Clearly Spain is a country well know for its sausages, be it a pungent chorizo (pronounced Chor-rith-o), salchichon or a black morcilla from Burgos. All of these are culinary treats to be enjoyed. However, there is one sausage that we believe gets somewhat overlooked, and yet, it is undoubtedly a winner. Although first appearances can be deceptive, we also believe it is likely to be particularly popular with the Brits, when then they realise it is the closest thing in Spain to the Great British Banger !
The sausage originated in Catalonia where it is known locally as Botifarra. It is a simple pork, fat and seasoning sausage. Much of the cure comes from the pepper used in the recipe and as such it is the flavour of the pork that wins, rather than the garlic, paprika and other seasonings used in other better known Spanish sausages. Once cooked it is hard to tell apart from a UK premium sausage and this is the reason why the Bits will love it – You can use it to have a proper full English breakfast !! In Andalucía breakfast normally consist of some toasted bread with either jam (called marmalade – but its NOT marmalade) or tomato and ham. The concept of a fry-up for brekkie is not understood here.
The big problem with Butifarra (for some) is its appearance. It looks like a monster ! The sausage comes in a round (a bit like a Cumberland sausage) – however we estimate that it is at least 2 inches in diameter and over 2 foot long if unwound. It is also speckled throughout with fat. Its size and appearance draw some boastful comparisons to certain parts of the anatomy – especially by drunken men at a barbeque !! Once cooked the fat renders down to give the whole sausage a beautiful succulent flavour.
As stated above, it is a great sausage to put on the barbeque but we have used it in many ways. We even used it one as a forcemeat base for our turkey stuffing as we celebrated Christmas (Navidad) in Spain – delicious.
On your next visit to Casa Uno treat yourself to this lesser known treat. You won’t go wrong having a Butifarra on hand in the fridge. We will even have one wating for you if you request it !!
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