Top 14 Central European Blood Sausages

Blutwurstmanufaktur is a renowned artisanal butcher shop established in 1902. Since 1996, it has been run by master butcher Marcus Benser, who was honored in 2004 with the title of “Knight of the Blood Sausage” by the French brotherhood Confrérie des Chevaliers du Goûte-Boudin—an award also bestowed upon the famous chef Paul Bocuse. Blutwurstmanufaktur produces over 60 varieties of homemade sausages, with its signature product being the celebrated Berliner Blutwurst.

This blood sausage is freshly made daily from pork blood, lean meat, pork fat, and fresh onions, enhanced with a secret blend of spices including authentic Thuringian marjoram, hand-ground Brazilian pepper, and a hint of cinnamon. The sausage is encased in a natural beef casing. In addition to their blood sausage, the shop also offers other specialties, including dry-cured salamis with fennel seeds.

All products are made using meat from local farms with whom the butcher shop maintains long-standing partnerships.Expand

Metzgerei Hambel is a family-owned butcher shop with a rich tradition, located in Wachenheim, German. It was founded in 1985 when Klaus Hambel took over the family business from his father Walter, who had previously worked for 30 years as an "Adventsmetzger" — a traveling butcher who made homemade sausages for rural families during the winter.

Today, the entire family is involved in running the butcher shop, including Klaus's sister Katja and his wife Silvia, while their son Philipp is already engaged as the future successor. Metzgerei Hambel is renowned for its original "Pfälzer Hausmacher" specialties, prepared from fresh pork sourced from controlled German farms, using natural spices.

The butcher shop also includes Hambel’s Restaurant, offering specialties from the butcher’s selection in a cozy atmosphere.Expand

Jelito is a traditional blood sausage. Prepared with pig’s blood and ground pork meat (mainly head, belly, and offal) it incorporates lard and various spices such as marjoram and cumin. Many jelito variations also consist of grains or plain white buns, which provide a more compact consistency. Since it is a non-smoked sausage, it is traditionally boiled or fried before it is served alongside pungent mustard, horseradish, and cabbage.Expand

Even though there are numerous regional varieties of this famous Polish blood sausage, it typically consists of pork offal, animal’s blood, barley or buckwheat, and a variety of spices and fresh herbs. Kaszanka was probably created under the influence of German and Danish culinary traditions and was primarily enjoyed by the noblemen. The modern variety of kaszanka appeared later, and today, it is one of the most commonly consumed Polish sausages. Whether grilled, fried, or cooked, it is usually served alongside caramelized onions, potatoes, or sauerkraut.Expand

This is a specialty blood sausage made from pork, a small amount of pork liver, and spices and seasonings such as salt, black pepper, marjoram, allspice, cloves, and onions. It can often be found in butcher shops throughout Thuringia, and it has been prepared and consumed for centuries at farm slaughter festivals. Today, it is produced all over Thuringia by several major producers. Thüringer Rotwurst is known in the region as the "queen of black pudding".Expand

One of the staples of traditional Polish cuisine, krupnioki śląskie is a blood sausage made with smoked pork, pig's blood, and buckwheat, combined with salt, pepper, allspice, onions, garlic, and marjoram. The origins of this prized Silesian delicacy can be traced back to the late 18th century. Once enjoyed only on special occasions, the krupnioki blood sausages are nowadays available throughout the year and found in every Polish delicatessen. They are traditionally served hot, accompanied by bread, mustard, pickled vegetables, and a glass of strong Polish beer.Expand

Krvavice are blood sausages produced mostly throughout continental Croatia, especially in the regions of Zagorje, Istria, Dalmatia, and Slavonija-Baranja. Apart from Croatia, the sausages are also commonly consumed in Slovenia and Serbia. They're made by cooking pork blood, skin, and offal with rice and either buckwheat, barley, or cornflour, unlike most other European blood sausages that use oats or oatmeal as fillers. However, there are numerous varieties of krvavice and every cook has his own recipe, so the ingredients may vary. The names also vary, and they're also called divenice, devenice, or kulenice. These sausages are traditionally consumed during winter when they are often accompanied by sauerkraut and a combination of boiled potatoes and sautéed onions known as restani krumpir.Expand

Belonging to the category of cooked sausages, blutwurst is a famous German blood sausage with many regional varieties. It is predominantly made with pork and incorporates animal blood, fat, and meat, next to a wide variety of seasonings such as marjoram, allspice, and thyme. Blutwurst comes in various sizes, and many regional versions include barley, oats, or bread, while some varieties may even consist of diced bacon or innards. Since this blood sausage is typically cooked, it has a firm consistency and is commonly enjoyed as an appetizer alongside other cold cuts. It is usually shortly boiled or fried and served warm, often complemented by mashed potatoes or sauerkraut on the side.Expand

Żymlok is a traditional Silesian blood sausage consisting of a mixture of pork blood, bread rolls, ground pork offal, onions, spices, and seasonings stuffed into intestines. The ground meat is cooked in meat broth and the bread rolls are soaked in the same broth before they are combined and added to the intestines. Bread rolls are called żymła in Silesian and bułka in Polish, hence the name of this sausage. Żymlok is usually flavored with aromatic spices such as marjoram, nutmeg, black pepper, bay leaves, allspice, and juniper berries. Although it appears to be a regular sausage, its consistency is similar to black pudding. It used to be traditionally prepared after St. Martin’s Day, when pigs were slaughtered, and it was then served at various festivities. Not as popular as it once used to be, the sausage can be consumed hot or chilled, typically accompanied by caramelized onions and slices of bread.Expand

Oecher puttes is a Westphalian blood sausage with a spicy flavor. A mixture of pork offal, fat, meat, and blood is spiced with marjoram, nutmeg, thyme, cloves, and pepper before the whole combination is stuffed into casings, smoked, and shaped into rings. The sausage is available both freshly produced and canned. Aachen's butchers prepare this cooked sausage specialty according to a 200-year-old recipe. It's often used as a part of Himmel und Erde, where the sausage is served fried with sides of stewed apples, potatoes, and onions, but it can also be served with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut (Kompes). Oecher Puttes is known even beyond the borders of Aachen, and to protect local sausagemakers against infringement, it has been registered as a protected product with the European Union.Expand

Gebackene blunznradln is a traditional dish made with blunzn, or blood sausage. In this dish, the blood sausage is sliced into rounds, breaded, and then fried, similar to a Wiener Schnitzel preparation method. The finished Gebackene blunznradln might be served with a side of potatoes, sauerkraut, or other traditional Austrian side dishes. Expand

Träipen is a Luxembourg-style black pudding, a blood sausage made by combining ground pork head meat, lungs, kidneys, and tongues or other pork offal with pork blood, cabbage, onions, and stale bread. The sausage mixture is then traditionally seasoned with salt, pepper, and a special variety of summer savory, called bounekräitchen in Luxembourgish, that imparts a unique flavor to this meat specialty. After the meat mixture is seasoned, it is stuffed into casings, shaped into sausages, and cooked. In Luxembourg, träipen is typically enjoyed during the winter season when it is traditionally prepared, and it is usually fried or baked and paired with applesauce.Expand