Morcilla dates back to the Middle Ages and is now an established part of Iberian Cuisine. Historically, the word morcilla was simply referred to as “sausage”, but nowadays it is almost always taken to mean blood sausage. In some parts of Spain, mainly in Catalonia and Andalucía they do a morcilla blanca which, as the name suggests, is white as it does not contain blood.
A lot of people may turn their noses up at the idea of eating pig’s blood, but morcilla’s rich and deep flavour can convert even the fiercest cynics. It is the main ingredient in many stews, such as the Asturian fabada or the Castilian cocido. Boiled or fried, dried or smoked, cold or hot, it goes well with a variety of vegetables, making it also a suitable contender for stuffed peppers.
The blood used in morcilla is used immediately after the pig is butchered to prevent it from thinning. The meat used in the sausage is typically mixed with spices and combined with blood and bacon. The filling may also contain a wide variety of different ingredients such as potatoes or squash, almonds or nuts, cinnamon or garlic, salt and/or sugar. As an example, the Asturian fiyuela blood sausage contains white beans, rice and sugar. All types of morcilla have one thing in common- they are boiled before being hung up to dry. In the north of Spain, they are also smoked (oak is popular as it imparts a delicate flavour) to make them last longer, a whole year to be precise, until the next butchering ceremony.
At Spanish Pig, we love grilling a piece of Señorio de Montanero and then serve on a piece of crusty bread with a cold cerveza. Equally satisfying in the famous Asturian fabada or the hearty Cocido Madrileno, a favourite stew across Madrid restaurants in winter. If you aren’t in the mood for a stew then we also like the simplicity of this morcilla and broad bean recipe, which originates from a great Spanish restaurant in London called Moro. While a sausage made with pig’s blood might sound like something you want to leave for the more adventurous foodies in your life, we highly recommend giving it a try. It really is bloody good!