As you can see from the accompanying illustration, a Banger is a sausage. Calling sausages Bangers is common in the UK and Ireland. One explanation for this term is that when cooked the sausages expand and pop through the casing. The popping noise is pretty loud if there is excess water in the sausage. During meat shortages, putting more water in sausages is common to add bulk to the mix. The additional water makes sausages pop louder and more often (Bangers!). Scottish Bangers are similar to others Bangers in other regions but usually have a distinct flavor due to variations in the sausage recipe.
