Morcilla
Spanish blood sausage. Burgos style is rice-based and crumbly; Asturian style is onion-heavy and richer. Always cooked before eating.
Morcilla is the Spanish family of blood sausage: pork blood, fat, seasoning and a starch, all stuffed into a casing and slow-cooked. The two most famous styles split by what's mixed into the blood. Morcilla de Burgos is rice-based, with onion, lard and spices; it cooks up crumbly and dark, sliced into thick coins and grilled or pan-fried. Morcilla asturiana is onion-heavy and richer, often smoked, used in fabada (the Asturian bean stew). A third tradition, morcilla dulce (sweet blood sausage), exists in León and other northern regions, with raisins and pine nuts in the mix. All Spanish morcilla is precooked at the producer and just needs reheating; you don't eat it raw. The Catalan equivalent is butifarra negra.
How it's served
Sliced into thick coins and grilled or pan-fried until crisp on the outside and steaming inside, often on a bed of pa amb tomàquet or with a fried egg on top. The Burgos rice-based version is the most common in restaurants; the Asturian version mostly shows up inside fabada or as a tapa.
Regional variation
Morcilla de Burgos (rice-based, crumbly, the most internationally famous version) holds an IGP geographical-indication mark. Morcilla asturiana is onion-heavy and often smoked. Morcilla de León includes raisins and pine nuts. The Catalan butifarra negra is the equivalent in Catalonia; the Mallorcan version (botifarró) has its own regional profile.
- Origin
- Spain
- Etymology
- From the Spanish morcilla, of disputed origin; possibly from the pre-Roman Iberian mark- ('bag').
Frequently asked
What is morcilla?
Spanish blood sausage: pork blood, fat, seasoning, and either rice (Burgos style) or onion (Asturian style) stuffed into a casing and slow-cooked. Eaten precooked, sliced thick, grilled or pan-fried until the outside crisps. The Catalan equivalent is butifarra negra.
What's the difference between morcilla de Burgos and morcilla asturiana?
Morcilla de Burgos is rice-based and crumbly: sliced into coins, grilled or fried, eaten as a tapa or on bread. Morcilla asturiana is onion-heavy and richer, often smoked, used mostly inside the Asturian bean stew fabada. Both are blood sausages; the binders and the typical use differ.
Is morcilla safe to eat raw?
No. Spanish morcilla is always sold precooked at the producer, but it still needs to be reheated (grilled, pan-fried or simmered) before eating. The fully-raw blood-sausage tradition exists in some other countries but not in Spanish charcuterie.
Related terms
- ButifarraThe Catalan family of pork sausages: fresh ones grilled over coals, cured blood-based ones, and a sweet lemon-and-sugar oddity from the Empordà.
- ChorizoThe iconic Spanish pork sausage, deep red from smoked paprika (pimentón). Comes cured (sliced cold like jamón) or fresh (cooked in stews and over coals).
- SobrasadaMallorcan cured pork sausage that's spreadable rather than sliceable: soft, paprika-red, eaten on bread or stirred into sauces.
- CallosSpanish tripe stew. The most famous version is callos a la madrileña: tripe slow-cooked with chorizo, morcilla, ham bone and a paprika-tomato broth.