Fuet
Long, thin Catalan dry-cured pork sausage with a powdery white mould on the outside. Eaten in slices as a snack or tapa.
Fuet is the everyday Catalan cured sausage: a long, thin, pork-and-fat tube stuffed and air-dried for two to four weeks until firm. The outside develops a powdery white mould (which is a feature, not a flaw; it's the same friendly mould you see on a saucisson sec or a Italian salame). The inside is rosy-pink with small flecks of fat. The flavour is mild, slightly tangy, faintly garlicky and pepper-warm; nothing aggressive. The town of Vic in central Catalonia is the most-cited production centre and holds the regional DOP-style mark for its longaniza tradition. Fuet shows up on every charcuterie plate in Catalonia, sliced into thin coins, often with a glass of vermut.
How it's served
Sliced into thin coins straight from the casing, eaten with bread, cheese or olives. A staple of the pre-meal aperitivo with vermut or cava. Some bars hang whole fuets on hooks above the bar and slice to order.
Regional variation
Fuet de Vic is the most-cited reference, made in the Osona comarca around the town of Vic. Longaniza is a closely related, slightly thicker sausage from the same area. A drier, more aged version called secallona is thinner still and more intensely flavoured. All three belong to the same Catalan curing tradition.
- Origin
- Vic, Osona, Catalonia
- Etymology
- Catalan for 'whip,' a reference to the long thin shape.
Where to try it in Barcelona
One restaurant on Guidavera mentions fuet in their kitchen description.
Frequently asked
What is fuet?
A Catalan dry-cured pork sausage, long and thin, with a white mould powder on the outside. Mildly tangy, slightly garlicky, eaten in coin-thin slices as a tapa or aperitivo. The most-cited production area is around Vic in central Catalonia.
Is the white powder on fuet safe to eat?
Yes. The white mould (usually Penicillium nalgiovense) is added intentionally during curing to control fermentation and produce the right flavour. It's the same friendly mould you see on saucisson sec or salami. Some people brush it off; most leave it on or eat it with the slice.
What's the difference between fuet and chorizo?
Fuet is Catalan, thinner, milder, seasoned with pepper and garlic, dried to a leathery firmness. Chorizo is broader-Spanish, fatter, heavily seasoned with smoked paprika that gives it the deep red colour, and often softer-textured. Both are pork; the flavour profile and look are completely different.
Related terms
- Pa amb tomàquetCatalan bread rubbed with garlic and ripe tomato, finished with olive oil and salt. Comes with almost every meal.
- VermutAromatized fortified wine. In Barcelona it doubles as a midday social ritual: a glass of vermouth on tap, an olive, a snack, around noon.
- TapaA small plate of food, usually eaten standing at the bar with a drink. The foundational social-eating format of Spain.
- ChorizoThe iconic Spanish pork sausage, deep red from smoked paprika (pimentón). Comes cured (sliced cold like jamón) or fresh (cooked in stews and over coals).