In ancient Greece and Rome there were already sausages. There are literary works that indicate this. For example, in a comedy of Aristophanes – a famous Greek comediographer – the main character appeared with a vessel full of sausages.
In the twelfth century, in the Romanesque calendar of San Isidoro, the month of November appears as the month of slaughter, illustrated with the figure of a man holding a pig to perform it.
The chorizo acquires its characteristic red color in Spain throughout the 16th century, date on which it begins to be made with paprika, as we know it today.
There is a curious anecdote of King Carlos IV that tells us that while hunting he found a chorizo of the place and he offered a sausage that he carried in his saddlebags. The monarch liked it so much that he appointed him official supplier of the Royal House. The fact was portrayed in a tapestry called “El choricero José Rico de Candelario” by Bayeu, brother-in-law of Goya.
In Spain, for a sausage to be considered as such, it must necessarily carry garlic and paprika, as it is what differentiates our sausage from other places and other sausages. Its main base is minced pork marinated with spices, such as paprika, which gives it its typical red color. It can be cured outdoors, but it is also smoked.
The chorizo is an important part of Spanish cuisine and is an indispensable ingredient in a variety of traditional dishes of our culture.