“Boudin” – A Cajun Gem

Wikipedia: Boudin
Boudin (pronounced BOO-dan , IPA [?boudañ]) describes a number of different types of sausage used in French, French-Canadian, Creole and Cajun cuisine. Boudin can also refer to a bakery in San Francisco; to Le Boudin, the march of the French Foreign Legion; or to French painter Eugène Boudin. In French slang, “boudin” is used to talk about fat and unattractive girls.

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 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.
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.

Update me when site is updated September 25th, 2008 by Ragin Cajun / No Comments »

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