Cervelat Cervelat Cervelat, also cervelas, servelat or zervelat, is a sausage produced in Switzerland, France (especially Alsace and Lyon) and parts of Germany. The recipe and preparation of the sausage vary regionally. The sausages are called "cervelas" in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, "Cervelat" in the German-speaking part, and "servelat" in the Italian-speaking part. The terms ultimately derive from "cerebrum", the Latin word for brain, which was used in early recipes. The term "Cervelat" is the oldest of the three. It was first recorded in 1552 by Rabelais, and is derived from "zervelada", a Milanese dialect word meaning a "large, short
Cervelat a salad or with bread and mustard. Sometimes sold smoked and uncooked, cervelat can be seasoned, salted and cold smoked for one day. Traditionally, Swiss beef intestines were used for the casings, but towards the end of the 20th century, local cattle producers lost interest in cleaning and preparing them, so meat processors switched to Brazilian zebu intestines, which are not fatty and do not easily split open when roasted. However, beginning on 1 April 2006, the European Union banned the import of many animal parts from Brazil as a measure aimed at preventing the spread of mad cow disease.