香肠是一个非常古老的食物生产和肉食保存技术，指将任何动物的肉、内脏或凝固的血，搅碎成泥状，再灌入肠衣制成腊肠。在闽南，广东地区或**，又称烟肠；由于处理的过程，可能将糯米肠或香肠类的食物称呼为灌肠。

古时是以动物肠脏制成肠衣，不过现在多数改用多糖纤维素肠衣或人造肠衣以代替用动物肠脏制成的肠衣。但也有香肠是例外，例如有一种鸡肉肠是以鸡肉碎直接揉成肠状，过程并不需要使用肠衣。香肠可经由热煮烟熏以便保存，现代的香肠也大多常含防腐剂及色素及亚硝酸盐。

A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat, often pork, beef or veal, along with salt, spices and breadcrumbs, with a skin around it. Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made from intestine, but sometimes synthetic. Sausages that are sold uncooked are cooked in many ways, including pan-frying, broiling and barbecuing. Some sausages are cooked during processing and the casing may then be removed.