Boudin

(Above photo: Gil Young of Eunice making boudin at the Savoy's boucherie)

In South Louisiana there are certain topics that will assuredly cause hours long debate, possible loss of friendships and in some rare cases, physical confrontation. Boudin is one of those topics. We will argue over the proper ingredients, and what are the correct proportions of those ingredients (mainly this is about liver). We will debate the right way to eat boudin (do you eat the casing or not). And the most hotly discussed topic is, of course, who has the best boudin.

For those that don't know, boudin form South Louisiana is pork, pork liver, onions, spices and rice, ground up and stuffed into a sausage casing. It is hardy, spicy and earthy. It is mostly eaten by itself but some do eat it with crackers or pickles or with spicy mustard. Boudin is best acquired from local butcher shops that dot the country side of South Louisana. And this may be one of the reasons why people are so loyal and defensive of the favorite boudin and the place where it comes from - local tatses and local pride.

Boudin will differ from town to town and geographical location. I have found that In the northern most part of Acadiana boudin contains a more liver than boudin in the more Southern parts of Acadiana. But there are many other ways that people tweak their boudin recipe -how course the grind, rice to meat ratio...etc. These regional tastes and traditions make the 'who has the best boudin' debate so subjective that it could be impossible to find the 'best' boudin - but it is fun to try.

For more information on boudin, how its made, who makes it and what it tastes like you can visit:

The Boudin Trail http://www.southernboudintrail.com/

Boudin Link http://www.boudinlink.com/