Biroldo is a very dark, brownish-red, soft-textured Tuscan blood sausage about 4 inches (10 cm) wide, with lighter-coloured chunks of meat and fat in it. It was traditionally made from parts of the pig,

offal Offal (), also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the organs of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, which varies by culture and region, but usually excludes muscle. Offal may also ref ...

such as heart, lungs and tongue, that wouldn't be used for other

sausages A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs may be included as fillers or extenders. ...

. Because offal was used, the sausage would start being made right away as soon as the pig was slaughtered so that the taste of the offal would be at its freshest. The offal is boiled for a few hours, then chopped up, seasoned and spiced.

Spices A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices a ...

used include cloves, star anise,

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus '' Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, brea ...

nutmeg Nutmeg is the seed or ground spice of several species of the genus '' Myristica''. '' Myristica fragrans'' (fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg) is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fruit: nutmeg, from its seed, ...

fennel Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized ...

, and

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion and Chinese onion. It is native to South Asia, Central Asia and northe ...

. Then, pig's blood is added. The exact ingredients and proportions can vary by taste and family. It is then formed into a sausage, using the pig's bladder or stomach as casing. The sausage is simmered for about 4 hours, then let cool, with weights on top to press out the fat. It can be preserved in lard for 5 to 6 months, or eaten fresh within 8 to 10 days. Biroldo made in Garfagnana,

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as ...

, Tuscany differs from that made in the rest of the province of Lucca in that in Garfagnana the head is also used. This biroldo made in Garfagnana is sometimes called ''Biroldo della Versilia'', named after the Versilian Riviera, which is the strip of Tuscan coast starting at

Forte dei Marmi Forte dei Marmi () is a sea town and ''comune'' in the province of Lucca, in northern Tuscany ( Italy). It is the birthplace of Paola Ruffo di Calabria, Queen of the Belgians from 1993 to 2013. Tourism is the principal activity of Forte dei Mar ...

in Lucca and stretching down 20 km south to Torre del Lago Puccini. The Garfagnana mountain range is in the Tuscan province of Lucca. The cities of Barga and Castelnuovo are in it. Garfagnana biroldo is not really exported, even out of the area: almost all produced (90%) is eaten right in Garfagnana. In

Pistoia Pistoia (, is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a t ...

, Tuscany, a sweeter version uses pine nuts, sultanta's and pig's blood. For their savoury version, the Pistoians use calf's

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in th ...

, and

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During product ...

References

Italian sausages Blood dishes {{Italy-cuisine-stub