This is a follow up to Bloody Sausages.

In his book Salt. A World History (*) Mark Kurlansky gives another recipe for boudin. He got it from Ted Legnon who runs a family boucherie in the city of New Iberia, Louisiana. With the European influence still clearly present, his recipe includes ingredients that are immediately associated with Cajun style cuisine. The sausage dough mainly consists of minced pork and rice, seasoned with salt, cayenne pepper and (green) onions. Instead of using pig’s blood (because of food safety regulations?), Ted adds pig’s liver with about the same result: giving these sausages their rich, mineral flavour. Ted uses only natural sausage casings and cooks his sausages on a low heat to prevent them from bursting.

On the other side of the continent lies another place that’s famous for its blood sausages: the city of San Francisco. Recipes vary, but most of them seem to be based on an Italian version of the boudin noir, called biroldo and are made out of pork, pig’s blood, pine nuts, raisins, sugar and spices. The sweetness of the sugar, the raisins and some of the spices should act as a counterweight, creating a perfect balance with the wild, macho flavour of the pig’s blood. Yummy! Can’t wait to taste them. I’ll be in San Francisco by mid-September, spoiling my taste buds. So save some for me!

(*) Kurlansky, M. 2002. Salt. A World History. New York: Walker & Company.