A Guide to Buying and Cooking Black Pudding
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Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.
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Updated on 01/23/23
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If you want diners at the table divided, then serve black pudding. Some will shriek in horror at the thought of eating blood (one of the ingredients in ablack pudding); others will be delighted to have a slice or two of the spicy sausage.
Why this dark, contentious sausage is referred to as a "pudding" is a mystery—there is nothing pudding-like about it.Black pudding pops up everywhere in both British and Irish food. It is most often, but not exclusively, as part of afull English breakfast and a full Irish breakfast.
What Is Black Pudding?
Black pudding is not a pudding, but a sausage made from pigs' blood, onions, herbs, spices, and bound with oatmeal or barley.When well-made, the flavor will be mild and slightly sweet despite the spices; it is the combination of all the ingredients (including the blood) which creates its unique flavor.
Blood Sausage v. Black Pudding
Black pudding is also called a blood pudding or blood sausage, and in Ireland is known asdrisheen. In France, black pudding is known as boudin noir and the Spanish word for black pudding is morcilla.Blood sausage and black pudding are the same dish.
Serving Suggestions
Black pudding is usually sliced and fried when served at breakfast, but often the pudding is also crumbled and included in other dishes such as mashed potatoes, bubble and squeak, and gravy.Introducing the pudding to other foodsenriches the dish and adds flavor.
History Of Black Pudding
Black pudding is no new-fangled ingredient; it has been around forever. The pudding was produced as a way of using up the blood for the slaughter of the pig at a time when nothing was ever wasted. It has survived down the centuries and fell out of favor in the 1960s but black pudding is currently experiencing a resurgence in popularity with chefs in Britain. It can appear on menus in both traditional and contemporary restaurants.
Black pudding is not only made in Britain and Ireland. Many European and Scandinavian countriesmake their own versions of the pudding. Some use different spices but essentially the method is very much the same.
There is also a Black Pudding Society, as well as festivals and competitions held to celebrate the famous pudding, proving its popularity in the culinary world.
