WASHINGTON – A Harris Poll conducted online for the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC) revealed the high popularity of sausage in the United States for breakfast, lunch and dinner. All forms of sausage including links, patties and loose received high marks among the 2,069 US adults ages 18 an older in the survey conducted Sept. 14-16, 2016. Eighty-nine percent of those surveyed said they enjoy sausage including 93 percent of men asked and 85 percent of women.

Favorite types of sausage varied among respondents. The two most popular types were Italian sausage and breakfast patties at 20 percent each, followed by breakfast links and bratwurst at 15 percent and 12 percent respectively. Region also made a difference in results. Those from the Northeast were most likely to choose Italian sausage (33 percent) as their favorite type, Southerners breakfast patties (26 percent) and Midwesterners bratwurst (19 percent).

“Sausage is one of our most versatile foods, as it can be eaten on its own for any meal, combined in a recipe or even as a dip,” NHDSC President Eric Mittenthal said in a press release. “No matter how it is eaten, Americans know that including sausage is guaranteed to make for a delicious dish.”

Through Oct. 20, the NHDSC will hold its 3^rd annual sausage recipe contest for the best recipe able to be prepared in less than 20 minutes. NHDSC staff will judge the contest and award the winner a $100 gift card for their favorite sausages along with a specially designed pan to use specifically for cooking sausage. The runner up will receive a $50 gift card and sausage pan and the top three entries will all receive NHDSC t-shirts, bumper stickers and their recipes listed on NHDSC’s all recipe page.

Sausage resources including a glossary, cooking tips, sausage and beer pairing guide, charcuterie guide and trivia can be found on NHDSC’s website, www.hot-dog.org, along with hundreds of recipes.