In Spain, where the pig occupies such an important place in our gastronomy, you can find several types of blood sausage. We could name more than ten traditional recipes for this tasty sausage that even has other versions around the world, from Argentina to Puerto Rico and even in the United States.
The Iberico Morcilla that we produce today at Fermín is characteristic of the Extremadura area and it’s main ingredient is pumpkin. It is a little known recipe whose origin dates back to the 18th century when, due to food shortages, meat was replaced by pumpkin.
The Asturian Iberico morcilla, as its name suggests, is made in Asturias and is known in Spanish cuisine due to the characteristic flavor this morcilla adds to all the stews in northern Spain.
Our current Morcilla is very sweet thanks to the pumpkin and onion. The new Asturian style, even without pumpkin, also has a slightly sweet flavor due to its high onion content. They are considered much milder flavors than, for example, the famous Burgos Morcilla with rice.
Both of our Morcillas are made with very finely chopped Iberico fat, their texture is delicate, almost like that of butter. That is why we recommend handling it in the kitchen as a paste, just as we do with sobrassada. If we want to cook it whole, it is easy for it to break since its consistency would require the use of staples or strings at the ends, something that is not allowed when taking this wonderful product outside of Spain.
You can take it to recipes for breakfast, lunch, tapas, dinners and, of course, add it to stews, combine it with seafood and even spread it on bread and eat it “raw”, since it is a cured product. We do not recommend frying it, since this type of Morcilla does not withstand much heat. You just a few seconds at low temperature to enjoy it or cook with it.
Here are some ideas to whet your appetite and encourage your creativity.