Evelyn took this picture of our boudin noir (along with
a couple of saucisses de Toulouse for the faint of heart).
The blood in boudin noir is pig's blood. You can make boudin using the blood of other animals but it's apparently not as good in taste or texture. In many places, boudin noir is not a horror, but a delicacy. Mortagne-au-Perche is one of those places. I find boudin noir quite tasty myself, but very rich and filling (as Evelyn pointed out, based on our experience of it in the Perche). As Marie said in a comment, boudin noir is very rich in iron but also in cholesterol.
A charcutier's sign on the town square
The English word "pudding" derives from the French word boudin, by the way. Another kind of boudin in France is boudin blanc. For that the filling is made of pureed white meat (veal, pork, or poultry) mixed with bread crumbs and eggs. Both boudin noir and boudin blanc are traditional Christmas and New Year's dishes, but nowadays they are available in French markets and supermarkets all year long. They are sold fully cooked, so they just need re-heating in a skillet, in the oven, or on a barbecue grill.
The shop called "The King of Black Pudding"
Boudin is also a slang word for a person who is short and plump, or for a person's fingers when they are short and plump. The word can also facetiously describe a part of the male anatomy that I won't mention here.
Another shot of that sign
Mortagne-au-Perche has several charcuteries — that's what the pork butcher's shop is called — that specialize in boudin noir. Mortagne is called la capitale du boudin noir and holds an annual festival or foire dedicated to it the third weekend in March. If you want to know how boudin is made, how to cook it, and how to eat it, rendez-vous à Mortagne-au-Perche next spring. It's located about three hours west of Paris and three hours north of Saint-Aignan.
Lately, for health reason, I've been trying to eat a mostly vegetarian diet...but boy, do I like boudin :)
ReplyDeleteBlack Pudding is mostly eaten at breakfast time, with eggs and bacon and the full works....
ReplyDeleteThere are so many Black puddings , it just depends on how they make it and how much fat they put in it (which area of the UK they come from)... We eat a Scottish black pudding, (not every week) with not much fat in , and a bit peppery , .. it is very tasty.
You can find boudin in the French communities in Louisiana (New Orleans et al.). It's made with seafood and is white. I think you can find pork too, but none with blood that I have ever seen. The Acadians call both pork and seafood sausages "boudin."
ReplyDeleteOur black pudding in Barbados is stuffed with sweet potatoes and highly seasoned. We also do a bloodless filling one which is more popular and eaten with pickled pig's feet(trotters) and ears. I usually pass on the pig.
ReplyDeleteWell, I love the photos of the charcuteries, even if it still makes me squeamish to think of the blood ingredient in boudins noirs.
ReplyDeleteBlutwurst.
ReplyDeleteDespite the name, a dish I ate since childhood in Austria.
The best however, was in England, in a B&B outside Birmingham. For breakfast. My family could not believe it.
We were served black pudding for breakfast at a B&B in North Carolina and don't remember anything about the taste, just the name. We've eaten it as an appetizer, boudin noir with sauteed apples.
ReplyDeleteI found boudin noir in the US but it was not good (compared to french boudin).
ReplyDeleteWondering if that unnamed portion of the male anatomy would have to be short and plump, as well, to be called boudin. Never mind. Great pix and info as always!
ReplyDeleteHi Ken, If my memory serves me right, the 'capital' of the 'boudin blanc' is Rethel, in northern France. I tried it once, but found it slightly too sweet. But that's probably because I really like the spicy 'boudin blanc' our local butcher makes.
ReplyDeleteWhen I stayed with my grandparents in England, my grandmother served us black pudding every once in a while. I loved it.
ReplyDeleteJust to add to your catalog of "boudins," it's also used in Geology. When rock undergoes medium-grade metamorphism, the quartz tends to collect together. Deformation of the rock forces the quartz into long sausage shapes called -- of course -- boudins.
Your post made me very hungry. I used to love boudin noir, especially served with sauteed apples. Miam! (Yum). I have been in Seattle for 15 years and have never found any here. Dommage. Thank you for the memories! Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)
ReplyDeleteBlack Pudding in the UK is much firmer than the counterpart here.
ReplyDeleteOne of the tastier ways to serve it is cubed and dressed with a mustard vinaigrette. The Northern France capital of Boudin Blanc is Revin.... they hold a major competition there each year.
But having eaten BB whenever I can get it, I don't remember anything particularly special about the ones tasted in Revin.... but then, all those guys and gals in their capes and berets must find a difference... mustn't they???
I don't like the sausage, but I do like the store and its sign.
ReplyDeleteI remember taking that photo;) Didn't know boudin had such a colorful history, but hogs have been good eats for a long time, I guess and they came ready-made with casings for sausage.
ReplyDeleteBoudin noir slices lightly sauteed and topped with sauteed scallops is superb.
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather would buy us blood sausage from a small town butcher who made it. It was a special thing and not always available. This was in central Ohio in the 50's.
ReplyDeleteAfter all the post about Boudin Noir from you and Keith, I though I had better give it a try. After all I did manage 'tomates do porko' in Portugal, which as you might guess are two little round things that hang down.
ReplyDeleteI did manage a Boudin blanc, but just could not get the noir down. So I take my hat off to you.