Smoky Delights: the Morteau Sausage

The French region of Franche-Comté, on the Swiss border, is perhaps most famous for its dairy tradition. From Emmental to Raclette to the eponymous Comté, its flavoursome Alpine cheeses are appreciated by foodies the world over. But Franche-Comté has another great jewel in its crown: the Morteau sausage. Read on to find out more about this delicious creation.

Local tradition

The Morteau sausage, or Belle de Morteau, is a true regional delicacy. It’s made exclusively from Franche-Comté pork, seasoned with strong flavours such as garlic and juniper and then packed tightly into natural casings. The sausages are smoked for 48 hours over juniper, pine and spruce sawdust in a traditional pyramid-shaped chimney called a tuyé.

The result is a dense, smoky sausage with a distinctive and powerful flavour. The smoking process doesn’t cook the Morteau sausage, so you’ll need to ensure it’s thoroughly cooked before enjoying it.

 

 

 

Tasty and easy

You can boil a Morteau sausage, but that isn’t the most exciting method. Grilling and roasting are two simple ways to unleash the sausage’s full flavour and enjoy the unmistakable bite of the natural casing. You can also slice the sausage and pan-fry it. Just serve it with some sautéed potatoes and onions for a rustic French supper.

 

 

If you want to do something fancier, the Morteau sausage lends itself very well to a range of methods. One traditional recipe calls for the sausages to be simmered in a pan with potatoes, milk and water. Or why not oven-bake the sausages on a bed of potatoes, coating the roasties in their delicious fat?

Modern meets traditional

Inventive cooks will find the Morteau sausage a wonderful asset. Its smoky flavour stands up extremely well to other strong tastes such as bacon and lentils and spiced fruit. It adds a wonderful complexity and depth to casseroles, stews and tagines.

But Morteau sausage also shines as the star of the show. Try it with fried or poached eggs for a Continental take on the classic fry-up, or make it the centrepiece of a warm salad. Combine it with Comté cheese and juniper to make a refined and tasty tart. Or simply pan-fry it and stuff it into a fresh baguette! This beautiful sausage is endlessly versatile and lends itself to all kinds of everyday uses. 

Our authentic 350g Morteau sausages are made in France and can be bought in packs of three. As with all our chilled products, we make sure that these sausages arrive with a minimum use-by range of 7–10 days. They are specially packed to keep cool in transit for up to 72 hours, so they won’t reach you in anything short of perfect condition.

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