Black Pudding

Black Pudding

Black pudding is boiled pig’s blood in a length of intestine. In the UK puddings are usually bound with cereal with suet or cubes of fat added. European puddings are lighter because they are often made with cream instead of cereals. Black pudding is especially popular in Northern England, Scotland and Ireland. Black pudding is growing in popularity and is appearing on a number of restaurant menus. It combines very well with pork, lamb, fish (scallops, oysters, squid, muscles) and fruit (apples, pears, grapes, rhubarb

Most black pudding recipes derive from the same need to make use of everything when a pig is butchered. They follow the same basic recipe and use similar flavorings such as onions, mace and black pepper. The main versions and the key ingredients are summarized below.

Black pudding – UK – pigs blood, pork fat and cereal (oatmeal and or barley)

Drisheen – Ireland – as above but with lamb’s blood

Boudin noir – France – pigs blood, pork fat, breadcrumbs, brandy or calvados and cream

Morcilla – Spain – pigs blood, pork fat, paprika, cooked long grain rice, sherry and sometimes raisins

Blutwurst – Germany – pigs blood, diced bacon and lungs

The puddings we buy are already cooked, we just need to reheat them. The chief difficulty is that the pudding can burst out of the skin. The simple answer is to take off the casing but the filling may then crumble. Some prefer to slice it thick, then cook as gently as possible, in frying pan, grill or hot oven.

Black pudding is a vital ingredient of a cooked breakfast but can be used in many other ways. It works well with fish, fruit, lamb and pork. It can also be added to a stew or casserole as a flavor enhancer.