The Unique Sausage Anthony Bourdain Loved Unconditionally

As the king of exploring new flavors, Anthony Bourdain rarely winced at a dish. Other than his distaste for fermented shark, he was notoriously up for anything, including offcuts and animal blood. If judged by the name alone, some might steer clear of blood sausage, but not the intrepid Bourdain. Also known by the more ambiguous U.K. name of black pudding, the sausage has a savory, earthy flavor that's made from congealed animal blood, bold spices, and some sort of hearty filler like steel-cut oatmeal or rice (for the Puerto Rican take).

In Season 7, Episode 7 of "Parts Unknown," Bourdain spent an afternoon wandering around Cologne — Germany's ancient riverside city. German cuisine is heavy on the meat and potatoes, but that's not all there is to it. As the home of Kölsch beer, Cologne's brewery culture is alive and well, and Bourdain was eager to get a taste with local insider Heinz Grüne. One of the chef's favorite stops of the day was Brauerei zur Malzmühle — part restaurant, part beer hall. The pub is a cozy place to sip cold beer and feast on German delicacies, like schweinshaxe and Himmel und Erde. The latter was his winning dish of the day, a platter of sliced blood sausage served with fried onions, mashed potatoes, and applesauce. Some Germans leave the blood sausage off their Himmel und Erde, but Bourdain would never.

After one bite, Anthony Bourdain was nearly speechless, a rarity for the extroverted wordsmith. Following some deep reflection, he revealed his thoughts. "It's when the Himmel und Erde, or heaven and earth, hits the table that I start getting deep into my happy zone," he said. Bourdain loved so many foods that it would be hard to choose just one favorite, but blood sausage always brought a beaming grin to his face. He was a fan of the savory meal from his early TV days, feasting in Austria, Buenos Aires, and the Bronx whenever he got the chance.

Food was Bourdain's life — he didn't treat it like the simple act of eating. Before trying a dish, he appreciated every smell, every color, and every texture, but above all, he appreciated the story behind it. When slicing into a juicy blood sausage in Uruguay, Bourdain gleefully said, "This is what it is all about for me, man. Every great culture does this." He praised the varieties, amazed at how one dish could capture a land's distinctive local flavors so beautifully. The animal blood used ranges depending on the region, but it's typically pig, cow, or sheep, and each delivers a diverse depth of flavor. Blood sausage has an acquired taste, but it's one that Bourdain certainly acquired.