Salsicha vs. linguiça vs. enchido
While English speakers might call all of these "sausage", Portuguese distinguishes them based on texture, preparation, and categorization. Salsicha refers to the hot-dog style frankfurter; linguiça is a rustic, often spiced pork sausage; and enchido is an umbrella term used primarily in Portugal for the category of cured, smoked, or stuffed charcuterie meats.
Salsicha
A2This generally refers to the smooth, emulsified, industrial-style sausage, similar to a frankfurter or wiener. It is the type used in hot dogs and is usually sold in cans or vacuum seal packs. It has a soft, uniform texture without visible chunks of meat.
O meu filho adora comer cachorro-quente com salsicha e batata frita.
(My son loves eating a hot dog with sausage and french fries.)
Podes comprar uma lata de salsichas para o jantar?
(Can you buy a can of sausages for dinner?)
Eu costumo cortar a salsicha às rodelas para pôr na massa.
(I usually cut the sausage into slices to put in the pasta.)
Esta salsicha fresca deve ser grelhada antes de comer.
(This fresh sausage must be grilled before eating.)
Linguiça
A2This represents a rustic sausage made of pork meat, fat, and spices like paprika, garlic, and smoke. It has a natural casing and a coarser texture where you can see the meat chunks. It can be fresh (for grilling) or cured/smoked (ready to eat or cook).
Vamos fazer um churrasco e assar linguiça na brasa.
(We are going to have a barbecue and roast sausage on the embers.)
A receita de feijoada exige uma linguiça de boa qualidade.
(The feijoada recipe requires a good quality sausage.)
Pedi uma pizza com cebola e linguiça picante.
(I ordered a pizza with onions and spicy sausage.)
Gosto de fritar linguiça com ovos ao pequeno-almoço.
(I like to fry sausage with eggs for breakfast.)
Enchido
B1Used largely in European Portuguese, this is the collective category (hypernym) for all cured, smoked, or stuffed sausages. The word literally means filled or stuffed. It covers specific types like chouriço, morcela (blood sausage), alheira, and salpicão.
Para a entrada, o restaurante serviu uma tábua de enchidos e queijos.
(For the appetizer, the restaurant served a board of cured sausages (charcuterie) and cheeses.)
O Cozido à Portuguesa é um prato rico em vários enchidos tradicionais.
(Cozido à Portuguesa is a dish rich in various traditional cured sausages.)
Naquela aldeia, as famílias ainda fazem os seus próprios enchidos caseiros.
(In that village, families still make their own homemade cured sausages.)
A alheira é um tipo de enchido muito popular no norte do país.
(Alheira is a type of stuffed sausage very popular in the north of the country.)
Summary
To choose the right word, look at the texture and context. Use salsicha for soft hot-dog sausages. Use linguiça for spiced pork sausages used in BBQs or cooking. Use enchido when referring to the general category of traditional cured meats and smoked charcuterie.