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{{Short description|Type of sausage}}
[[File:Saveloy, chips and curry.jpg|thumb|right|A saveloy served with [[French fries|chips]] and [[curry sauce]] in [[Nottingham]], England]]

A '''saveloy''' is a type of highly seasoned [[sausage]], usually bright red, normally boiled and available in [[Fish and chip shop|fish and chip shops]] around Britain. It is sometimes also available [[Battered sausage|fried in batter]].

== Etymology ==
The word is believed to be derived from [[Middle French]] {{lang|frm|[[cervelat|cervelas]]}} or {{lang|frm|servelat}}, originating from [[Old Italian]] {{lang|mis|cervella}} ('pigs brains'), ultimately from the [[Latin]] {{lang|la|cerebrus}} ('brain'). Its first known use in the English language in this meaning was 1784.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saveloy |title=Saveloy |work=Merriam-Webster Dictionary |date=2012-08-31 |access-date=2013-03-14 }}</ref> {{lang|it|Cervellato}} is still the name of a sausage in Italy; it is longer and thinner than standard Italian sausages.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

== Ingredients ==
Although the saveloy was traditionally made from pig brains, the ingredients of a shop-bought sausage are typically pork (58%), water, [[rusk]], [[Pig fat|pork fat]], [[potato starch]], salt, emulsifiers ([[tetrasodium diphosphate]], [[disodium diphosphate]]), [[white pepper]], spices, dried sage, preservatives ([[sodium nitrite]], [[potassium nitrate]]), and beef [[collagen]] casing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=252743823 |title=Counter Loose Saveloys By Each – Groceries – Tesco Groceries |publisher=Tesco.com |access-date=2014-06-18}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=June 2022}}

The saveloy is mostly eaten with [[French fries|chips]].{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

== England and Wales==

Popular in the northeast of England, saveloys are sometimes eaten in a "saveloy dip" sandwich: the bun is dipped in the water in which the saveloy has been boiled, or in [[gravy]], with a layer of [[stuffing]] and [[pease pudding]], additionally seasoned with [[English mustard]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=nefadmin |date=2018-07-20 |title=Top 5 North East Foods! |url=https://www.northeastfood.co.uk/top-5-geordie-food/ |access-date=2022-09-02 |website=North East Food |language=en-US}}</ref> Elsewhere in England (particularly London) and Wales, saveloy is most commonly served in [[fish and chip shop]]s.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

== Australia and New Zealand ==
The saveloy is eaten in Australia and New Zealand, often dipped in batter and deep fried, when it is known as a "battered sav".{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

At the turn of the 20th century, the saveloy was described in an Australian court case as a "highly seasoned dry sausage originally made of brains, but now young pork, salted"<ref>"Saveloy Reticence" in ''The Examiner'', Launceston, Tas, 14 March 1913</ref>{{rp|6}} but by the mid-century, it was commonly defined by its size as a {{cvt|19|cm}} sausage, as opposed to a frankfurter at {{cvt|26|cm}}.<ref>"Variety of Sausage for Home Menus" in ''The Courier Mail'', Brisbane, QLD, 12 September 1951</ref>{{rp|8}} This distinction may be due to frankfurters’ popularisation in that country (as the main ingredient in [[hot dogs]]). Saveloys also tend to have more seasoning and are thicker.<ref>"Hot Dog is Favourite American Sandwich" in the ''Centralian Advocate'', 26 October 1951</ref>{{rp|12}}

In Australia, saveloys are usually a beef-pork blend.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage-recipes/cooked/saveloy-australian|title=Saveloy-Australian|website=www.meatsandsausages.com|accessdate=Jun 10, 2021}}</ref> As in England, they are sold at fish-and-chip shops, as well as bought from supermarkets, to be simmered at home.

Saveloys are often the basis of the New Zealand battered-sausage-on-a-stick "hot dog", very similar to the US corn meal-battered variant of the [[corn dog]] as sold at fairgrounds and shows. The Australian showground version is often called a "[[Corn dog|dagwood dog]]",<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://australianfoodtimeline.com.au/dagwood-dog/|title=Dagwood Dog vs Pronto Pup|date=1940-09-18|website=Australian food history timeline|language=en-AU|access-date=2019-09-28}}</ref> when prepared on site (and should not be confused with the "pluto pup", equivalent to the US [[Pronto Pup]], a mass-produced, pre-prepared product that is essentially the same, but which invariably uses frankfurters, rather than saveloys and can often be found at takeaway shops).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.womensweeklyfood.com.au/recipes/pluto-pups-7241|title=Pluto pups|website=Australian Women's Weekly Food|accessdate=Jun 10, 2021}}</ref>

A '''cocktail sausage''' is a smaller version of the saveloy, about a quarter of the size; in Australia sometimes called a "baby sav", a "footy frank" or a "little boy", and in New Zealand and [[Queensland]] called a "cheerio".<ref>{{Cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=mQohAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA257 |title=Australian English – The National Language |last=Leitner |first=Gerhard |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |year=2004 |isbn=9783110904871 |pages=257 |language=en}}</ref> These are a popular children's party food in New Zealand and Australia, often served hot, with tomato sauce.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

== See also ==
{{portal|Food}}
* [[Battered sausage]]
* [[List of sausages]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}

{{Sausage}}
{{Fish and chip shops}}
{{Hot dog variations}}
{{Australian cuisine}}

[[Category:Australian sausages]]
[[Category:British sausages]]
[[Category:Cooked sausages]]
[[Category:New Zealand sausages]]
[[Category:Street food in the United Kingdom]]