What Are the Differences Between Mexican and Spanish Chorizo?

Chorizo is a type of sausage that originated in Spain and Portugal and is usually made from pork or beef.

Over the years, Mexican and Spanish chorizo have become quite different, though equally delicious.

Here are the main differences between them.

Mexican Chorizo

Mexican chorizo is almost always made from fresh, raw pork. Additional pork fat, herbs, spices chile peppers and vinegar are added to the meat. Once the ingredients are mixed together, they are inserted into short links of edible or inedible casing. These links are then aged by dry airing for as little as one day or as long as a week.

Mexican chorizo must be cooked before eating. It is usually fried in a skillet with the casing removed, and then separated into crumbles.

Due to chorizo’s strong, spicy flavor, it is rarely eaten by itself. It is great in tacos, tortas, or in scrambled eggs.

Spanish Chorizo

Spanish chorizo is commonly made from pork and occasionally beef. The chorizo usually includes smoked paprika, herbs, garlic, and white wine. The ingredients are then inserted into casing that can range from short to quite long. The links are fermented and slowly smoked. Both of these processes help preserve the chorizo and contribute to the flavor. The chorizo is then air cured for several weeks.

Since Spanish chorizo has been cured or smoked, it is not necessary to cook it before eating.

The texture of Spanish chorizo is similar to salami, making it perfect for slicing thin and eating as a snack or as tapas. It is also commonly added to soups to provide richness and flavor.

Make sure to stop into Chappals to try our Chorizo Con Huevos. We use ground Mexican sausage blended with eggs. Es muy delicioso!