Andouille (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃duj]; English: /ɑːnˈdwiː/ ahn-dwee) is defined as a coarse-grained smoked sausage made using pork, pepper, onions, wine, and seasonings.[1] Andouille is French in origin, and was later brought to the United States through Louisiana by French immigrants. In the United States, the sausage is most often associated with Cajun cooking.[1] Andouille sausages are sometimes referred to as "hot link" sausages.
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Andouille is a spiced, heavily smoked pork sausage, distinguished in some varieties by its use of the entire gastrointestinal system of the pig. For example, traditional French andouille is composed primarily of the intestines and stomach. Though somewhat similar, it is not to be confused with andouillette.
The style of sausage is now widespread, and so it is unclear whether it originated in France, whence the name comes, or in Germany, where similar recipes also have a long history. A similar sausage, Nduja, is produced in the region of Calabria in southern Italy; the name is clearly derived from the French, and it is thought that the recipe may have spread there from France during periods of French dominance in the Middle Ages. This suggests a history going back at least 1000 years. Due to the rising popularity of Cajun cuisine, it is mistakenly believed to be a spicy sausage. True andouille is a savory sausage that lacks any real heat in its flavor. In Cajun/Creole cooking it is used more as a dish enhancer. The fat in authentic andouille melts into the dish thus adding flavor in the process. Andouille prepared in the United States outside of Louisiana and southeast Texas tends to be a spicy sausage seasoned with red pepper and in most cases not smoked.
The recipe was brought to the New World by the French colonists of Louisiana, and Cajun andouille is the best-known variety in the United States. The spiciest of all the variants, Cajun andouille is made of butt or shank meat and fat, seasoned with salt, cracked black pepper, and garlic, and smoked over pecan wood and sugar cane for up to seven or eight hours at approximately 175°F (80°C). The resulting sausage is used in a wide range of Louisiana dishes, such as gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, and étouffée.
LaPlace, Louisiana, has proclaimed itself the Andouille Capital of the World, and holds a huge festival every third weekend of October, in which a ceremonial queen is chosen as Miss Andouille. LaPlace is also the home to Jacobs Sausage and Bailey's Sausage. Both are family owned businesses that have more than 100 years of documented sausage making. To this day, both families dispute the origin of the sausage and its true creator in modern form.