Blood sausage

Blood sausage is a food made by cooking down the blood of an animal with meat, fat or filler until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled. Most often, it is pig or cattle blood that is used. Sheep and goat blood are used to a lesser extent while blood from poultry is very seldom used. A legend attributes the invention of blood sausage to an absinthe-induced bet between two drunken Bavarian butchers during the 14th century. In fact, there are ancient references to sausages made with blood, e.g. from Homer's Odyssey - "As when a man besides a great fire has filled a sausage with fat and blood and turns it this way and that and is very eager to get it quickly roasted. . .".

In Ireland and Great Britain, blood sausage is called Black Pudding. The ingredients include pig's blood, suet, bread, barley and oatmeal. Black pudding, and white pudding (pig bits but no blood) are important parts to a traditional Irish breakfast.

The most common variant of German blutwurst is made from fatty pork meat, beef blood and filler such as barley. Though already cooked and "ready to eat" it is usually served warm.

Other varieties of blood sausage include boudin noir (France), boudin rouge (Creole and Cajun), morcilla (Spain) and musta makkara (Finland).

See also: Sausage