Merguez (/mɛərˈɡɛz/) is a red, spicy lamb- or beef-based fresh sausage in Maghrebi cuisine.

[1][2] In France, merguez became popular in the 1960s and 1970s, as Algerian immigrants and the pieds-noirs of Algeria settled in the country and opened small shops and restaurants that served traditional dishes like merguez.

[3][4][5][6] The popularity of merguez in France was also fueled by the rise of fast food chains like Quick and McDonald's, which began to offer merguez sandwiches and burgers to cater to their North African clientele.

[7] Merguez is a sausage made with uncooked lamb, beef, or a mixture stuffed into a lamb-intestine casing.

[9] The Arabic terminology for the food is also the origin of the Spanish names of the foodstuffs morcon and morcilla.