Chitterling(s)

Appears in
Oxford Companion to Food

By Alan Davidson

Published 2014

  • About

chitterling(s) the small intestine, or part thereof, of a pig or, less often, another animal, have a twofold use in the making of sausages such as andouilles and andouillettes; chopped up, they provide an ingredient for the filling, while they are also used to furnish casings.

Apart from sausages, there are only a few dishes in which chitterlings are a main ingredient. In England, chopped chitterlings were used in the 16th century in a kind of white pudding; and a chitterling pie was known in England in the 18th century. They are still marketed to a small degree in S. England. They may be made into plaits, or cut into short lengths and sold by weight. Sometimes they are formed into a sort of brawn, together with pig’s maw. They are sold cooked and may be reheated. Mustard is the common relish (Mason and Brown, 1999).