Cabanossi is a long, thin, smoked sausage — a Polish kabanos in origin, and a firm favourite snack in South Africa. Freshly made, it’s soft and juicy; left to dry, it firms up and the flavour deepens. Either way, it’s the kind of thing that disappears off a snack platter before anything else.
What is cabanossi?
Cabanossi is a cured and smoked sausage, usually made from a blend of pork and beef. Its flavour comes from simple, bold seasoning — paprika and garlic, with salt and pepper. The original kabanos was once made with horse meat, but today pork and beef are standard.
Where it differs from most sausages you’ll find here is the form: it’s thin, so it cures and smokes through quickly, and it’s meant to be eaten as it is — no cooking needed.
Cabanossi vs salami vs droëwors
People lump these together, but they’re different things:
- Salami is usually larger, fermented and air-dried, and sliced thin for sandwiches and boards. Cabanossi is thinner and smoked, with a firmer bite.
- Droëwors is South Africa’s dried beef sausage — beef with a vinegar-and-coriander spice blend, air-dried. Cabanossi is pork-and-beef, smoked, and much less dry.
- Cabanossi sits between the two: a smoked snack stick, but richer and more garlicky.
Fresh or aged?
Both work, and it’s purely a matter of taste. Fresh cabanossi is soft and juicy. Leave it a while and it dries, giving a firmer chew and a more concentrated flavour. There’s no wrong choice.
How to serve cabanossi
It needs no preparation, which is half its charm. A few ways people eat it:
- On a snack board with cheese and crackers.
- Sliced onto a braai platter, next to boerewors and droëwors.
- In a soft bun with mustard — the street-food version.
- Chopped into pasta, a salad, or a breakfast fry-up.
How to store it
Keep it cool and dry and it keeps well. It is shelf stable but if you don’t plan to consume it within a few days, the freezer is good for long term storage.
Our cabanossi
Have a look at our cabanossi, and the rest of our braai & BBQ range. Order online and get it delivered to your door.
