# Sweet Italian sausages
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-italian-sausages/329127
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [November 2, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-italian-sausages/329127 "2005-11-02T18:46:31Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-italian-sausages/329127/1 "2005-11-02T18:46:31Z")
When I was in high school we occasionally had sausages at home. I liked spicy sausages and sweet Italian sausages. Though two flavours, there was only one brand I would buy: Bella Donna.
Okay, I’ll admit it. My adolescent humour thought it was hilarious to eat something with that brand name. But in fact, they were very tasty. I wouldn’t have bought them (or had my dad buy them, rather) if they weren’t good!
But eventually someone caught on that ‘Bella Donna’ could be something more sinister than just the Italian phrase for ‘pretty girl’. The brand disappeared from the shelves.
The other day I bought Johnsonville Sweet Italian sausages. Had one a couple of nights ago, and a cold one for breakfast yesterday. I’ve just heated and consumed a third. Not bad, but no Bella Donna! I think Bella Donna’s secret was the liberal use of caraway seeds in their mixture. I love it when I’m eating a sausage and bite into a caraway seed. Tasty.
So what’s a good mass-market brand of sweet Italian sausages that I might find at a supermarket chain in the PNW? One with lots of caraway? (Erm… Caraway in the sausages, not necessarily the supermarket!)
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### Author:  [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-italian-sausages/329127/2 "2005-11-02T18:51:03Z")
Are you sure you mean caraway and not fennel? Caraway is the seasoning in some kinds of rye bread. All the Italian sausages I’ve had used fennel.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-italian-sausages/329127/3 "2005-11-02T18:59:28Z")
> [@cher3](#):
>
> Are you sure you mean caraway and not fennel? Caraway is the seasoning in some kinds of rye bread. All the Italian sausages I’ve had used fennel.
You may be right. They’re long skinny seeds with stripes.
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### Author:  [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-italian-sausages/329127/4 "2005-11-02T19:04:45Z")
[Fennel Seed](http://www.wholespice.com/images/herbs/FennelSeed.jpg)
[Caraway](http://www.wholespice.com/images/herbs/Carawaywhole.jpg)
Johnny, maybe I’m thinking about the wrong poster, but it seems to me you’re a pretty accomplished cook (if I’m remembering threads correctly) - have you considered making your own sausage?? There are TONS of recipes - I just googled a passle of 'em. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-italian-sausages/329127/5 "2005-11-02T19:04:57Z")
That is definitely fennel, and all the good sweet Italian sausages I’ve ever had contain lots of 'em. I prefer hot sausages myself, though.
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### Author:  [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-italian-sausages/329127/6 "2005-11-02T19:05:28Z")
That’s fennel–the licorice-y one. Have you checked the butcher’s case at some larger grocery chains. Around here every grocery seems to have a selection of sausages in the case where they keep the choicer steaks and such. I know they make several kinds at Henry’s/Wild Oats. Trader Joe’s usually has a pretty good selection, too.
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### Author:  [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2005, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-italian-sausages/329127/7 "2005-11-02T19:11:04Z")
I’m confused. What is this more sinister thing they could be talking about? The poisonous belladonna of the nightshade family?
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2005, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-italian-sausages/329127/8 "2005-11-02T19:17:25Z")
> [@Missy2U](#):
>
> Johnny, maybe I’m thinking about the wrong poster, but it seems to me you’re a pretty accomplished cook (if I’m remembering threads correctly) - have you considered making your own sausage??
Oh, I manage not to starve. 😉
Indeed, I do like to cook. (The downside is that I can’t seem to cook for one. The upside is that I have leftovers for days. With Christmas coming, I’ll be eating roast prime rib and Yorkshire pudding for a week!) But I don’t have a meat grinder or a sausage stuffer. Not having checked the recipes, it seems like a lot of work.
[sub]Hey, look! There’s shrimp in the freezer! And garlic and some wine in the fridge! And some capers! Hm… I wonder if I’ll get round to making scampi today?[/sub]
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2005, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-italian-sausages/329127/9 "2005-11-02T19:19:33Z")
> [@Electronic Chaos](#):
>
> I’m confused. What is this more sinister thing they could be talking about? The poisonous belladonna of the nightshade family?
Yup. Nothing like serving a bit of deadly nightshade to your dinner guests! 😃
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### Author:  [@Linus\_Van\_Pelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linus_Van_Pelt)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2005, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-italian-sausages/329127/10 "2005-11-02T21:56:31Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#):
>
> Oh, I manage not to starve. 😉
> …Not having checked the recipes, it seems like a lot of work.
It is. But the good news is that sausages freeze very well. So what my family does (in a tradition going back at least to my grandmother) is to make a big old batch of 'em around Christmas time then divide them up into small packages and freeze them. Then we have a supply of delicious home-made sausages for the next year.
The last time we made them, I got together with my father and father-in-law to make them. Not only did we end up with our year’s supplies of sausages, we had a nice time visiting while we we putting them together. Perhaps you can get some family or friends together for a similar project.
And having made them, I can attest that the previous posters are correct. The seeds are definately fennel.
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### Author:  [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2005, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-italian-sausages/329127/11 "2005-11-03T01:24:18Z")
I can’t remember the brand name, but the best sweet Italian sausages in the whole, wide world come from Claro’s, an Italian market here in SoCal.
[http://www.claros.com/](http://www.claros.com/)
They may be starting to sell online, or they might ship it to you…
Everything else there is great, too.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2005, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-italian-sausages/329127/12 "2005-11-03T01:46:45Z")
Try the Johnsonville hot Italian sausages. Much more flavor in my opinion.
So you see no humor in eating a sausage from _Johnsonville_?
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2005, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-italian-sausages/329127/13 "2005-11-03T02:07:07Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#):
>
> I can’t remember the brand name, but the best sweet Italian sausages in the whole, wide world come from Claro’s, an Italian market here in SoCal.
Oh, man. Now I’m missing the pastrami sandwiches at Sorrento Italian Market in Culver City. ☹
> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> So you see no humor in eating a sausage from Johnsonville?
I do now. Hadn’t thought of it before.
I didn’t make scampi tonight. Long day filming last night, and I only slept for five hours. (Got light out an’ shite.) So I had some Shin Ramyun ramen with some green beans I found in the freezer.
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### Author:  [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2005, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-italian-sausages/329127/14 "2005-11-03T04:28:48Z")
Ooh, Sorrento. My SIL and her hubby moved out of Culver City today, actually. Movin’ on up to Palo Alto for his big jobby-job…
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2005, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-italian-sausages/329127/15 "2005-11-03T04:35:05Z")
We have an excellent brand of Sweet Italian Sausage. My favorite meal is parboiling them for 15 minutes and then grills them until browned. I would rather eat these then candy and they reheat in the microwave very well, especially on a bed of crisp string beans with lots of garlic.