[1][2] The Italian sausage was initially known as lucanica,[3] a rustic pork sausage in ancient Roman cuisine, with the first evidence dating back to the 1st century BC, when the Roman historian Marcus Terentius Varro described stuffing spiced and salted meat into pig intestines, as follows: "They call lucanica a minced meat stuffed into a casing, because our soldiers learned how to prepare it.

"[4] The writings of Cicero and Martial also mention lucanica (Lucian sausage)[5][6][7] as a speciality introduced in Rome by the Lucanian slaves.

[4] The salsiccia al coriandolo ('coriander sausage'), from the comune (municipality) of Monte San Biagio, Lazio, also includes coriander, sweet chili peppers, and sweet red wine.

It is made from fresh meat (often pork) and fat, and is flavoured with spices, salt, and pepper, and traditionally stuffed into natural gut casings.

[10] Salsiccia toscana ('Tuscan sausage'), also known as sarciccia, is made from various cuts of pork, including the shoulder and ham, which is chopped and mixed with herbs such as sage and rosemary.