sanguinaccio is a kind of lightly sweetened sausage or pudding made in various ways throughout Italy with coagulated pig’s blood. When prepared in the form of a sausage, it is usually boiled for eating. Sanguinaccio is especially popular in northern Italy, Lombardy, and the Veneto in particular. In Val d’Aosta it is known as boudin, from the French, while in Tuscany it is known as biroldo. There are many dialect versions as well. Typical ingredients, depending on the region, are grape must, pine nuts, walnuts, chocolate, sugar, candied citrus, and milk. In Naples the pudding might be served with ladyfingers. Although sweet, sanguinaccio is not served as an after-dinner dessert; it stands on its own or is perhaps used as a dressing for pasta, as in the lasagnette al sugo di sanguinaccio (laganèdda cu sangìcchja) typical of the Gargano region in Apulia, where it is prepared during the pig slaughter. The pig’s blood is seasoned with lard, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, tangerine zest, milk, and salt before being tossed with the pasta.
