August 2025
In March 1965 the Australian Women’s Weekly (AWW from hereon) published ‘Continental Sausages’ a four page ‘dictionary’ of 59 of the eponymous food items. Each entry gave the name of the sausage, its alternative name if there was one, its country of origin, a guide to how to pronounce its name in English, and a short description of ways it was commonly used. For example:
Leberkase, also known as Liver Cheese (pronounced “laberkaser” German): baked meat loaf, finely seasoned. Slice and serve with salads or on sandwiches. Can also be grilled or fried.
The purpose of the dictionary, the AWW said, was to show the cook how to ‘add new interest and delicious flavour to dishes. The article gave 11 recipes for doing this. AWW said the cook could do this now because ‘world famous sausage-type smallgoods are now manufactured in Australia and are readily available in most delicatessens and food stores in Australian cities’.
This is inaccurate on two counts: ‘world famous sausage type smallgoods’ were being manufactured in Australia since at least 1828 and being made in the home since at least1864; and were being added to dishes creating delicious flavours.
