In France it’s called Boudin Noir. The Spanish call it Morcilla. Marag Dubh in Scotland. This list of names could be as long as your arm.  It may have been an invention of the Romans, who gathered pieces of culture from lands they conquered and brought them to new lands, where the traditions stuck. What is this mystery thing? Black Pudding of course. One thing we are fairly sure of, is that for many civilisations going back centuries, as long as there was a pig in the yard, black pudding would have been made when the animal was slaughtered. The necessity to use every part of the pig  resulted in all sorts of genius food inventions that remain today. Pigs trotters, pig’s ears, cheeks and tails, are just some of the unusual parts of the creature still enjoyed by many. The saying that everything but the ‘oink’ was put to use wasn’t far off the mark! You would wonder who decided that the blood of the pig would make a good pudding. But be grateful they did, because without that kind of out of the box thinking,  the Full Irish breakfast wouldn’t be the same! Black pudding is an original creation.  Recipes vary according to where the pudding was made.  In Ireland, it’s familiarly mixed with seasonings and usually oatmeal for a bit of crunch.  Nowhere is black pudding more revered than in France – their Boudin Noir is lauded and applauded nationally. They even have special Orders of black pudding chefs who celebrate it.  No mean task then, to impress these guys with a version from another country. Several Irish black pudding makers have done so in the last few years, gaining medal honours for their efforts. A couple of our own Good Food Ireland black pudding makers have achieved this high accolade. Jack McCarthy of McCarthy’s of Kanturk and Sean Kelly of Kelly’s of Newport have both wowed the French Brothers of the Order of Black Pudding with their delicious creations. Sean Kelly’s pudding is currently available in the Good Food Ireland Online Shop – just €1.50 buys you a fat link of it – special offer price till May 10th!