What’s the Difference Between Linguica, Chouriço, and Spanish Chorizo?

Here are some of the differences that often—but not always— crop up in the sausages.

Though lingua is the Portuguese word for tongue, this link does not contain tongue, as is often reported. Its one consistent difference from chouriço may be that linguica is often stuffed into pig casing, so that it has a thinner diameter (chouriço is frequently made with beef casing). Its smoky, robust flavors permeate the classic speciality of the Algarve region amêijoas na cataplana, featuring clams cooked in a tomato-based broth, and I call for it in my own riff on this dish. It’s also an essential ingredient in the country’s famously over-the-top sandwich francesinha, or “little Frenchie,” in which linguica and slices of ham and roast beef are piled on bread, smothered with melted cheese, and doused with a tomato-and-beer sauce. 

Other than often being fatter than linguica when stuffed into beef casing (or the pig's large intestine), chouriço’s differences from linguica are slight. Like its cousin, it can be mild or spicy and shares the same smoky, garlicky flavors that are also often accented by the tang of red wine. Even so, chouriço has the reputation of being the more versatile of the two. In Portugal, it’s served grilled, broiled, and roasted; it flavors a multitude of stews and soups, including caldo verde; it can be fried with eggs, roasted with potatoes, or cooked with rice. In the flamboyant dish chouriço à bombeiro, a link is set in an individual clay brazier, splashed with alcohol, and set afire. 

This sausage is more different from linguica and chouriço than they are from each other. According to Brian Polcyn, chef and coauthor of Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing (2005), most Spanish chorizo is drier and loaded with pimentón (smoked paprika)–sometimes containing up to 20 percent of its weight in the spice, leading to a lurid orange tint. It’s often served sliced as a part of a tapas plate with manchego or olives. It also finds its way into many of Spain’s hearty bean stews, including fabada Asturiana, a specialty of Asturias in the northwest of the country featuring the creamy white beans known as fabes. Though traditionalists eschew the practice, this smoky chorizo is also often added to paella. 

Because these sausages share many features, making them more similar than not, feel free to substitute one for another in recipes, including in my take on the Portuguese seafood stew, cataplana.