cervelas – saucisson cuit, gros et court, haché très fin, assex épicé (cooked sausage, fat and short, very finely minced, a bit spicy). The word, and one can assume the sausage, has its origins in 16th century France. The sausage was orignally made of pork meat and brains, hence the name cervelas, which comes from cerveau, the French word for brain. I came across it in a 17th century drinking song I’ve been learning which advises the listener that in order to avoid a hangover one should keep the full table of cervelas and ham.

But what exactly is this cooked sausage? A little research in Larousse Gastronomique, the food encyclopedia, tells me that cervelas translates to saveloy. On the page they don’t look much alike, but if you say cervelas – sair-veh-lah – you can hear how it became saveloy. And that sends me pondering the French influence on English culture, cuisine and language in the Renaissance … And while I’m not dashing out to get a sav, I very much enjoy finding a new word, particularly a culinary one.