Blood Sausage - have you ever?

[Belinda Barfield]

I ran into an old friend last night and I have NO idea how we got to where we went but we started talking about blood sausage. Until she mentioned it I had never heard anyone talk about blood sausage except my mother. She mentioned one day that she wished she had a good batch of blood sausage, at which point I gagged, and wondered if she could find the old family recipe. So, who has either heard of, or consumed, either blood sausage or blood pudding (blood sausage w/o the casing)? Inquiring mind (I'm not sure there is more than one) wants to know.

[Caspar Hauser]

I've never had 'blood sausage', I have however had a great deal of Black Pudding which is made from pigs blood, fat, oatmeal etc. It comes cooked, I like it cold but you can fry it too, very tasty! I wish I hadn't thought of it, I could eat some now.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/black_pudding

[Belinda Barfield]

I've never had 'blood sausage', I have however had a great deal of Black Pudding which is made from pigs blood, fat, oatmeal etc. It comes cooked, I like it cold but you can fry it too, very tasty! I wish I hadn't thought of it, I could eat some now.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/black_pudding

Basically the same thing, pig's blood with cornmeal. Now I'm curious, Caspar, what's your heritage (if you don't mind me asking)?

[Jerry Thompson]

It still has to be better than lutefisk!

[Caspar Hauser]

I'm a Yorkshireman, from the North of England, I've been over here about twelve years or so.

I've not had Lutefisk but I have had dried cod from Iceland, I ate it like fish flavoured chewing gum!

[Paul Cahill]

So, who has either heard of, or consumed, either blood sausage or blood pudding (blood sausage w/o the casing)?

In the Irish context you would be talking about black pudding. Great stuff, and often served as part of what is considered a traditional fried breakfast. I have never seen it here in the US, but always on my list of "must eat" when I visit my parents.

Paul

[Rick Gibson]

They served it to us in the mess hall nearly 50 years ago when I was in the militia. I didn't finish mine.

[Brian Kent]

I did have some "Chocolate Meat" which was parts from the inside of a pigs head cooked in its blood. I brushed my teeth seven or eight times after that and my wife still wouldn't kiss me on the lips for two days.

[John Cole]

Like Caspar, I too am from the north of England. First thing I look for when I go back is a good full English breakfast with black pudding - yum!

[Primvs Aebvtivs]

I'm in Derby in the U.K., and I must say, I think it is an acquired taste, thankfully one I have...
Oh, and just to rub salt in the wounds, I have some spare slices in the freezer, may just need to de-frost and fry up on new years day... Good luck getting it in the States, perhaps you need to declare it as "biological samples" in the customs documents?

[David Larsen]

How about the people that fry up the human placenta after a baby is born and feast in honor of the child. I think I will skip that party!

[Tom Stenzel]

Growing up in a Polish neighborhood in Detroit, all the local meat markets sold kishka (blood sausage). I remember when I would sneak some from the fridge, cut off a chunk, skin it, and eat it cold.

But mashing it flat in a skillet and frying it up was much better!

I haven't had it in years. Eating it now would probably trouble my gout but it might just be worth it. Yum.

-Tom Stenzel

[Rod Sheridan]

Diann and her parents moved here in the 70's, John is from Cornwall and Barb is from Devon.

They raise pigs and have made blood sausage and of course head cheese. I like both.

Blood sausage is also a Polish delicacy and I've purchased it in Polish delicatesens and butcher shops..............Very tasty fried up in slices, same way I eat haggis............Rod.

[ray hampton]

do the store that sells pig brains sell blood sausage

[Mike Henderson]

I remember a blood sausage made in south Louisiana. I haven't seen or heard of it for years. As I remember, it was just called "blood sausage". I never ate it but saw it in the country stores refrigerated meat cases. That was many years ago when I was a small boy.

Mike

[Lee Koepke]

belinda, i actually saw the making of blood sausage on "How its Made" the other night.

[Charlie Reals]

My Dad had it all the time and it was common among the Germans and swedes in North Dakota when I was there many years ago.. Came in sausage form with chunks of fat in it. No Thank you!!

[William Payer]

As another person who grew up in Detroit, we had kishka(spelling probably incorrect) . It is an old Polish standby. Fried in a skillet it was reminiscent of ground beef ( with the casing off) and it was rather blah in the taste department.

[Ted Calver]

We found blood sausage still available in specialty shops in upstate NY...way upstate. My wife loves it and remembers it as a staple on her family's dining table as she was growing up, so she buys some whenever we visit the homestead. I like it too.

[Leo Voisine]

I remember it as a kid. French Canadian grew up in USA. I didn't like it as a kid. It tasted dry and chalky. We had it with eggs. I didn't really know what it was. After 40-50 years I have never had it again, and I don't miss it. Yech

[Les Kuesel]

I can remember my grand parents who had a farm, buchering and saving the blood to make susage and also cutting every thing off the head to make head cheeze. I have a friend at work who's dad still makes head cheeze and he always bring some to work. Its really not bad. I know I have had alot of things I ate that would make some people shutter. Rocky mountain oysters (bull nuts), gizzards and hearts from duck and chickens you had just bucherd and lots of different wild game just to name a few. It's just how you were raised up.

[Belinda Barfield]

Thanks for all the replies folks. My mother's family came to Georgia when it was first being settled from North Carolina. One of my ancestors on her side came to the US from Ireland. I wonder if that is the origin of the tradition of blood sausage.

[ray hampton]

I can remember my grand parents who had a farm, buchering and saving the blood to make susage and also cutting every thing off the head to make head cheeze. I have a friend at work who's dad still makes head cheeze and he always bring some to work. Its really not bad. I know I have had alot of things I ate that would make some people shutter. Rocky mountain oysters (bull nuts), gizzards and hearts from duck and chickens you had just bucherd and lots of different wild game just to name a few. It's just how you were raised up.

Rocky Mountain oysters [bull or pig] came from the mountains of Kentucky before they got to the plains states, livers, hearts and gizzards are still stock at the meat dept.

[ray hampton]

Thanks for all the replies folks. My mother's family came to Georgia when it was first being settled from North Carolina. One of my ancestors on her side came to the US from Ireland. I wonder if that is the origin of the tradition of blood sausage.
most of the people that settle in the states East of the Mississippi River come from the United Kingdom , walking on their own feet , not being carry while lying on their bed on their side [like a Queen]

[Kevin Mitchell Casey]

Hi Belinda
I'm from the U.K. and this is one of my favorite dishes, served gently pan fried with a black pepper corn sauce, blissful.
I found this on Google, I wasn't sure if Google was regionally selective but you could give it a try. http://www.rathergood.com/black_pudding


Regards

Kevin
As some one I know once said, "I'll try anything once, twice if I like it" give it a go and at least you can say no froma point of knowledge rather than not knowing.

[Belinda Barfield]

Hi Belinda
I'm from the U.K. and this is one of my favorite dishes, served gently pan fried with a black pepper corn sauce, blissful.
I found this on Google, I wasn't sure if Google was regionally selective but you could give it a try. http://www.rathergood.com/black_pudding


Regards

Kevin
As some one I know once said, "I'll try anything once, twice if I like it" give it a go and at least you can say no froma point of knowledge rather than not knowing.

Dear heaven, they lost me at the song. Now I'll be walking around the house all day singing "I've got a bowl of blood and fat." LOL . . .

[Van Huskey]

I remember a blood sausage made in south Louisiana. I haven't seen or heard of it for years. As I remember, it was just called "blood sausage". I never ate it but saw it in the country stores refrigerated meat cases. That was many years ago when I was a small boy.

Mike

In LA blood sausage is called boudin or more correctly boudin noir. Living in the Acadiana area boudin is available at all the specialty meat stores and every local grocery store. I am not a huge fan but it is always around at my wife's family social events. The commercial stuff they CAN sell now is different from true blood sausage but I have had that as well.

[Phil Thien]

Well, I'm not Jewish, but the Torah prohibits the consumption of blood. So in this instance, I'll keep kosher.

[Pierre Clouthier]

When I was in a boarding school in Quebec, they used to serve us blood pudding (called "boudin", probably a corruption of "pudding"). It didn't taste too bad. It has the consistency of cheese or liver. The closest thing I can think of that it tastes like, is liver.

It's more of a lower-class food, when you can't afford anything else. I haven't had it since.

Another delicacy is "gallantine", the congealed fat and gelatin from a roast, spread on bread. Mega-cholesterol!

[Shawn Pixley]

I've had it courtesy of my grandparents and their relatives. The sausage neither wowed me or disgusted me. But it sure beats lutefisk or pickeled herring! We were forced to eat pickled herring on new years to bring good luck during the next year.

[Jim Laumann]

Belinda

My wife and I are of German heritage - she grew up on a farm, and her family made the stuff - she loves it, as do my kids. Me - I can't stand to look at it - much less eat it - I had never seen it until I met my wife.

We have an agreement - if blood sausage is on the menu - she makes it when I'm not around, or I go out to eat.

As to pickled herring - yum..............lutefisk - I have eaten it (we live in a predominatly Norwegian area now). The locals love it, I can tolerate it, but
it's not something I look for - now my neighbor (a good "Nor-VEE-gian" boy)- he can eat platters of the stuff....but that's another story...................

Happy New Year to all

Jim

[Connie Gill]

I don't know if your friend had any exposure to someone of Basque culture but around here "blood sausage" is commonly known as chorizos - wonderful, spicy basque sausages. There is a soup that is made with the sausages that is called blood sausage soup. The local Hispanic culture also makes chorizos but theirs are more of a patty type sausage with a little different texture and flavor. If you ever get the chance to try a chorizo - do it, they are really good!

[Charlie Reals]

I don't know if your friend had any exposure to someone of Basque culture but around here "blood sausage" is commonly known as chorizos - wonderful, spicy basque sausages. There is a soup that is made with the sausages that is called blood sausage soup. The local Hispanic culture also makes chorizos but theirs are more of a patty type sausage with a little different texture and flavor. If you ever get the chance to try a chorizo - do it, they are really good!

Connie, could you possibly be thinking of Morcilla? Chorizo and Morcilla (basque blood sausage) are totally differant sausages.

[charlie knighton]

neighbor brought me some xmas eve with some wheat crackers, since i am diabetic, looked at the label, sort of borderland on weather i should eat but once a year i added it to ham biscuits (once a year) we were nibbling on

[Bob Rufener]

My mom was born in 1912 on a farm in Wisconsin. They were basically self sufficient as far as most food. Pigs were raised and butchered with only the squeal not used. They made a variety of sausages including headcheese, sulze, and blood sausage. My mom loved all of it including pickled pigs feet. I never tried them but she loved them. If you want to try some of these, you can order most of these at Usinger sausage Co in Milwaukee, WI. An old world German butcher shop that was part of a History Channel offering on processed meat.

[Brian Palmer]

My dad loves scrapple and haggis.

Scrapple is what is left after butchering a pig all ground up cook and basically made into a meatloaf, and Haggis is ALL the guts and tongue of a sheep ground up and shoved in the stomach and cooked.