Take Pampa Vienna Sausage, for example. Usually, vienna sausage isn't that bad. It's not gourmet food, but it's passable for a quick lunch if I'm stuck at my desk, working a flea market, or out fishing. So when I found this big 400g can of Brazilian-made meatsticks at the local job-lot, I gambled a buck and bought it.
The label claims that "MEAT USED IS 100% BEEF." That might be true, but that doesn't guarantee goodness, either. The sausages are somewhat haphazardly tumbled into the tall can and topped with a rather thick sort of broth. They're redder than American-made viennas, and kind of bumpy and irregular, which is kind of strange when you're used to the pale, glistening, uniform cylinders produced by Armour and Libby. But it's the texture and flavor that really sets these apart.
You know how, when you set a bowl of Jell-o into the refrigerator without a cover, the gelatine develops a tough, membraneous skin? That's what these sausages are like right from the can: an al dente leathery "skin" contiguous with a somewhat grainy interior. There is an unusual and almost off-putting mouthfeel to these. Combined with the slightly rancid flavor, I can wholeheartedly recommend that you do not fail to leave these on the grocer's shelf should you ever encounter them yourself.
I too decided to experiment with this embalmed meat. We've been storing extra food in case the economy goes kaput. These embalmed fingers won't make it for my preps. I tried the smoked version... my dog would not eat them!
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