Or the lovely salami.

或者可愛的臘腸。

Or the battered saveloy.

或者是糊狀的薩維洛伊。

Hang on, just what is a sausage? And why do they taste so good?

等等，到底什麼是香腸？又為什麼味道這麼好呢？

The concept of sausages goes back to antiquity -

香腸的概念可以追溯到古代--。

stuffing animal guts with a meat, fish or sweet batter mixture

腸粉

was an obvious and practical way

是一個明顯而實用的方法

to make easily cooked, transportable food.

來製作易於烹飪、運輸的食物。

Originally, they were seen as small puddings –

最初，它們被看作是小布丁--。

a large pudding was a haggis,

一個大布丁就是一個羊雜碎。

done in a stomach, rather than a length of gut -

在胃裡做的，而不是在腸道里做的 --

and, like puddings, they were often boiled rather than fried.

而且，和布丁一樣，它們通常是煮而不是炸。

The French word for sausage, boudin,

法語中的香腸，boudin。

even gave us British the word 'pudding',

甚至給了我們英國人 "布丁 "這個詞。

since early puddings were sausages,

因為早期的布丁是香腸。

and sausages really were a type of pudding.

和香腸真的是布丁的一種。

Sometimes they were smoked or air dried to keep through winter.

有時會用煙燻或風乾來保存過冬。

Everywhere, though, for those who could afford it,

到處都有，不過，對於那些有能力的人來說。

a spiced fresh meat sausage was a pretty staple item.

辣味鮮肉香腸是一個相當主打的項目。

Even for those who couldn't afford good meat and fine spice,

即使是對那些買不起好肉和精香料的人。

sausages were about from very early on.

香腸從很早以前就開始了。

There was a play called The Sausage Seller written in the 5th Century BC,

公元前5世紀有一齣戲叫《賣香腸的人》。

and already then the lower-grade sausage

然後就已經是下品香腸了

had a whiff of uncertain meat

葷素不忌

disguised with judicious sauce about it.

偽裝得很有判斷力的醬紫。

In the medieval era, northern, wetter climes such as the UK

在中世紀時代，北方潮溼的氣候，如英國。

developed a speciality in fresh meat sausages,

開發了專門的鮮肉香腸。

to be cooked before eating.

要煮熟了再吃。

Elsewhere, in dry climates such as the Mediterranean

在其他地方，在乾燥的氣候下，如地中海地區。

which had good, stiff breezes and mountains,

其中有好的，僵硬的風和山。

dried or smoked sausages were more popular.

幹香腸或煙燻香腸更受歡迎。

There they would cure properly,

在那裡，他們會好好地治療。

and not simply go green as they would in Britain.

而不是像在英國那樣簡單的綠色環保。

There were still mixtures with fish, fruit and blood –

還有魚、水果和血的混合物 -----------。

black pudding for example –

比如說黑布丁

but as the centuries rolled on,

但隨著世紀的推移。

most European sausages became based on a mixture

歐洲大多數香腸都是以混合香腸為基礎的。

of pork, pork fat and flavourings.

豬肉、豬油和調味料。

They were not posh, and by the 18th Century

他們並不豪華，到了18世紀的時候。

they rarely appeared at the dinner tables of the wealthy -

他們很少出現在富人的餐桌上------。

though they happily ate them as suppers and snacks.

雖然他們很樂意把它們當作晚餐和點心來吃。

But they were very popular,

但他們非常受歡迎。

and available for almost every possible budget.

並可用於幾乎所有可能的預算。

Mass production became possible by the mid-Victorian times,

到維多利亞時代中期，大規模生產成為可能。

and even cheaper sausages came out, with a hefty filler of bread or rusk.

甚至更便宜的香腸也出來了，用麵包或紅燒肉做餡料。

Saveloys in particular gained a reputation

尤其是薩維洛伊，更是名聲大噪

for being based on off-cuts and filler,

因為是以裁剪和填充物為基礎的。

or indeed, horsemeat and sawdust in some people's view.

或者說，其實在某些人看來，馬肉和鋸末。

Then, as now, the dirt-cheap versions

然後，就像現在一樣，土豪版。

rubbed shoulders with the more expensive ones –

擦肩而過的更昂貴的 -

until the First World War,

直到第一次世界大戰。

when meat shortages meant that no-one got much meat in their casings.

當肉食短缺意味著沒有人可以吃到很多肉的時候。

One theory as to why they became known as bangers,

關於為什麼他們會被稱為流浪者的一種理論。

shortly after the war,

戰後不久，。

is that the level of filler meant they banged and popped when fried.

是指填充物的含量意味著它們在油炸時砰砰作響。

However, it's just as likely to come from their shape,

不過，這也同樣可能來自於他們的外形。

which resembled shell casings,

類似炮彈外殼的。

not least as they were still often boiled to cook them.

更何況他們還經常被煮熟煮透。

Normally, they are cylindrical,

通常情況下，它們是圓柱形的。

but they can, on occasion,

但他們可以，偶爾。

be square like a Lorne.

像洛恩一樣方正。

Today, eighty-five percent of Brits regularly consume sausages,

如今，百分之八十五的英國人經常食用香腸。

plain, as bangers and mash or as in toad-in-the-hole –

普通的，如漢堡包和土豆泥或如蟾蜍在洞裡 -

though globally it's the cocktail sausage which is the king,

雖然在全球範圍內，雞尾腸才是王道。

for a bite-sized piece of porky glory.

為一口大小的豬肉榮耀。

Small or large, contents as you wish,

小的或大的，內容隨心所欲。

we've had sausages for thousands of years,

我們吃香腸已經有幾千年的歷史了。

and they are clearly here to stay.

而他們顯然是要留在這裡。