Boudin

This article is about the sausage. For other uses, see Boudin (disambiguation).

Boudin noir, before cooking.

Boudin (French pronunciation: [budɛ̃]) are various kinds of sausage in French, Luxembourg, Belgian, German, Quebec, Acadian, Aostan, Creole, Surinamese Creole, Austrian and Cajun cuisine.

Etymology

The Anglo-Norman word boudin meant 'sausage', 'blood sausage' or 'entrails' in general. Its origin is unclear. It has been traced both to Romance and to Germanic roots, but there is not good evidence for either (cf. boudin. The English word "pudding" probably comes from boudin.

Types

• Boudin ball: A Cajun variation on boudin blanc. Instead of the filling being stuffed into pork casings, it is rolled into a ball, battered, and deep-fried.
• Boudin blanc: A white sausage made of pork without the blood. Pork liver and heart meat are typically included. In Cajun versions, the sausage is made from a pork rice dressing (much like dirty rice), which is stuffed into pork casings. Rice is always used in Cajun cuisine, whereas the French/Belgian version typically uses milk, and is therefore generally more delicate than the Cajun variety. In French/Belgian cuisine, the sausage is sauteed or grilled. The Louisiana version is normally simmered or braised, although coating with oil and slow grilling for tailgating is becoming a popular option in Lafayette, New Orleans, Lake Charles,Baton Rouge and Houston.
  • Boudin blanc de Rethel (pronounced [bu.dɛ̃ blɑ̃ də ʁə.tɛl]: a traditional French boudin, which may only contain pork meat, fresh whole eggs and milk, and cannot contain any breadcrumbs or flours/starches. It is protected under EU law with a PGI status.
• Boudin noir: A dark-hued blood sausage, containing pork, pig blood, and other ingredients. Variants of the boudin noir occur in French, Belgian, Cajun and Catalan cuisine. The Catalan version of the boudin noir is called botifarra negra. In the French Caribbean, it is known as boudin Créole. In Britain a similar sausage is called "black pudding", the word "pudding" being an anglicized pronunciation of boudin, and probably introduced after the Norman invasion.
  • Boudin rouge: In Louisiana cuisine, a sausage similar to boudin blanc, but with pork blood added to it. This originated from the French boudin noir.
• Boudin vert: A sausage made of pork meat and cabbage and kale. Popular in the Belgian province Walloon Brabant.
• Boudin valdôtain: with beetroot, spices, wine and beef or pork blood, in the French-speaking Aosta Valley of Italy;
• Brown-rice boudin: Brown-rice boudin is a less common variation made from brown rice with taste similar to traditional pork boudin.
• Crawfish boudin: Popular in Cajun cuisine, crawfish boudin is made with the meat of crawfish tails added to rice. It is often served with cracklins (fried pig skins) and saltine crackers, hot sauce, and ice-cold beer.
• Gator boudin: Made from alligator, gator boudin can be found sporadically in Louisiana and the Mississippi gulf coast.
• Shrimp boudin: Similar to crawfish boudin, shrimp boudin is made by adding the shrimp to rice.
• Bloedworst (blood sausage): In Surinamese Creole culture, bloedworst is typically made with pig blood, onions, garlic and breadcrumbs. Though spices and herbs may vary, the texture is almost meltingly smooth and soft. After the pork casing is filled, the sausage is boiled a large cooking pot filled with water seasoned with spices and aromatics like onions, garlic and Chinese celery. The bloedworst is usually served with vleesworst (meaning "meat sausage", a Surinamese Creole white pudding which is made in the same way but with minced pork replacing the blood) and fladder (tripe), all cooked in the herbed and spiced broth. The dish is usually eaten with sambal, a puréed pepper mixture in which the Madame Jeanette (the indigenous Suriname yellow pepper) is most often used.

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  Boudin balls, made in Marksville, Louisiana.
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  A sliced French boudin noir
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  Cajun-style smoked Boudin blanc
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  Boudins noirs and blancs at a Christmas market in Brussels
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  Boudins verts and blancs

"Le Boudin"

Boudin gave rise to "Le Boudin", the official march of the French Foreign Legion. "Blood sausage" is a colloquial reference to the gear (rolled up in a red blanket) that used to top the backpacks of Legionnaires. The song makes repeated reference to the fact that the Belgians do not get any "blood sausage", since the king of the Belgians at one time forbade his subjects from joining the Legion (the verse says "ce sont des tireurs au cul").

See also

• Black pudding
• Blood sausage
• White pudding

External links

• Media related to Boudin at Wikimedia Commons