Food: Vegetarianism
Vegetarian Black Pudding   (+15, -18)  [vote for, against]

Vegetarians and Vegans are missing out on the savoury tastiness that is a really well-made black pudding (or blood sausage, as some call it). This idea allows them to taste a nearly-authentic black pudding without any animals suffering for it.
The idea is very simple - every time you go to the blood donor place to donate blood, get them to keep a bit aside which you can take home and freeze. When you have a few pints of blood in your freezer, thaw it out and mix as directed with black pepper, cayenne pepper, mace, herbs, coriander and oatmeal. Squeeze into synthetic sausage casings and there you are - ethically-produced and suffering-free black pudding.
-- hippo, May 01 2007

Mark Quinn's most excellent Blood Head http://images.googl...26rls%3Den%26sa%3DN
A alternative use for nine pints of your own blood (+) [xenzag, May 01 2007]

Artist made blood pudding for audience http://tinyurl.com/27rpc3
Not the one I was looking for, but a preheating of your idea for art's sake [imaginality, May 01 2007]

Dinner of Marco Evaristti http://www.evaristt...m/news/meatball.htm
Not an entire meal, and he's made meatballs for starters, but... deep fried vegetable fritters, anyone? [m_Al_com, May 01 2007]

Health inspectors cancel art duo's human blood pudding show http://thescotsman....ex.cfm?id=162472005
Damn! Someone's thought of this before [hippo, May 01 2007]

Pica (disorder) - Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia...iki/Pica_(disorder)
An appetite for non-nutritive substances [Spacecoyote, May 08 2007]

Hematophagy - Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hematophagy
The habit of consuming blood. [Spacecoyote, May 08 2007]

Black Pudding - Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.../wiki/Black_Pudding
Mentions "auto blood sausage" [Spacecoyote, May 08 2007]

In the news... http://www.dailymai...168&in_page_id=1811
..more people making their own blood pudding [neutrinos_shadow, Apr 07 2008]

This assumes that people are vegetarians due to the cruelty factor, something which I've never been completely convinced of as some (not vegans) will still eat fish and seafood, which arguably suffer more. I doubt that anyone would find it more palatable to consume something made of one's elf.
-- marklar, May 01 2007


When I wrote my master's thesis about the ethics of vegetarianism, one of the articles I read was either about or written by an artist who did exactly this. She made black pudding from her (certified disease-free) blood, and offered to serve it to various guests at a dinner party. I'll try to dig up the reference.

In that case, the 'yuck factor' caused the guests to refuse her offer. That said, I'm a vegetarian and have no problems with this idea. While I don't miss black pudding at all myself - so, no need to worry about what's on the menu if I invite you round for dinner - I guess there might possibly be enough similarly-strong-stomached vegetarians who do miss black pudding for you to have a market.
-- imaginality, May 01 2007


What [Lt_Frank] said.
-- jtp, May 01 2007


[marklar], [hippo] doesn't seem to be assuming that all vegetarians are veggie for anti-cruelty reasons; he's just pointing out that those for whom that *is* the only/main reason for it couldn't object to this idea for that reason.
-- imaginality, May 01 2007


I hated black pudding even when I wasn't a veggie. One cruelty-free fishbone from me sir.
-- DrBob, May 01 2007


Would it have Eric Olthwaite-style black white bits?
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, May 01 2007


White pudding alternative presumably involves a certain amount of liposuction.
-- calum, May 01 2007


Not seeing how preparing and eating a dish of one's own blood is vegetarian.
-- nuclear hobo, May 01 2007


There are various possibilities for white pudding, all of which make me feel extremely queasy.
-- DrBob, May 01 2007


Nice with fava beans and a bottle of Chianti.
-- skinflaps, May 01 2007


Auto-vampirism? Kinky.
-- Noexit, May 01 2007


Dandruff is the new parmesan.
-- xenzag, May 01 2007


I'm a vegitarian. I would eat my own blood pudding. I've never had blood pudding before... I'd like to try it.
-- ColonelMuffins, May 01 2007


It occurs to me that the tasty tang of blood is probably from the hemoglobin. With adequate raw materials, a vegetarian blood substitute could be made from leghemoglobin, the hemoglobin pigment used by legumes in their root nodules to capture oxygen and protect their nitrogen fixing bacteria.
-- bungston, May 01 2007


Could not blood banks have a new revenue stream with this? Blood that is unsuitable for infusion may still be ok for consumption once properly cooked. Ok, yeah, "blood pudding" may make this paradoxical.

Ethical questions are put to rest because the blood was voluntarily donated. Once you've given that blood, you don't really have any say in how it's used. Since your particular blood wasn't suitable for medical use, we're gonna eat it. Ok?

I think I feel a little queasy.
-- Noexit, May 01 2007


I eat the black pudding (of whatever provenance) and I am happy. The black pudding is no more or less happy than it was before. It's a net gain of happiness.
-- calum, May 02 2007


Hmmmmm...
.....I had been wondering how McDonkeys could have over thirty quazillion served and still be on the same cow.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, May 02 2007


For the most part, Americans are also missing out on black pudding.

However, I was hoping perhaps that this would involve some synthetic blood used to make the pudding. Maybe we could get some more infor about this leghemoglobin...

//I'd be terrified if you had the power to stop me doing things but even if you are the president you can't stop me drinking my own blood//

I'm worried that someone here is so vehement about their right to consume their own blood. Not that it's any business of mine, but why the protest? Nobody's stopping you if you really want to. Although I would caution you not to bleed yourself to death, for my own ethical reasons.
-- ye_river_xiv, May 02 2007


//Of course Black Pudding is a healthy food - it contains protein, carbohydrates and fat,//

...sawdust, [hippo], you forgot sawdust.

Fibre?
-- m_Al_com, May 03 2007


Sp: "Fibrin", you clot.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, May 03 2007


You gotta be carefull with this, I mean, what if you accidentally had your black pudding made from zombie blood... where are your ethics then?
-- ColonelMuffins, May 04 2007


What about other parts of people, like those we donate to science or medicine? A vegetarian-friendly (when you're vegetarian for ethical reasons) alternative to pork.
-- qt75rx1, Apr 07 2008


[+] this is brilliant! At least from the point of view of being something that really makes you think.

One would have to take care when living with others not to mix up the blood. "Eat me" takes on a new meaning...
-- James Newton, Aug 07 2008


Eww. Black pudding. Eww.
-- kuupuuluu, Aug 08 2008



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