A favorite of Rabelais and an acquired taste, andouille is a French smoked sausage made primarily from pig chitterlings, tripe, onions, wine and seasonings, and is enclosed in a blackened skin. It is frequently served in cold slices as an hors d'oeuvre. In the U.S., andouille is most often used in Cajun and Creole dishes such as jambalaya and gumbo; it tends to be spicier than the French version.
While there are many imitations, there are only two genuine types of andouille, guaranteed to be prepared with traditional methods in their region of origin. Genuine Vire andouille is made in Normandy with stomach and intestines, smoked over beech wood for two months, and cooked in water or a court-bouillon. Vire andouille made outside of Normandy often includes neck and breast meat, making it higher in fat. Andouille de pays contains heart and head flesh.
Guémené andouille from Brittany is trademarked and is made by layering intestines inside of one another -- before being dried, smoked and cooked in bouillon or steamed -- producing a concentric circle pattern when sliced.
Note: if you want to let a French person know you think he's a bumbling idiot, calling him an "andouille" is a rough equivalent of the old British "silly sausage."
Recipe: Becca's Jambalaya (Simply Recipes)
Recipe: Zucchini, Fennel And Andouille Pie (Luna Circle Farm)
Recipe: Whole Wheat Linguine With Andouille, Carrots And Tarragon
Recipe: Artichoke Hearts And Andouille
Jambalaya is Creole comfort food.
A legendary one-pot dish that's ubiquitous in the American south and popular elsewhere, it's made with rice, stock, tomatoes, onions, celery, green peppers and various meats, poultry and shellfish. One of the most important classic ingredients is andouille, a French smoked sausage made primarily from pig chitterlings, tripe, onions, wine and seasonings, and enclosed in a blackened skin.
The word jambalaya is thought to be derived from jambon, the French word for ham. Jambalaya is believed to be a descendent of Spanish paella that was born in Louisiana when Spaniards in the French Quarter of New Orleans subbed unavailable saffron for tomatoes in an imitation of their native dish.
Cajun cuisine also has its own version of jambalaya without the tomatoes.
Gumbo is a gift from Louisiana to American cooking.
Especially popular in the South, this Creole and Cajun dish is made from rich stock, meat and/or shellfish, the so-called "holy trinity" of celery, bell peppers and onion, and thickened with okra, filé powder or roux, depending on where the cook stands on the matter.
This one-pot dish was inspired by French bouillabaisse and dates from the 18th century. Gumbo often contains some mixture of chicken, duck, quail, smoked pork like tasso or andouille, crawfish, crab, and/or shrimp. Recipes vary according to the cook; Creole gumbos tend to use a slightly paler roux and sometimes contain tomatoes, unlike Cajun gumbos, which never do.
Gumbo is a Creole dish that has been adopted by Cajuns.
Creole gumbo contains stock, meat or shellfish, the so-called "holy trinity" of celery, bell peppers and onion, and is thickened with okra, filé powder or roux and is usually served over rice.
So how can you tell the difference between Creole and Cajun gumbo?
Creole gumbos tend to use a paler roux and sometimes includes tomatoes (Cajun gumbo never does).
