Blood as food facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
Blood
Pig's blood cakes
Place of origin	Various
Main ingredients	Animal blood

Did you know that in many parts of the world, people eat animal blood? It might sound unusual, but blood is used in many different dishes, often mixed with meat. It can be made into sausages, used to thicken sauces, or even cooked into blood soups.

Blood is mostly made of protein and water. It's sometimes called "liquid meat" because it's very similar to lean meat in what it's made of. When blood is collected carefully and cleanly, it can be used for people to eat. If not, it's often turned into blood meal for animal feed.

How Blood is Prepared for Food

Blood is used in many different ways around the world. Here are some common methods:

Blood Sausages

Blood sausage before cooking

Blood sausage is a type of sausage made by cooking animal blood with other ingredients. These ingredients, called "fillers," can include meat, fat, bread, rice, or oatmeal. The blood and fillers are cooked until they become thick and firm when cooled.

Most often, blood from pigs or cattle is used. You might find different kinds of blood sausages like black pudding (popular in the UK and Ireland), morcilla (from Spain and Latin America), or mustamakkara (from Finland).

Blood Pancakes

Blodplättar, blood pancakes from Sweden

Yes, there are even pancakes made with blood! These are popular in places like Scandinavia and the Baltic countries. For example, in Sweden, they have blodplättar, and in Finland, they make veriohukainen. These pancakes often use blood mixed with flour and other ingredients, sometimes served with lingonberry jam.

Soups, Stews, and Sauces

Czernina, a blood soup from Poland

Blood is a key ingredient in many soups and stews, where it helps create a rich broth. Some examples include czernina from Poland, dinuguan from the Philippines, and svartsoppa from Sweden.

Blood can also be used to make sauces thicker and give them a deeper color or flavor. For instance, it's sometimes added to dishes like coq au vin in France.

Solidified Blood Dishes

Blood can be cooked until it becomes solid, or it can be left to cool and harden on its own. This solid form of blood is often cut into pieces and added to dishes.

In China, "blood tofu" is very common. It's usually made from pig's or duck's blood, which is allowed to harden and then cut into blocks. These blocks are then cooked in soups or other meals. In Korea, a similar dish called seonji is made from cattle blood and used in soups. In Tibet, people traditionally eat hardened yak's blood.

Raw Blood Consumption

In some rare cases, blood is consumed raw, without any cooking. This is not very common today because of health concerns. However, historically, some groups like the Inuit people traditionally drank seal blood, believing it had health benefits.

Nutrition Bars

In Russia and other former Soviet countries, you can find sweet nutrition bars called Hematogen. These bars contain cattle blood and were originally made to help people with anemia (a condition where your blood doesn't have enough healthy red blood cells). Today, they are also eaten as a regular sweet treat.

Blood in Religious Practices

Blood holds special meaning in some religions.

Some Christian churches, like the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox churches, believe that during a special ceremony called the Eucharist, they are truly sharing in the blood and body of Jesus Christ. Many other Christian groups also take part in the Eucharist, but they see it as a symbolic act.

In some Abrahamic religions, like Judaism and Islam, eating blood is forbidden. This means followers of these religions do not consume blood or foods made with blood.

Cultural Views on Eating Blood

While many cultures eat blood, others consider it a taboo food. This means they avoid it, often because of religious beliefs or cultural traditions.

For example, the Igbo people in Nigeria generally find eating blood disgusting. They prefer their meat well-cooked and avoid anything that looks "bloody."

Some experts believe that these taboos might have started because eating large amounts of blood can actually be harmful.

Dishes from Around the World

Africa

Among the Maasai people in Africa, drinking blood from cattle is a traditional practice, especially during special events like the birth of a child.
The Herero people also consumed cow blood, often mixed with sour milk.

Americas

In Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and Puerto Rico, different types of blood sausage like moronga are popular.
In Brazil, people eat cabidela, a dish made with chicken or rabbit cooked in its own blood, and sarapatel, a stew with pork blood and other parts of the animal.
In Peru, sangrecita is a dish of clotted chicken blood fried with chili peppers and onions.
In Ecuador, Yaguarlocro is a potato soup with goat's blood.

Asia

China

Deep-fried blood pudding (豬血糕) on a stick

In China and parts of Southeast Asia, solidified chicken, duck, goose, or pig blood (called "blood tofu") is used in soups.
In Taiwan, pig's blood cake is a popular snack made from pork blood and sticky rice. It can be fried or steamed.

India

Goat blood-based dish in Tamil Nadu, India

In Tamil Nadu, South India, stir-fried lamb blood is a common dish for breakfast or lunch. It's often cooked with lamb stomach and intestines and many spices.
In the Konkan region, Sorpotel, a dish of Portuguese origin, sometimes includes animal blood in its spicy sauce.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, especially among the Batak tribe, pig's blood is used in a dish called Sangsang, mixed with a special spice called andaliman.

Korea

In Korea, solidified cattle blood, called seonji, is added to beef bone broth to make seonji-guk (blood curd soup).
Sundae is a Korean blood sausage made by stuffing cow or pig's intestines with ingredients like pig's blood, noodles, and kimchi.

Nepal

In northern Nepal, Gyuma is a popular blood sausage made from yak's blood and meat, often with buckwheat flour and spices.
The Newari community also has a dish called hee, which is steamed blood with local spices.

Philippines

Filipino dinuguan, a pork blood stew traditionally served with steamed rice cakes (puto)

In the Philippines, a popular dish called dinuguan is a stew made from pig's blood and offal (like liver and intestines), seasoned with chili. It's often eaten with white rice or steamed rice cakes.
Another dish is pinuneg, a native blood sausage from the highlands of Luzon.
Grilled cubes of pork blood on skewers, known as "betamax," are also a common street food.

Thailand and Laos

Bami haeng ped in Chiang Mai, Thailand: wheat noodles with duck and pieces of curdled blood

In Thailand, solidified chicken, duck, goose, or pig blood is used in soups like Tom Lued Moo (pork blood soup).
Nam Tok is a spicy soup stock enriched with raw cow or pig's blood, often added to noodle dishes.
In Laos and Northeast Thailand, a raw version of laap (a meat salad) is made with minced raw meat and covered with blood.

Vietnam

In Vietnam, congealed pork blood is used in soups like Bun bo Hue (a spicy noodle soup) and congee (a type of rice porridge).
A raw blood dish called "tiet canh" (blood soup) is also traditional, though less popular now due to health concerns. It's made by mixing raw blood with cooked meat and herbs, which then solidifies into a jelly-like texture.

Europe

Finland

In Finland, pig's blood is used with milk, flour, and molasses to make veriohukainen (blood pancakes), usually served with lingonberry jam.
Other blood dishes include mustamakkara (a type of sausage) and verileipä (bread made with blood).

France

In France, you can find sanquette, which is solidified blood cooked in a pan, and boudin noir, a type of blood sausage.

Germany

In Northern Germany, pig's blood was traditionally mixed with vinegar, spices, and sugar to make schwarzsauer. This dish is less common today.

Hungary

In Hungary, hagymás vér (pan-fried pig's blood with onions) and véres hurka (a blood sausage with pig's blood, bacon, and rice) are common winter foods.

Italy

In Italy, sanguinaccio dolce is a pudding made with pig blood, chocolate, sugar, and other sweet ingredients.
Biroldo is a blood sausage made with parts of pigs' offal like heart and lungs.

Netherlands

Balkenbrij is a Dutch food made by combining pig's blood with flour or oatmeal and pig organs.
Bloedworst (black pudding) is also eaten, sometimes with baked apples and a thick syrup called stroop.

Poland

Czernina (black soup) is a Polish soup made from duck blood and clear poultry broth. Blood from hens, rabbits, or pigs can also be used.

Portugal

In Portugal, the northern region has a traditional blood soup called papas de sarrabulho, made with pig's blood, chicken, pork, and bread.
Morcela sausage (a type of black pudding) is also very popular.
Cabidela is a dish where chicken or rabbit is cooked in its own blood, sometimes with vinegar.

Romania

In Romania, there is a traditional sausage made with blood called sângerete, which is especially prepared during the Ignat holiday (pig carving).

Spain

In Spain, the morcilla sausage is a type of black pudding made mainly with pig blood, spices, and sometimes vegetables.
In Andalusia, sangre encebollada is a popular dish made with solidified chicken or pork blood and onion.

Sweden

In Sweden, the blood soup svartsoppa, made with goose blood, is traditionally eaten on the eve of Saint Martin.
Other popular dishes include blodpudding (blood pudding), blodplättar (blood pancakes), and blodpalt (potato dumplings with reindeer or pig blood).

United Kingdom and Ireland

In Britain and Ireland, "black pudding" or "blood pudding" is a common dish. It's made from blood mixed with grains like oatmeal and spices.
Historically, in Ireland, people would sometimes bleed live cattle as a way to prevent diseases. The blood collected was then mixed with butter, herbs, and oats to create a nutritious emergency food.

Images for kids

Remains of a metal ampulla depicting Becket's martyrdom.