Blood pudding sounds like a suitable dessert for vampires. In reality, it is a quite popular and quite common sausage made throughout Europe. It is a combination of animal blood, suet, grains, raisins or currants, and spices, which cause the resultant sausage to look either deep purple or black.

Blood pudding is a traditional part of the Irish breakfast in an Irish pub or restaurant. Several slices of blood pudding may be served with white pudding, ham, eggs and potatoes as part of a very hearty breakfast. Such a breakfast may also be a popular choice in Scotland and throughout the rest of the UK.

Most visitors are actually surprised that blood pudding tastes like a “normal” sausage, for the most part. Since it is often fried in slices, and can have about the diameter of Italian salami, it has the same texture and firmness of most other sausages.

In the US, blood pudding is often sold as black pudding or black sausage to avoid its association with animal blood. However, no black pudding can work without the addition of animal blood, so this change in names does not translate to change in essentials. A blood pudding “by any other name” is still part animal blood.

The term pudding may have resulted from blood pudding containing a high degree of grain, usually oats or wheat. Blood pudding also has other pudding-like qualities, containing raisins or currants, nuts, occasionally figs, and a higher quantity of sugar. It is like a British plum pudding in casings, with the addition of animal blood.

Those who can adventure past the name may find that blood pudding is quite enjoyable. It is certainly popular among Irish residents and those in the UK. Virtually all countries in Europe have their own variant, which may be differentiated from Irish blood pudding by the spices and ingredients used. Also choice of animal blood may vary. Pig’s blood is popular, but goat, sheep, or cow blood might also be the first choice.