Montbeliard Sausage

Saucisse de Montbéliard PGI

Bourgogne Franche-Comté
Production area
Bourgogne Franche-Comté

The Montbéliard sausage has conquered the world since it was first created in Franche-Comté in eastern France, in the 1st century B.C. And for good reason! Awarded PGI status in 2013, this sausage is made entirely from pork, is seasoned with pepper and cumin, is contained in a natural casing and is slowly smoked with softwood. It has a delicious smoky, spicy aroma and a firm, yet juicy texture. Extraordinary. 

What you need to know

A Montbéliard is not just any sausage! Secular traditions and a PGI make sure of that. Let's start with the quality of the meat used: it needs to be French pork, from pigs reared on whey, as part of a circle that is virtuous to say the least. Cows fed on the fresh grass of the pastures in warmer weather and on hay in the winter produce milk for cheesemaking. When this curdles, it produces a very rich liquid or lactoserum, which is then fed to the pigs. They in turn provide the manure used to fertilize the meadows, thereby closing the loop. The meat from these animals is sorted to obtain a mixture of lean and fatty pork, then seasoned, mainly with salt, pepper and cumin. It is then coarsely chopped and tumbled, and the resulting preparation is stuffed into natural, non-colored casings, which are sealed by twisting, producing strings of sausages. Then, all that is left is to smoke them, slowly and using only naturally burned sawdust and softwood.  

Characteristics

Look

Look

An amber color between brown and golden, not especially even, and a slightly curved shape.
Taste

Taste

A certain firmness and a very pleasant juiciness, which enhances the spicy and smoky flavors of the Montbéliard sausage PGI.

Editor's note

« The smokehouses of the region that would become Franche-Comté were already making a name for themselves in Roman times. Caesar himself is known to have extolled the virtues of the local sausages! ​​​​​​​ »

How to use

Storing Saucisse de Montbéliard PGI

In the refrigerator, until the use-by date shown on the packaging. It can also be frozen to store for longer, before or after cooking. 

Preparing Saucisse de Montbéliard PGI

Do not prick Montbéliard sausages before cooking, as this may dilute the flavors. 

Using Saucisse de Montbéliard PGI

They are usually cooked in simmering water for 20 to 25 minutes, starting from cold, but Montbéliard sausages can also be steamed or cooked en papillote, in the oven, over coals, or even barbecued, once they have been cooked in water. 

Pair with

Cabbage, carrots, lentils, potatoes, Comté cheese… And as for wine, go for a red, preferably a Côtes du Jura, Coteaux du Lyonnais or Côte du Rhône. 

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