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Morcilla is a sausage that is made from coagulated pig blood, cooked and strained, as a basic ingredient. The blood is mixed with medium grain white rice cooked without fat, fresh crushed garlic, fresh stemless oregano, cilantro, coriander, salt, pepper and sweet or hot chili. The blood must comply with the provisions of the United States Federal Meat Inspection Act. 

La Morcilla is one of those appetizers that are typical of the Christmas menu in Puerto Rico. We consume it as an appetizer, as a side dish, in stews and with boiled or pickled green bananas. Some chefs even use the blood sausage filling as an ingredient in new recipes, like Rice with Black Pudding (a recipe here).

History

The first mentions of Black Pudding, as well as other sausages, come from ancient Greece. There are versions that indicate that the Greek Aphtonius of Antioch invented it. Although there is no solid historical evidence that links Aftonio with the invention of Morcilla.

It is also said that Black Pudding is part of a story that appears in Homer's Odyssey. In this epic poem, Homer is said to allude to a mixture of fat and blood heated in a container made of goat skin. However, when reading the poem this information does not seem to correspond to a specific passage in the Odyssey. Although Homer recounts a wide variety of ancient Greek cultural practices, perhaps this description is derived from interpretations or extrapolations. 

In Puerto Rico, the Spanish were the ones who created the taste for pork and its products. The first written description of Morcilla in Spanish cuisine comes from Ruperto de Nola in his Car free written in Catalan in 1520. It is said that currently there are at least 15 countries on the 5 continents with various versions of Black Pudding. 

Preparation of blood sausages 

In Puerto Rico, Morcillas are the traditional sausage from pig slaughter. The strategy in the beginning was not to waste anything from the animal. They are made with the finest intestines (small intestine) and you will always find the artisanal ones recently made. Production in Puerto Rico is mainly artisanal, although there are Puerto Rican industries that produce them for sale in supermarkets.

It is important to know the amount of filling that will be added to each casing. Casings cannot be stuffed beyond a certain point, because the ingredients expand when cooked and break the casing. After knotting and before cooking, tiny holes are made in some areas with a very fine needle, so that they do not "burst."

Fresh Black Puddings are kept refrigerated for up to 20 days. If they are cooked, you can keep them for about 3 months. Here is a video with a recipe for our tasty Morcilla.

Foto: Solo Embutidos

Carmen M. Pérez Velázquez