Ten authentic Catalan sausages offer the taste of the Spanish Pyrenees. These sausages are called fuets from Carne del Sol. The sausages are produced according to the Spanish tradition at a very suitable location in the Pyrenees. The climate is ideal for allowing the sausages to dry for a long time, giving them time to fully taste. Nice and pure.
Famous for dry sausages
Southern Europe has a name and fame when it comes to dry sausage. Especially in Spain on a family business in the Spanish Pyrenees, about an hour’s drive from Gerona. The company has been making fuets (the traditional Catalan sausages) since 1941.
Autonomous Catalonia
Catalonia is one of the autonomous regions of Spain. It is located in the northeast of the country on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, with the Pyrenees to the north. The main ingredients of Catalan cuisine are rice, fish, legumes, seafood and broth. Vegetables are known as tomato, eggplant, bell pepper, zucchini, garlic and onion. Catalans are big sausage lovers. Besides the fuet, the llonganissa is also a well-known, air-dried sausage, which is longer and thinner than the fuet. Sausage is used in all kinds of dishes in Catalonia (for example in the traditional winter stew). The winter stew is called Escudella i carn d’olla. This also contains garlic, chickpeas, white beans and green cabbage.
Meat of the sun
The family business developed ten types of fuets (this means whip and refers to the shape of the sausage). The dry sausages are long and thin and have lean pork, herbs, salt and pepper as main ingredients. For Carne del Sol (meat from the sun) only shoulder meat and a little bit of pork neck bacon are used. The sausages consist of pure meat, without rind and meat chips. The shoulder meat is boned on the spot in Spain in a very careful procedure, because the professionals know that the meat is intended for sausage preparation. In doing so, they ensure that the tendons and cartilage are out. The meat is then ground and allowed to rest for one to two days before it is formed into sausage in a natural casing. This resting makes the meat a bit firmer when it enters the intestine.
Drying time
The sausages then go into the drying chamber. Drying is an important process in the production of fuets. You can see it as a natural ripening process, in which the sausage acquires flavor and structure. The climate in the Spanish Pyrenees is ideal for natural drying and the family business is located on a ridge at an altitude of about 800 meters. As a result, there is no extreme heat. If it does get too hot or when the weather is very humid, the hatches of the drying rooms will close. In the evening a cold downwind comes down the mountain, so that with the shutters open it can get cool again. This is perfect for drying the fuets.
Six week period
In total, the fuets hang on sticks to dry for six weeks, in floors. The heat rises, so that it is always the hottest at the top. The fresh sausages are first hung at the bottom so that they can acclimatize. Then they are gradually hung higher and higher. This long drying process is special and it makes the sausage different from other sausages.
The ten flavors
The ten different fuets from Carne del Sol have roughly the same shape and length, but they taste different due to the addition of varying ingredients.
Carne fuet Natural
This is a basic sausage. Simple but delicious in taste.
Carne fuet Calatan
A sausage full of flavor, with a crunchy bite, inspired by the traditional Catalan recipe.
Carne fuet Chorizo
A Spanish classic. A delicious spicy sausage.
Carne fuet Duck
A sausage with duck stock, subtle and soft in taste.
Carne fuet Espectec
This is an authentic sausage that used to be taken into the mountains by the shepherds. It has a very full flavor.
Carne fuet Pepper
A sweet spicy but also elegant sausage.
Carne fuet Gourmet
This is a successful family recipe. The fuet based on a herbal bouquet is from the grandfather of producer Juan. Exciting addition is a dash of red wine.
Carne fuet Mushroom
A sausage with mushroom, a soft bite and a sweet taste.
Carne fuet Rosemary
A very elegant sausage with a sweet flavor nuance.
Serving tips
A few slices of different flavors are excellent as a snack with an aperitif (glass of port or rose). You can also serve them in a charcuterie dish with different types of fuets on the terrace or on a buffet. The Fuet Chorizo can also be a delicious seasoning in dishes such as brown bean soup. Or as a spicy ingredient in an omelet.
Lunch
For lunch, fry tomatoes, add onion and garlic and smoked paprika. Then fry three types of fuets (cut into thin slices). Furthermore, some rosemary to spice it up and pepper for the spicy aspect and finally mushroom, which is wonderfully soft and sweet. Put a raw fried egg on top, which will cook by itself. After such a lunch you can really get going again!