Rookworst is a type of Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 sausage

Sausage

A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...

 in which ground meat is mixed with spice

Spice

A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. It may be used to flavour a dish or to hide other flavours...

s and salt

Salt

In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...

 and stuffed into a casing

Casing (sausage)

Casing, sausage casing, or sausage skin is the material that encloses the filling of a sausage. Casings are divided into two categories, natural and artificial...

 (originally made of intestine

Intestine

In human anatomy, the intestine is the segment of the alimentary canal extending from the pyloric sphincter of the stomach to the anus and, in humans and other mammals, consists of two segments, the small intestine and the large intestine...

, but these days usually made of bovine collagen

Collagen

Collagen is a group of naturally occurring proteins found in animals, especially in the flesh and connective tissues of mammals. It is the main component of connective tissue, and is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content...

). Rookworst is a traditional ingredient in stamppot

Stamppot

Stamppot is a traditional Dutch dish made from a combination of potatoes mashed with one or several other vegetables, sometimes also with bacon. These vegetable pairings traditionally include sauerkraut, endive, kale, spinach, turnip greens, or carrot and onion...

. Described as a Bologna-type sausage

Bologna sausage

Bologna sausage is an American sausage derived from and definitely not similar to the Italian mortadella . It is commonly called boloney, baloney or, more formally, bologna...

, it is common in the Netherlands and is also exported to England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

Contrary to what the name suggests, the modern rookworst is rarely smoked. To achieve the smoked flavor typical to the product, smoke aromatics are added to the product alongside the spices. The Dutch company HEMA allegedly used this method, denying the claim made by the Dutch consumer organisation De Consumentenbond. Glucono delta-lactone

Glucono delta-lactone

Glucono delta-lactone is a naturally-occurring food additive with the E number E575 used as a sequestrant, an acidifier, or a curing, pickling, or leavening agent. It is a lactone of D-gluconic acid. Pure GDL is a white odorless crystalline powder.GDL is commonly found in honey, fruit juices,...

 is added to lower the pH

PH

In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...

 and add to shelf life. Old-fashioned rookworst is smoked over wood chips: it can be recognized by a dried-in drop at the end of the sausage.

There are two types of rookworst:

1. The most common form of rookworst is a vacuum packed cooked sausage. This sausage leaves the factory already cooked, it is shelf-stable for weeks, and only needs to be reheated in boiling water. This type of rookworst is also called Gelderse rookworst, i.e., rookworst from (or in the manner of) Gelderland
   Gelderland
   Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...
   
   .
2. Raw rookworst — also known as crafted, old-fashioned or butcher
   Butcher
   A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
   
   s' rookworst — contains raw meats, and has to be prepared properly. Often this type of rookworst still uses natural bowel instead of bovine collagen. This type needs to be cooked in barely simmering water before it can be safely eaten.