Träipen, sometimes treipen, is the

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

variant of

black pudding Black pudding is a distinct national type of blood sausage originating in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is made from pork or occasionally beef Blood as food, blood, with Lard, pork fat or Suet, beef suet, and a cereal, usually oatmeal, oat ...

. The sausages are traditionally prepared from hog's head (or

offal Offal (), also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the internal organ (anatomy), organs of a butchered animal. Offal may also refer to the by-products of Milling (grinding), milled grains, such as corn or wheat. Some cultures strong ...

and any other scraps of pork) and

fat In nutrition science, nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such chemical compound, compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specif ...

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 is com ...

, and (winter) vegetables (such as white cabbage and onions). Other ingredients include white bread and mostly regional spices, that always include savory, and a hint of

caraway Caraway, also known as meridian fennel and Persian cumin (''Carum carvi''), is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe, and North Africa. Etymology The etymology of "caraway" is unclear. Caraway has been ...

. There are many variants to local recipes for its preparation but basically the meat and fat are boiled with salt, then minced and mixed with the finely ground vegetables. Fresh blood is added together with breadcrumbs and spices, and the mixture is put into larger intestine casings. The sausages are then boiled for 15 minutes in a large saucepan until cooked (when punctured, only clear liquid should emerge).Sylvie Bisdorff, "Träipen"
, ''RTL.lu''. Retrieved 1 December 2011. Träipen always have to be prepared by frying them in a frying pan, until crispy (intentionally bursting them is popular due to the added crispyness), and are usually served with boiled potatoes and

apple sauce Apple sauce is a purée (not necessarily served as a true sauce) made of apples. It can be made with peeled or unpeeled apples and can be spiced or sweetened. Apple sauce is inexpensive and is widely consumed in North America and some parts of ...

(”Himmel an Ärd“ - Heaven and earth), similar to recipes in the

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

region. Traditionally, they have been eaten after

Midnight Mass In many Western Christian traditions, Midnight Mass is the first liturgy of Christmastide that is celebrated on the night of Christmas Eve, traditionally beginning at midnight when Christmas Eve gives way to Christmas Day. This popular Christm ...

on Christmas Eve, and are popular in the entire ”Träipenzäit“ (''Träipen time'') between

All Saints’ Day All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the Church, whether they are know ...

and the Buergbrennen celebrations on the first Sunday in Lent.

References

This article also draws on the Luxembourg Wikipedia article Traipen {{DEFAULTSORT:Traipen Luxembourgian cuisine Blood sausages