Boudin for a Super Party

Jeff Benoit and his Mother at B & O's Kitchen

While exploring Southwest Louisiana, I found the perfect food for a Super Bowl party- Cajun boudin (boo-dah): a mixture of ground pork, rice, onion, parsley, garlic and peppers injected into natural casing. Some recipes include liver. Local Cajun, Creole and German families make it, often sell it in a small shops and vigilantly protect their secret recipe. 

Boudin balls, nugget size pieces of the sausage, would be a hit at any party, especially a manly man party! The stuff is very filling and did I mention cracklin's?  If you don't know what cracklin's are, well...forget healthy and just enjoy. 

Visit Lake Charles, the largest city in Calcasieu Parish, to drive the Boudin Trail  that runs along Interstate 10 and state highway 90. Stop to taste the differences in the culinary delight from one shop to another. Yum!

I visited into B & O Kitchen and the owner, Jeff Benoit, told me his 82-year-old grandmother still worked in the store as does his son. When hunters in the area get lucky,  Jeff cuts and packs the prize kill and makes them homemade sausage.   

If you want to drive the Boudin Trail, pick up a pamphlet at the Convention and Visitor's Bureau which explains everything--even explains how to cook it! Or simply click on this link for more information.  

At Hollier's Cajun Kitchen