Chorizo

Chorizo is a pork sausage that originated on the Iberian Peninsula and is now made in many national and regional varieties across several continents. Spanish chorizo and Portuguese chourico are fermented, cured and smoked sausages that get their smoky flavor and deep red color from dried, smoked red peppers, seasoned with paprika or colorau, and can be eaten sliced without further cooking or used in cooked dishes; Mexican chorizo instead uses fresh chili peppers rather than paprika and must be cooked before eating. Iberian chorizo is served in sandwiches, grilled, fried or simmered in cider or other alcoholic drinks, and the sausage also appears in distinct regional forms across Latin America, East Timor, the Philippines and Goa, India.