This article is about the Sausages. For the Geological feature see Boudinage. For the bakery see Boudin Bakery. For the French Impressionist painter see Eugène Boudin.

Boudin (pronounced BOO-dan , IPA [ˈboudañ]) describes a number of different types of sausage used in French, Belgian, French-Canadian, Creole and Cajun cuisine.

Types

Boudin blanc: A white sausage made of pork without the blood. In some versions, the sausage is made from a milk or pork rice dressing, much like dirty rice, only more moist, stuffed into pork casings. Pork liver and heart meat are typically included. Rice is more frequently used in Cajun cuisine, whereas the French version tends to use milk, and is therefore generally more delicate than the Cajun variety. Although the sausage wrap is edible, the stuffing is sometimes squeezed out of one end. In French 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 New Orleans and Baton Rouge. In Cajun cuisine another popular variant is crawfish boudin, 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. An alligator version is also made, mainly as a novelty. Boudin Blanc dressing is also used to make Boudin balls. The dressing is not stuffed into a casing but formed into a ball, rolled in breading and deep fat fried, similar to the Italian arancini.

• Boudin blanc de Rethel a traditionally made version, which may only contain pork meat, fresh whole eggs and milk, and cannot contain any bread crumbs or flours/starches is protected under EU law with PGI status.Boudin noir: A dark-hued French blood sausage or Cajun sausage containing pork, rice, pig blood, and other ingredients.*Boudin rouge: In Louisiana cuisine, a sausage similar to boudin blanc, but with pork blood added to it. It originated from the French boudin noir.* *Sale difficult in US due to having to have an on site USDA inspector and shelf life.

Availability

It is notable that when one refers to 'boudin' in the cultural region of Louisiana, Acadiana, it is commonly understood that he/she is referring to Boudin Blanc and no other variant. Boudin Blanc is the staple boudin of this region and is the one most widely consumed. Cajun boudin is available most readily in southern Louisiana, particularly in the Lafayette area, though it may be found nearly anywhere in "Cajun Country" including eastern Texas. There are restaurants devoted to the speciality, though boudin is also sold from rice cookers in convenience stores along Interstate 10. Since boudin freezes well, it is shipped to specialty stores outside the region. Boudin is fast approaching the status of the stars of Cajun cuisine (e.g., jambalaya, gumbo, étouffée, and dirty rice) and has fanatic devotees that travel across Louisiana comparing the homemade numerous varieties. Most boudin varieties sold today do not rely as heavily on pig blood as an ingredient. Other newer varieties of boudin like fried boudin balls, and supplemented meats like frog leg are available.

As availability for boudin grows so does demand. Now a Boudin-Cook-Off has even been organized in Lafayette, Louisiana (the heart of Cajun Country) for October 25, 2008.

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 don't get any "blood sausage", since the King of Belgium at one time forbade his subjects from joining the Legion.

References

• Louisiana Life Magazine, "Boudin By the Bite"
• The Definitive Site on Cajun Boudin

External links

• The Making of Traditional Boudin
• The BoudinLink = Cajun boudin reviewed
• The only Boudin Cook-Off in the World