13 November 2017

Boudin noir — good sausages

We ate boudin noir for lunch on Saturday, with some French-fried potatoes and a big green salad. These were boudins noirs made with onions. Another variety is made with apples.


Boudin noir in English is "blood sausage" or (mostly British) "black pudding". The English word "pudding" is a derivative of the French word boudin. For boudin noir, the filling inside the sausage casings is a kind of pudding. There are also boudins blancs, which are made with a "pudding" of bread crumbs, pureed chicken, turkey, or pork, with herbs, mushrooms, truffles, etc.

Here are the ingrédients as listed on the packaging of the boudin noir that we ate, and which I bought at SuperU.

sang de porc 36,5% (origine France) [blood]
oignons 34% [onion]
gras de porc (origine France) [fat]
couenne (origine France) [pork rind]
sel, sucre, épices et plantes aromatiques [salt, sugar, spices, herbs]
boyau naturel de porc [casings, a.k.a. pork intestine]

Remember, natural sausages are made using pork intestines as casings (including hot dogs). Or the intestines of other animals like lambs. And all the meat we eat contains blood, to one degree or another. So boudins noirs are good eats. And tasty. Especially when served with good, hot Dijon mustard.

This is a savory apple tart made with boudin noir. Apples and pork are a good marriage. Here's a link to the recipe.

Boudin noir is sold already cooked. It's good warmed up in a frying pan on medium heat, in a hot oven, on a barbecue grill, or even in the microwave for 5 minutes at about 450 watts (medium). Or baked in a tart.

12 comments:

  1. I love Boudin noir! And it is pretty impossible to find in northeast Ohio...We're such an ethnic area that this surprises me, but it seems to be the case.
    I used to be able to find a Hungarian version...In 2010 my D.E. Stevenson book discussion group met in Edinburgh, Scotland (where this author was born and raised) and stayed in University housing. It was summer. The breakfasts were unbelievable and had everything an American might expect and also always haggis, vegetarian haggis, black pudding, other sausages, at least two kinds of fish, etc....I see I can buy some boudin noir online, but I have little confidence in it since it is so perishable. (And I love all kinds of haggis, too.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm surprised you can't get boudin noir in NE Ohio. I thought it was common in Pennsylania, next door.

      Delete
    2. On line, I see butchers in Cleveland and Columbus, as well as in Erie PA, who make and sell blood sausage. Don't know how close any of those shops might be, of course.

      Delete
  2. Boudin, noir and blanc, is the favorite Christmastime aperitif snack of my in-laws. Served cold. Boudin seems to be more popular in the north, where whole sections of the butcher's case are laid out with many varieties (my favorites are white with mandarines and white with mushrooms and nuts). Down here in the south, we find only a few prepackaged choices.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Boudin blanc is really a completely different thing. I think it would appeal more to Americans than boudin noir does. The blanc kind is made with white meat (pork, poultry, veal), milk, eggs, bread crumbs, etc. plus seasonings or additions as you mention.

      Delete
  3. It's the marriage with apple that makes the B.N. taste so much better, but only a few bits (or bites) on a cocktail stick with aperos.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like boudin noir a lot, especially cooked on the barbecue grill in summertime. French boudin noir is pretty different from British black pudding, isn't it? The French boudin has a softer texture, and no noticeable chunks of fat in it. Its filling is a real "pudding" by the American definition of the term.

      Delete
  4. We usually ate our boudin noir with apple sauce and, boy, was it good!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As in the tart, apples and boudin noir or pork chops go together perfectly.

      Delete
  5. Hi Ken, I think the sausage-like dish from Pennsylvania you are thinking of might be "scrapple":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrapple. My gran used to serve us this. I think I would probably like boudin blanc better and I agree that most Americans would, lol.

    That savory tart above looks beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know about scrapple but I don't know if I have ever eaten it. It's a Pennsylvania thing for me.

      Delete
  6. There is a kind of blood sausage which does not have to be cooked and is more like a cold cut and not like boudin noir which I can find many places.

    ReplyDelete

What's on your mind? Qu'avez-vous à me dire ?