Blood sausage is a special type of meat delicacy, the main ingredient of which is bovine blood. This dish has been known to people for over a century and, at one time, was especially popular with nomadic peoples..
So, what is the value of black pudding for? What is its use and is there any harm?
A bit of history
Since ancient times, people have been respectful of blood. One of the first references to eating blood refers to the Spartans. In those days, the black ear was popular. The exact recipe, unfortunately (or fortunately), has not been preserved, but it is reliably known that it was a chowder from the blood, quite unpleasant in taste. It was believed that, having tasted such a soup, the Spartan will not be afraid of anything in the battle and any battle will take place to the end.
Later, the bloody ear transformed and began to look like a blood sausage. If you rely on sources, it differs from the soup only in texture and added flavoring in the form of spices, lard, cereals, etc. The resulting mash was poured into a cleaned animal intestine and boiled. Such was the ancestor of the famous "bloodsucker."
Dishes from the blood are widespread in different countries today. For example, in the countries of Scandinavia they prepare pancakes from blood, and modern European restaurants offer their visitors blood casseroles.
As for the black pudding, today there are many recipes and variations of its preparation. They differ not only in the proportions of spices and ingredients, but also in national color, because they know and love black sausage not only in Russia and Ukraine, but also in Germany and Spain. It is also interesting that in the Canaries the favorite delicacy is sweet blood sausage. It is cooked with nuts, raisins, dried fruits and called morsilla.
Some housewives zealously keep special family secrets of cooking a delicacy, and the sausage itself becomes a welcome guest even at social events and elegant banquets.
The nutritional value of blood sausage
Blood sausage can be attributed to medium-high-calorie foods. Its energy value varies 250 to 400 calories in 100 grams, depending on the ingredients. Blood sausage is a good source of B vitamins, especially vitamin B3 and B12 and vitamin D. Among the components, a high iron content can be distinguished - 100 grams of sausage contains about 35% of the daily norm. Also, it contains a considerable proportion of selenium, phosphorus and calcium.
But, note that in addition to useful components, sausage contains most of the saturated fatty acids (about 67% of the daily human requirement), cholesterol (40%) and sodium (34%).
The benefits of black pudding
Returning to the benefits of blood sausage, first of all, it should be noted that its use in food has a beneficial effect on blood formation and hemoglobin level in the blood. This happens due to the rich content of B vitamins, which, in turn, act in the human body as a powerful anti-anemic agent not only for humans, but also for animals.
Blood sausage also contains a large amount of protein. It is no secret that protein is directly involved in building muscle fibers and helps strengthen nails and hair. In addition to the building and aesthetic functions, protein is an indispensable source of energy for a living organism.
Due to the content of selenium, blood sausage is useful for humans by stabilizing the thyroid gland. It also helps to improve the immune system and prevents the development of cancers.
But such an element as phosphorus helps strengthen bones and cartilage.
It is possible to lay out the benefits of trace elements contained in black pudding for a long time, but all these positive aspects noticeably fade before the action of iron, which contains the lion's share. Firstly, iron is perfectly absorbed in the body, because it has a divalent form. It is this characteristic of his that helps to become a blood sausage a wonderful alternative to medicines that are widely used in the fight against iron deficiency anemia. Studies have shown that with regular use of blood sausage, the amount of red blood cells in the blood of a person increases and the metabolic process is established. And, based on this, blood sausage will become an integral part of the diet for people who recover from injuries with severe blood loss and after chemotherapy.
Also, blood sausage can bring noticeable benefits to women during pregnancy, because when the fetus begins to grow actively, it draws its vitality from maternal hemoglobin. Accordingly, women in position quite often suffer from anemia.
The harm of black pudding
Of course, black pudding is good for humans, primarily due to the mass of natural elements in its composition. But do not forget that this product is also capable of causing negative consequences.
So, the use of black pudding is harmful:
• Overweight people. In addition to the calorie content of a product, a large amount of protein, which was mentioned in the previous section, can affect a person’s weight. After all, undigested protein is quite prudently converted by the human liver into fat, which is deposited "on a rainy day."
• People who are at risk of diabetes or who have diabetes mellitus of any degree. First, the use of saturated fatty acids that are found in sausages is considered one of the main factors in the development of type 2 diabetes. And secondly, they have the ability to affect vascular patency, which is very adversely affecting the condition of people prone to this disease.
• Persons with a history of liver disease. Again, a high fat content can aggravate the condition of a person suffering from liver diseases.
• Patients with gastrointestinal problems. Black pudding is considered quite heavy food for the stomach
It is also worth paying special attention to the fact that the ingredients of black pudding are in themselves products with a short shelf life. Consequently, dead blood sausage can cause serious poisoning.
An improperly prepared delicacy can also cause serious harm to health. In this case, the sausage can serve as a parasitic bomb. Moreover, you need to make sure that the sausage was made from the blood of healthy animals. Therefore, it is worth buying it only from trusted sellers.
Summing up, we see that black pudding can be included in your diet as a regular delicacy only if there are no direct contraindications. But one should not ignore the sense of proportion, because you cannot improve your health with just one sausage. Similarly, it is worth noting that if you feel a persistent disgust and hostility to this dish, then you do not need to force your body to regularly consume black pudding - it will not bring anything good, at least emotionally. Any food should be fun.
