(ahn-doo-ee) – (1) Traditionally, the andouilles from France were made from the large intestines and stomach of the pig (seasoned heavily and smoked). (2) Andouille is also the Cajun smoked sausage so famous nationally today. Made with pork butt, shank, and a small amount of pork fat. This sausage is seasoned with salt, cracked black pepper, and garlic. The andouille is then slowly smoked over pecan wood and sugar cane. True andouille is stuffed into the beef middle casing, which makes the sausage approximately one and a half inches in diameter. When smoked, it becomes very dark to almost black in color. It is not uncommon for the Cajuns to smoke andouille for seven to eight hours at approximately 175 degrees.

The finest andouilles in France reportedly come from the Brittany and Normandy areas. It is believed that over half of the Acadian exiles that came to Louisiana in 1755 were originally from these coastal regions. In parts of Germany, where some say andouille originated, the sausage was made with all remaining intestines and casings pulled through a larger casing, seasoned and smoked . It was served thinly sliced as a hors d’oeuvre.