The famous Cypriot sausage dish sheftalia has been awarded the accolade of being the worlds second-best sausage-based dish.
Famous platform Food Atlas ranked it, putting it above several classics such as Pigs in Blankets and Toad in the Hole. In fact, it was only outranked by Spetsofai, a dish from Greece.
The sheftalia is served with souvlakia in pita within a mixed kebab. The sausage itself contains minced lamb and pork, along with finely chopped parsley and onions – all of which are mixed and wrapped in caul fat (fatty lining in the stomach of animals like pigs, cows and sheep). It is prepared by seasoning the meat and aromatics with pepper, cinnamon and salt, shaping them into sausages and then grilling or skewering them. At this point the fat melts and the exterior becomes crisp, while the interior cooks and gets juicy and tender.
There is some debate on the origin of the dishs name. Some say it comes from the seftali, a Turkish-language word meaning peach – owing to it being soft to touch. Yet others say it is named after the man who created it.
The other preparations that made Food Atlas Top Ten include Salchicha Parrillera and Chorizo a la Parrilla from Argentina, Currywurst from Germany, Ovos mexidos com Farinheir from Portugal, Rougail Saucisses from Madagascar and Nem Nuong from Vietnam.
