Cervelat
Cervelat, also
cervelas,
servelat or
zervelat, is a sausage produced in Switzerland, France and parts of Germany. The recipe and preparation of the sausage vary regionally. The sausages are called
cervelas in the French-speaking part of Switzerland,
Cervelat in the German-speaking part,
servelat in the Italian-speaking part.
Cervelat,
servelat and
cervelas ultimately derive from
cerebrum, the Latin word for brain, which was in early recipes. The term "Cervelat" is the oldest of the three. It was first recorded in 1552 by Rabelais, and is derived from
zervelada, a Milanese dialect word.
Zervelada or in Italian,
cervelato, means a "large, short sausage filled with meat and pork brains." Modern recipes do not include brains, and arose towards the end of the 19th century in Basel, as a reworking of the traditional recipe. The taste of the sausages depends on the region, but generally they might be somewhat alikened to that of a frankfurter, but with a smokier flavour and a texture brought about by its fat shape and the tightly wrapped natural casing.