Sausage is a meat product, usually made from ground meat, usually pork, beef or poultry, as well as salt, spices and other seasonings. Sausage making is a traditional food preservation technology. Sausages can be preserved by salting, drying (usually in combination with fermentation or culture, which facilitates preservation), smoking, or freezing. Some cured or smoked sausages can be stored without refrigeration. Most fresh sausages must be refrigerated or frozen before they are cooked.