A cured sausage is one that contains nitrites or nitrates of sodium. These chemicals help prevent spoilage and food-borne disease, as explained in the first part of this chapter. Incidentally, they also keep the meat red or pink, even when cooked. Cured sausages may be sold raw or cooked, soft and moist like fresh sausages, semidried and firm, or dried and hard like salami. Pork salamis, which are Italian in origin, and similar cured, dried sausages are raw, but the curing, aging, and drying process renders them safe to eat. As explained on air-dried sausages meant to be eaten raw are made with nitrates in addition to nitrites for a longer lasting cure.
