

Culture

In the Maghreb, merguez is most often found at street stalls in countries such as Algeria and Morocco, where it is commonly served in a sandwich with tomato and onion sauce. Its flavour comes from a strong blend of spices, including sumac for sourness, paprika, red pepper, fennel and garlic, along with harissa, a chilli paste that gives it heat and colour.

In France, the Algerian-style couscous known as couscous royal often includes merguez, linking North African and French cooking. In Germany it is frequently grilled on a schwenker, a type of grill. Today it is a common item at butchers, restaurants and stalls in many European countries.