This Popular Skinless Dutch Sausage Once Contained Horse Meat

Winter is slowly creeping around, and what better foods to eat on cold days than warm and succulent sausages? The Spruce Eats defines sausages as "ground meat mixed with fat, spices, and other seasonings." The mixture is placed into casings — natural or not — and the sausages are then dried and smoked, boiled, or grilled. On the other hand, fresh sausages are often used as a part of stuffing or fried with eggs for a tasty breakfast to start your morning right. 

People who love sausages might think of sausage-famous countries such as Germany, France, or Spain. There are many varieties of sausages in these countries; some of the most famous ones include bratwurst, andouillette (the treasured French sausage that smells like decay), and chorizo, respectively (per Luxo Food). 

Unfortunately, many people are blinded by these countries that are famous for their sausages, and it's easy to miss the extraordinary world of Dutch sausages in the process. There's metworst, made from ground pork; rookworst, made with pork, beef, veal, or turkey; and the large braadworst sausages that are typically served with stamppot (per TasteAtlas). But there's one other Dutch specialty sausage you might not have heard of, and it once contained horse meat.

The name of this flavorful skinless Dutch sausage is frikandel. It's a staple across the country — so much so that there was a frikandel shortage in September. That month, café owners were allowed only ten boxes of these skinless sausages due to the deficit, but that wasn't nearly enough to meet the demand (per Dutch Review). The Dutch Table reports that frikandel sausages are made with a combination of pork, beef, and chicken. 

Once created, frikandel is deep-fried, and it's then served as it is or with french fries and a dollop of mayonnaise. These versatile sausages can also be served in a roll, which makes for a complete dish called broodje frikandel. Some like to cut the frikandel and douse it in curry ketchup, mayonnaise, and onions, creating a dish called frikandel speciaal in the process. 

Interestingly enough, frikandel is the most popular snack in the whole country. But what's even more compelling is the fact that frikandel used to be made from horse meat. But because the consumption of horse meat is frowned upon these days, butchers use other types of meat. What's important is that the frikandel is equally delicious as it was before; otherwise, it wouldn't be the number-one snack in The Netherlands, followed only by fried snacks such as bitterballen and kroketten (per Must See Holland).