What Is Black Pudding Made Of?
It might sound like a gothic dessert, but there's nothing sweet about black pudding. In truth, this British delicacy is a type of sausage that's traditionally made from a mixture of blood, animal fat, and a filler grain like barley or oats. Don't let the pudding moniker fool you, as the term has completely different meanings in the United Kingdom and the United States. In Britain, while it commonly refers to a sweet dessert course, pudding is also used in the names of popular savory dishes, typically those with a cake or patty-like structure.
Most black pudding recipes use pork blood as their main ingredient, though some use beef or sheep blood instead. While the idea of blood sausage may make those unacquainted with it feel uneasy, it's a great way to utilize all parts of the animal and is a common dish across a wide range of cultures. Black pudding, in particular, is traditionally distinguished by its high grain content and use of particular spices like mace, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
It's made by mixing together the blood, grains, fat, and spices, stuffing the mixture into natural or synthetic casings, and boiling or steaming until cooked thoroughly. When cooled, the blood congeals, lending the sausages their characteristic dark color. Exact black pudding recipes vary regionally within the United Kingdom. (It's plenty popular in neighboring Ireland, too.)
The way British black pudding is prepared and served
Black pudding is most commonly eaten at breakfast, and is one of the traditional components of a Full English breakfast, along with other staples like bacon, eggs, grilled mushrooms, tomatoes, beans, and toast. If you find yourself in the United Kingdom with a hankering to try this sanguine sausage, a Full English is one of the top meals we recommend eating if you only have 24 hours in London.
Like any sausage, black pudding is typically prepared by boiling, pan frying, grilling, barbecuing or roasting. In a traditional Full English breakfast, black pudding is cut into thick discs and fried until crispy. Its flavor can best be described as meaty and earthy; some varieties may have a slightly ferric taste owing to the blood. Texturally, it can sometimes lean towards the dry side because of the grains, so it serves particularly well when paired with a wetter ingredient like beans or eggs, or topped with a sauce, like a creamy mushroom or a tomato sauce.
Brits don't just eat blood sausage at breakfast, either. It can be found on pub menus for every meal of the day and is used in a wide variety of recipes, similar to any other type of sausage. It can be pan fried with rich, flavorful ingredients like apple, onion and bacon, paired with seafood like scallops, or used to make puff pastry sausage rolls. Frankly, the most shocking thing about blood sausage might just be how many ways there are to enjoy it.