Cumberland sausage

In March 2011, the European Union granted "Traditional Cumberland sausage" Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status.

Historically, the sausage was more highly seasoned than it is today, reflecting a strong influx of spices into Whitehaven during the eighteenth century.

[2] Cumberland sausage is typically filled with chopped or coarsely minced pork, to which is added pepper, thyme, sage, nutmeg and cayenne, and some rusk as a binder.

Heavy boned, slow to mature, and extremely hardy, the creature became a symbol of the region, but was allowed to die out in the early 1960s at Bothel.

A campaign was made by some Cumbrian butchers[4] and meat manufacturers to have Cumberland sausage placed under a Protected Geographical Status classification under European Commission rules.

While individual butchers have their own recipes, they are generally more highly seasoned than traditional sausages, possibly due to the historical import of spices at Whitehaven.