On the 26th of August, 2022, the latest Government Gazette was posted and shared across the country, and wouldn’t you believe it, they set up regulations for boerewors!
Now, before we get carried away, the gazette itself had no malicious intent. The regulations put forward by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, were focused extensively on raw meat packaging and regulations in the protection of consumers.
What they did inadvertently do was define the specific regulations for what is classified as boerewors.
Let’s take a look:
According to the Gazette.
Raw Boerewors is classified as having the following:
- Be manufactured from the meat of a domesticated animal of the bovine, ovine, porcine, or caprine species, or from a mixture of two or more thereof.
- Be contained in an edible casing. (interesting choice of wording here)
- Have a minimum total meat content of 90 percent.
- Have a fat content (as analysed) of no more than 30 percent.
- Contain no edible or inedible offal, except where such offal is to be used solely as the casing of the raw boerewors.
- Contain no mechanically recovered meat.
- Contain no colourants.
Contain no added ingredients other than:
- Cereal and/or starch.
- Vinegar, spices, herbs and/or salt.
- Food additives.
- Water.
These are prime specifications to classify wors in the best way possible. Keeping on track with tradition and ensuring that our national sausage is kept pure is outlined perfectly in the gazette.
There is, however, one issue we at Copcas have identified.
Our views on the Gazette.
Shall be contained in an edible casing.”
A very vague and concerning precaution is laid out here.
What can we classify as edible? Let’s take a look at some examples of “edible” casings.
According to Meatscience.org three types or variants of sausage casings are utilised in the production of sausages.
- Natural
- Artificial Cellulose Based
- Artificial Collagen Based
As much as we see the usage of artificial casings in the modern day, the fact of the matter is that they don’t stand up to the quality and flavour provided by natural casings.
Cellulose casings are removed after the sausage is cooked as they are in fact, inedible. Collagen casings are edible, but artificially made from beef hide and shrink when cooked. They are also extremely fragile.
As always, natural is much better, providing a sturdy and flavourful foundation for sausages. They also come from a variety of animals including beef, sheep, and pork. Each is suited to its own situation and use.
This is why at Copcas we proudly promote the usage of natural casings.
Our goal is to provide butchers (and the home chef) a product that’s easy to use and for those eating the sausage, something delicious.
Why settle for anything else when natural just makes sense?
