Morcela
Portuguese blood sausage with protected designation of origin.
Blood sausages have been made for thousands of years, with every country having its own recipes.[1] The main ingredients are blood, a filler such as oatmeal or breadcrumbs, onions, and regional spices.[1] In times of war when meat was scarce, fillers were added to increase the sausage's volume.[1] Pig blood has a nicer, lighter color than cattle blood, which is much darker and sometimes almost black.[1]
The amount of blood in a sausage can vary from 5% to 60%, with more blood making the sausage darker.[1] Blood sausages with filler material do not face the problem of solid chunks sinking, as the filler acts like a sponge.[1] Blood in a finished sausage was already cooked, so the sausage can be eaten cold.[1] According to the Meats and Sausages website, blood sausages were originally created using cheap ingredients such as pork head meat, jowls, tongues, groins, skins, pork or veal lungs, pork liver, beef and lamb liver, pork snouts, beef and liver lips, udders, beef and lamb tripe, veal casings, pork stomachs, pork heart, and boiled bone meat.[1]
Quick Facts
- Type
- blood sausage
- Main ingredients
- pig's blood
- Common fillers
- rice, bread
- Region
- Portugal
Facts from the source article.
What the cited sources add
The same source explains that during cooling, gelatin creates a firmer texture, contributing to sliceability in sausages consumed cold.[1] The English Breakfast Society guide states that black pudding is a kind of sausage made with blood and a filler like oatmeal.[2] The guide also mentions that differences in blood preparation and oatmeal ratios mean most American blood sausages are a different product in practice.[2] The Panlasang Pinoy Meaty Recipes source describes longganisang dugo as a sausage made from ground pork, fat, and pork blood with spices.[3]
That source adds that vinegar is important to reduce the strong metallic taste that fresh blood sometimes carries.[3]
References
- "Blood sausages", meatsandsausages.com. facts only, no text reused. meatsandsausages.com
- "A Guide To Traditional Black Pudding", English Breakfast Society. facts only, no text reused. englishbreakfastsociety.com
- "Longganisa Dugo (Blood Sausage)", Panlasang Pinoy Meaty Recipes, 12 February 2018. facts only, no text reused. panlasangpinoymeatrecipes.com
- Wikipedia, "Blood sausage" (CC BY-SA 4.0): the article whose references led to the sources above en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Blood sausage (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Portuguese Products with Protected Designation of Origin
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced