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You might not be allowed to buy lungs in the USA, but the USDA does allow this next key ingredient, a feature of dishes around the world. Coursing through the bodies of the animals we eat is highly nutritious food, full of easily absorbable iron and vitamin K, which helps stops you bleeding to death when you cut yourself. This food also aids with the retention of calcium in the bones, important as we get older.

 

Cow's Blood

 

Considered too valuable to waste, the life blood of slaughtered creatures is gathered from chickens, ducks, geese etc, but also from pigs, sheep, cattle, camels, horses, etc, depending on any local or religious taboos.

 

There are few societies which don’t have some kind of blood sausage in their culinary repertoire from British black pudding to North Korean blood and glutinous rice sausage. French boudin, Polish kiszka. Spanish morcilla. Finnish mustamakkara. I could go on.

 

North Korean Blood Sausage with Glutinous Rice

 

But blood bangers are not the only way to go. In China, blood (usually pig’s, cattle or poultry) is allowed to congeal until firm, then cubed and added to soups and hotpots. I’ve eaten it this way in congee, too. It can also be stir fried.

 

Cubed Blood for Stir Frying

Stir Fried Pig's Blood  with Chillies

 

Because of the similar texture, this is commonly known as ‘blood tofu’ or 血豆腐 (xuè dòu fu) among other names – similar preparations are found across SE Asia and among the Chinese diaspora. And can be found in my local supermarket!

 

Pig's Blood in my Local Supermarket

 

Blood is also used as a thickening agent in many dishes, both western and eastern. One local dish is Quanzhou Blood and Vinegar Duck which is famous in Guangxi and Hunan. The braised duck dish is thickened with the animal's own blood. Bloody delicious!

 

I also must give mention to 毛血旺 (máo xuè wàng) or spicy Sichuan stew traditionally made from beef tripe and duck's blood. However, in The Food of Sichuan (eG-friendly Amazon.com link), Fuchsia Dunlop gives a recipe which ditches the tripe in favour of, of all things, SPAM®! It's that sort of dish; use what you will so long as you use the blood!

You might not be allowed to buy lungs in the USA, but the USDA does allow this next key ingredient, a feature of dishes around the world. Coursing through the bodies of the animals we eat is highly nutritious food, full of easily absorbable iron and vitamin K, which helps stops you bleeding to death when you cut yourself. This food also aids with the retention of calcium in the bones, important as we get older.

 

Cow's Blood

 

Considered too valuable to waste, the life blood of slaughtered creatures is gathered from chickens, ducks, geese etc, but also from pigs, sheep, cattle, camels, horses, etc, depending on any local or religious taboos.

 

There are few societies which don’t have some kind of blood sausage in their culinary repertoire from British black pudding to North Korean blood and glutinous rice sausage. French boudin, Polish kiszka. Spanish morcilla. Finnish mustamakkara. I could go on.

 

North Korean Blood Sausage with Glutinous Rice

 

But blood bangers are not the only way to go. In China, blood (usually pig’s, cattle or poultry) is allowed to congeal until firm, then cubed and added to soups and hotpots. I’ve eaten it this way in congee, too. It can also be stir fried.

 

Cubed Blood for Stir Frying

Stir Fried Pig's Blood  with Chillies

 

Because of the similar texture, this is commonly known as ‘blood tofu’ or 血豆腐 (xuè dòu fu) among other names – similar preparations are found across SE Asia and among the Chinese diaspora. And can be found in my local supermarket!

 

Pig's Blood in my Local Supermarket

 

Blood is also used as a thickening agent in many dishes, both western and eastern. One local dish is Quanzhou Blood and Vinegar Duck which is famous in Guangxi and Hunan. The braised duck dish is thickened with the animal's own blood. Delicious.

 

I also must give mention to 毛血旺 (máo xuè wàng) or spicy Sichuan stew traditionally made from beef tripe and duck's blood. However, in The Food of Sichuan (eG-friendly Amazon.com link), Fuchsia Dunlop gives a recipe which ditches the tripe in favour of, of all things, SPAM®! It's that sort of dish; use what you will so long as you use the blood!

You might not be allowed to buy lungs in the USA, but the USDA does allow this next key ingredient, a feature of dishes around the world. Coursing through the bodies of the animals we eat is highly nutritious food, full of easily aborbable iron and vitamin K, which helps stops you bleeding to death when you cut yourself. This food also aids with the retention of calcium in the bones, important as we get older.

 

Cow's Blood

 

Considered too valuable to waste, the life blood of slaughtered creatures is gathered from chickens, ducks, geese etc, but also from pigs, sheep, cattle, camels, horses, etc, depending on any local or religious taboos.

 

There are few societies which don’t have some kind of blood sausage in their culinary repertoire from British black pudding to North Korean blood and glutinous rice sausage. French boudin, Polish kiszka. Spanish morcilla. Finnish mustamakkara. I could go on.

 

North Korean Blood Sausage with Glutinous Rice

 

But blood bangers are not the only way to go. In China, blood (usually pig’s, cattle or poultry) is allowed to congeal until firm, then cubed and added to soups and hotpots. I’ve eaten it this way in congee, too. It can also be stir fried.

 

Cubed Blood for Stir Frying

Stir Fried Pig's Blood  with Chillies

 

Because of the similar texture, this is commonly known as ‘blood tofu’ or 血豆腐 (xuè dòu fu) among other names – similar preparations are found across SE Asia and among the Chinese diaspora. And can be found in my local supermarket!

 

Pig's Blood in my Local Supermarket

 

Blood is also used as a thickening agent in many dishes, both western and eastern. One local dish is Quanzhou Blood and Vinegar Duck which is famous in Guangxi and Hunan. The braised duck dish is thickened with the animal's own blood. Delicious.

 

I also must give mention to 毛血旺 (máo xuè wàng) or spicy Sichuan stew traditionally made from beef tripe and duck's blood. However, in The Food of Sichuan (eG-friendly Amazon.com link), Fuchsia Dunlop gives a recipe which ditches the tripe in favour of, of all things, SPAM®! It's that sort of dish; use what you will so long as you use the blood!

You might not be allowed to buy lungs in the USA, but the USDA does allow this next key ingredient, a feature of dishes around the world. Coursing through the bodies of the animals we eat is highly nutritious food, full of easily aborbable iron and vitamin K, which helps stops you bleeding to death when you cut yourself. This food also aids with the retention of calcium in the bones, important as we get older.

 

Cow's Blood

 

Considered too valuable to waste, the life blood of slaughtered creatures is gathered from chickens, ducks, geese etc, but also from pigs, sheep, cattle, camels, horses, etc, depending on any local or religious taboos.

 

There are few societies which don’t have some kind of blood sausage in their culinary repertoire from British black pudding to North Korean blood and glutinous rice sausage. French boudin, Polish kiszka. Spanish morcilla. Finnish mustamakkara. I could go on.

 

North Korean Blood Sausage with Glutinous Rice

 

But blood bangers are not the only way to go. In China, blood (usually pig’s, cattle or poultry) is allowed to congeal until firm, then cubed and added to soups and hotpots. I’ve eaten it this way in congee, too. It can also be stir fried.

 

Cubed Blood for Stir Frying

Stir Fried Pig's Blood  with Chillies

 

Because of the similar texture, this is commonly known as ‘blood tofu’ or 血豆腐 (xuè dòu fu) among other names – similar preparations are found across SE Asia and among the Chinese diaspora. And can be found in my local supermarket!

 

Pig's Blood in my Local Supermarket

 

Blood is also used as a thickening agent in many dishes, both western and eastern. One local dish is Quanzhou Blood and Vinegar Duck which is famous in Guangxi and Hunan. The braised duck dish is thickened with the animal's own blood. Delicious.

 

I also must give mention to 毛血旺 (máo xuè wàng) or spicy Sichuan stew traditionally made from beef tripe and duck's blood. However, in The Food of Sichuan (eG-friendly Amazon.com link), Fuchsia Dunlop gives a recipe which ditches the tripe in favour of, of all things, SPAM®! It's that sort of dish; use what you will so long as you use the blood!

You might not be allowed to buy lungs in the USA, but the USDA does allow this next key ingredient, a feature of dishes around the world. Coursing through the bodies of the animals we eat is highly nutritious food, full of easily aborbable iron and vitamin K, which helps stops you bleeding to death when you cut yourself. This food also aids with the retention of calcium in the bones, important as we get older.

 

Cow's Blood

 

Considered too valuable to waste, the life blood of slaughtered creatures is gathered from chickens, ducks, geese etc, but also from pigs, sheep, cattle, camels, horses, etc, depending on any local or religious taboos.

 

There are few societies which don’t have some kind of blood sausage in their culinary repertoire from British black pudding to North Korean blood and glutinous rice sausage. French boudin, Polish kiszka. Spanish morcilla. Finnish mustamakkara. I could go on.

 

North Korean Blood Sausage with Glutinous Rice

 

But blood bangers are not the only way to go. In China, blood (usually pig’s, cattle or poultry) is allowed to congeal until firm, then cubed and added to soups and hotpots. I’ve eaten it this way in congee, too. It can also be stir fried.

 

Cubed Blood for Stir Frying

Stir Fried Pig's Blood  with Chillies

 

Because of the similar texture, this is commonly known as ‘blood tofu’ or 血豆腐 (xuè dòu fu) among other names – similar preparations are found across SE Asia and among the Chinese diaspora. And can be found in my local supermarket!

 

Pig's Blood in my Local Supermarket

 

Blood is also used as a thickening agent in many dishes, both western and eastern. One local dish is Quanzhou Blood and Vinegar Duck which famous in Guangxi and Hunan. The braised duck dish is thickened with the animal's own blood. Delicious.

 

I also must give mention to 毛血旺 (máo xuè wàng) or spicy Sichuan stew traditionally made from beef tripe and duck's blood. However, in The Food of Sichuan (eG-friendly Amazon.com link), Fuchsia Dunlop gives a recipe which ditches the tripe in favour of, of all things, SPAM®! It's that sort of dish; use what you will so long as you use the blood!