Mustamakkara

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Mustamakkara (black sausage) is a type of blood sausage. It is a local food specialty in Tampere, Finland and is traditionally eaten with lingonberry jam. Mustamakkara is at its best when bought and eaten fresh at market stalls, to which it is delivered hot in styrofoam boxes directly after baking. A typical practise of reheating the sausage is to just fry it in a pan.

Mustamakkara is known to have been eaten as early as in the 16th century and was generally cooked over a small fire, in a hot cauldron or in an oven. Mustamakkara is made by mixing pork, pig blood, crushed rye and flour, after which it is stuffed into the intestines of an animal like most sausages. The three major producers of this food are Tapola, Savupojat and Teivon Liha.

When buying mustamakkara, it is customary to specify the amount of money to spend instead of weight, length or number of pieces. Among many Finns, especially those not native to Tampere, mustamakkara is considered both strange looking and strange tasting and is truly appreciated only by few. Mustamakkara is often a subject to prejudice.