Boudin
Encyclopedia
Sausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
used in French
French cuisine
French cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from France that has developed from centuries of social change. In the Middle Ages, Guillaume Tirel , a court chef, authored Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of Medieval France...
, Belgian
Belgian cuisine
Belgium has been called a nation of gourmands rather than gourmets: a country, in other words, where "big cuisine" comes before "fine cuisine". It has been said that Belgium serves food of French quality in German quantities.-Frieten or frites:...
, German
German cuisine
German cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of Germany. It has evolved as a national cuisine through centuries of social and political change with variations from region to region. The southern regions of Germany, including Bavaria and neighbouring Swabia, share many dishes....
, French Canadian
Cuisine of Quebec
Quebecs traditional cuisine is today being rediscovered and is as rich and diverse as Quebec itself. The historical context of 'traditional' Quebec cuisine is from the fur trade period and many dishes have a high fat or lard content...
, Creole and Cajun cuisine
Cajun cuisine
Cajun cuisine is the style of cooking named for the French-speaking Acadian or "Cajun" immigrants deported by the British from Acadia in Canada to the Acadiana region of Louisiana, USA. It is what could be called a rustic cuisine — locally available ingredients predominate, and preparation...
.
Types
- 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 riceDirty riceDirty rice is a traditional Cajun dish made from white rice cooked with small pieces of chicken liver or giblets, which give it a dark color and a mild but distinctive flavor. Similar to a pilaf, it also includes green bell pepper, celery and onion . Parsley and/or chopped green onions are common...
; such brands consist of Foreman's Boudin, Richard's Cajun Kitchen, and Nu Nu's) which is stuffed into pork casings. Rice is always used in Cajun cuisineCajun cuisineCajun cuisine is the style of cooking named for the French-speaking Acadian or "Cajun" immigrants deported by the British from Acadia in Canada to the Acadiana region of Louisiana, USA. It is what could be called a rustic cuisine — locally available ingredients predominate, and preparation...
, whereas the FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
/BelgianBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
version typically uses milk, and is therefore generally more delicate than the Cajun variety. In FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
/BelgianBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
cuisine, the sausage is sauteed or grilled. The Louisiana version is normally simmered or braised, although coating with oil and slow grilling for tailgatingTailgate partyIn the United States, a tailgate party is a social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle. Tailgating often involves consuming alcoholic beverages and grilling food. Tailgate parties usually occur in the parking lots at stadiums and arenas, before and occasionally after games and...
is becoming a popular option in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. - Boudin noir: A dark-hued blood sausageBlood sausageBlack pudding, blood pudding or blood sausage is a type of sausage made by cooking blood or dried blood with a filler until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled. The dish exists in various cultures from Asia to Europe...
, containing pork, pig blood, and other ingredients. Variants of the boudin noir occur in French, Belgian, Cajun and Catalan cuisineCatalan cuisineCatalan cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine from Catalonia. It may also refer to the shared cuisine of Roussillon and Andorra, which has a similar cuisine to the Alt Urgell and Cerdanya comarques, often referred to as "Catalan mountain cuisine"...
. The Catalan version of the boudin noir is called botifarraBotifarraBotifarra is a type of sausage and one of the most important dishes of the Catalan cuisine.It comes in different versions, some of the most representative are:...
negra. - Boudin blanc de Rethel (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 bread crumbs or flours/starches. It is protected under EU lawEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
with a PGIProtected Geographical StatusProtected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...
status. - Crawfish boudin, popular in Cajun cuisine, is made with the meat of crawfishCrayfishCrayfish, crawfish, or crawdads – members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea – are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related...
tails added to rice. It is often served with cracklinsPork rindPork rind , is the fried or roasted skin of a pig. Frying melts most of the fat from the pork rind...
(fried pig skins) and saltine crackers, hot sauce, and ice cold beer. - Shrimp Boudin: Similar to crawfish boudin, it is made by adding the shrimp to rice. It is great for appetizers or party food served in thin slices.
- Boudin ball, a Cajun variation on Boudin blanc but instead of the filling being stuffed into pork casings, it is rolled into a ball, battered, and deep fried.
- Boudin rouge: In LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
cuisine, a sausage similar to boudin blanc, but with pork blood added to it. This originated from the French boudin noir. - Gator boudin, made from alligator, can be found sporadically in Louisiana and the Mississippi gulf coast.
- Brown Rice Boudin: Brown-rice boudin is a flavor you won't find in many places. You will be surprised to find out the taste is very similar to traditional pork boudin, except this boudin is made with a brown-rice substitute for those looking to cut down on white rice intake.
In the United States
The term boudin in the AcadianaAcadiana
Acadiana, or The Heart of Acadiana, is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Francophone population. Of the 64 parishes that make up Louisiana, 22 named parishes and other parishes of similar cultural environment, make up the intrastate...
cultural region of Louisiana is commonly understood to refer only to boudin blanc and not to other variants. Boudin blanc is the staple boudin of this region and is the one most widely consumed. Also popular is seafood boudin consisting of crab, shrimp, and rice. Most of Louisiana's Cajuns do not consider boudin a sausage.
Cajun boudin is available most readily in southern Louisiana, particularly in the Lafayette and Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
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
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
. 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
Jambalaya
Jambalaya is a Louisiana Creole dish of Spanish and French influence. -Jambalaya varieties:Jambalaya is traditionally made in three parts, with meats and vegetables, and is completed by adding stock and rice. It is also a close cousin to the saffron colored paella found in Spanish culture...
, gumbo
Gumbo
Gumbo is a stew or soup that originated in southern Louisiana during the 18th century. It consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and the vegetable holy trinity of celery, bell peppers, and onions...
, étouffée
Étouffée
Étouffée or etouffee is a dish found in both Cajun and creole cusine typically served with shellfish over rice. It is most popular in New Orleans and in the bayou country of the southernmost half of Louisiana.-Etymology:...
, and dirty rice
Dirty rice
Dirty rice is a traditional Cajun dish made from white rice cooked with small pieces of chicken liver or giblets, which give it a dark color and a mild but distinctive flavor. Similar to a pilaf, it also includes green bell pepper, celery and onion . Parsley and/or chopped green onions are common...
) and has fanatic devotees that travel across Louisiana comparing the numerous homemade varieties. From the Lake Charles area to Lafayette boudin taste and flavors vary. Some Such as Foreman's Boudin Kitchen use no liver, and other such as Richard's Cajun Kitchen use liver.
Boudin Noir is available in Illinois in the Iroguois County towns of Papineau
Papineau, Illinois
Papineau is a village in Papineau Township, Iroquois County, Illinois, United States. The population was 196 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Papineau is located at ....
and Beaverville
Beaverville, Illinois
Beaverville is a village in Beaverville Township, Iroquois County, Illinois, United States. The population was 391 at the 2000 census.-History:...
and made by a butcher shop called Papineau Locker. The dish is the featured cuisine at the annual Beaverville Homecoming which is held the first weekend of August. People travel from hundreds of miles to partake of the Boudin.
Le Boudin
Boudin gave rise to Le BoudinLe Boudin
Le Boudin is the official march of the French Foreign Legion. Le Boudin is a reference to boudin, a type of blood sausage or black pudding. Le boudin colloquially meant the gear that used to top the backpacks of Legionnaires...
, the official march of the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
. "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
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
don't get any "blood sausage", since the King of Belgium at one time forbade his subjects from joining the Legion (verse says "ce sont des tireurs au cul").