Viena type sausage

It is a small, smooth, ready-to-eat sausage in the Vienna-sausage style, usually made from finely minced meat and sold in a tin or jar. The name is often used for a particular product style rather than one fixed recipe.

They are usually already cooked, so you can eat them cold after opening. To serve them hot, warm them gently in simmering water for about 5 minutes; boiling can split the casing.

Pat them dry and fry over medium-low heat for 4–6 minutes, turning often. Avoid piercing the skins, which lets the juices escape.

Once opened, transfer any sausages you will not use to a covered container and refrigerate promptly; use them within 2–3 days. Follow the pack’s storage instructions, and discard any left at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

They work well with mashed potato, mustard, pickles and bread, or sliced into pasta, fried rice and soups. For a quick snack, warm them and wrap them in a roll with mustard and chopped onion.

Usually, yes: both are cooked sausages suited to hot dogs, quick frying and adding to stews. Viena type sausages may be smaller and softer, so shorten the cooking time and add them near the end of a simmer.

The names are close, but products can differ in recipe: per 100 g, a Vienna sausage has 289 kcal and 12.9 g protein, compared with 273 kcal and 10 g in a Viena type sausage. Check the ingredient list if you need to know which meats are used.