Sausage sizzle

The sausage sizzle is a community event that originated in Australia.[1][2] The term came into common use in the 1980s and is used to describe both the typical barbecuing technique and the nature of the event itself.[3] The primary element of a sausage sizzle is the preparation and sale of barbecued sausages, typically with some form of bread and often accompanied by sauces or other barbecued items such as sliced onion. Sausage sizzles are a common feature in the cultures of Australia and New Zealand.[4]

Sausage sizzle
A Bunnings charity Sausage Sizzle operated by the Rotary Club of Nelson Bay.
CourseSnack
Place of originAustralia[1][2]
Main ingredientsSausage, Sliced bread

Sausage sizzles are generally held either as free community events or as fundraisers for charities, schools, sports clubs and other organisations. As such, ingredients and equipment are cheaply purchased or donated by suppliers. Fundraising sausage sizzles have become particularly associated with elections in Australia and the hardware chain Bunnings Warehouse.

Format

Most commonly, the main sale item at a sausage sizzle is a pork or beef sausage (sometimes known in Australia as a "snag"), cooked on a gas hot plate[3] and served on a single slice of white bread or a hotdog roll.[5] Tomato sauce is the most common accompaniment, and is usually available for no extra cost, though other condiments such as barbecue sauce and American mustard are regularly available. Onions cooked on the hot plate are often available, for free or at extra cost, and occasionally coleslaw or other salad items are offered. Some sausage sizzles also offer the option of a white bread roll as an alternative to sliced bread. Vegetarian or gluten free options are infrequently available, but often sold at events with more extensive menus including hamburgers or complete meals. Soft drink cans or bottled water may also be available for purchase,[6] so as to maximise fundraising.[7] In 2019, Season two winner of MasterChef Australia, Adam Liaw created a popular instagram post about how he makes a giant sausage sizzle by cutting bread lengthways.[4]

Prevalence

Australian elections
Main article: Democracy sausage

Sausage sizzles have become a recognised and expected addition to polling booths at Australian elections, with sausages at these stations nicknamed 'Democracy Sausages'.[8][9][10] There was widespread media coverage of this in 2013 and 2016 Australian Federal Election, with the hashtag '#democracysausage' trending on Twitter.[11] Twitter also added a sausage-in-bread emoji to the '#ausvotes' hashtag on the day of the 2016 election, it was the most widely used emoji in relation to the election under that hashtag.[12]

Bunnings Warehouse

Australian hardware chain Bunnings offers barbecue facilities at all of its stores for hire to community groups. Sausage sizzles at these locations usually occur on weekends and have become associated with the Bunnings brand.[13] In 2016, when Bunnings announced its expansion to the United Kingdom, considerable media coverage was devoted to the question of whether Bunnings would export the tradition, which it subsequently did at some locations.[14][15][16]

New Zealand

In New Zealand, sausage sizzles are a familiar sight by the front entrance of supermarkets such as New World and Pak n Save, and are commonly fundraising for regional youth sports events and health causes.

The Warehouse, a New Zealand owned department store operating under NZ retail group The Warehouse Group (TWG), is another common site for sausage sizzles.

References
  1. "The unauthorised history of the sausage sizzle". ABC. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  2. "The Evolution Of The Holy Sausage Sizzle". GQ. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  3. Santich, Barbara (2012). Bold Palates: Australia's Gastronomic Heritage. Kent Town, South Australia: Wakefield Press. p. 148. ISBN 978-1-74305-094-1. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  4. "Best thing since sliced bread: The genius sausage sizzle hack you need this summer". 28 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  5. "Straight or diagonal? The Sausage Sizzle debate Australia has to have". NewsComAu. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  6. "Sausage Sizzle Fundraiser". How to Fundraise. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Australia takes its democracy with a side of sausage". BBC. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  9. Bourke, Latika. "Aussie voters in London taste first democracy sausage". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  10. Lyons, Kate. "Australia election: who are the candidates, and what's a democracy sausage?". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  11. "Australia takes its democracy with a side of sausage". BBC. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  12. Sivasubramanian, Shami (2 July 2016). "Twitter releases 10 most-tweeted emojis this election day". SBS. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  13. "49 Thoughts Everyone Has While Shopping At Bunnings". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  14. "An Aussie reviews the first UK Bunnings' snags". Herald Sun. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  15. Miller, Nick. "Lost in translation: Bunnings UK customers split on the Australian invasion". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  16. Lansdown, Sarah. "Britain's First Bunnings Just Opened And Everyone's Confused About The Sausage Sizzle". Huffington Post. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
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