Salchichón

Salchichón is a cured Spanish-style sausage, usually made from pork with black pepper and other seasonings. It is fermented and air-dried, so you can eat it without cooking.

Use a sharp knife to cut thin, even slices across the sausage; this makes the firm texture easier to bite and lets the peppery flavour come through. Remove the outer casing if it is tough or inedible.

No. Properly cured salchichón is ready to eat, usually sliced cold. You can also add it to a cooked dish near the end, so it warms through without becoming dry.

Keep sliced or opened salchichón wrapped in paper or in a covered container in the fridge, and use it within a few days. If it is a whole, dry-cured sausage, follow its packaging instructions; once cut, protect the exposed end from drying out.

Serve it with bread, olives and cheese as part of a tapas-style spread. Its peppery, savoury taste also works in sandwiches and alongside pickles.

Not quite: salchichón is cured and ready to eat, while salchicha is generally a fresh sausage that needs cooking. Salchicha has 13.1 g of protein per 100 g, compared with 26 g in salchichón.

A 30 g serving provides 7.7 g of protein. It is also rich in fat, so a few thin slices are usually enough for a sandwich or snack.