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Normandy
With its black coat and greyish flesh, Andouille de Vire carries within its strips of chitterlings all the patient craftsmanship of the Bocage normand — a savoir-faire protected by neither law nor decree, but defended for a century by a brotherhood's oath.
Charcuterie speciality from Normandy.
The etymology of the word 'andouille' is believed to be Gallo-Roman, meaning 'swollen, plump, shaped like a barrel' — a 'dolium'. The dish is mentioned several times by Rabelais in Pantagruel, in which he recounts the famous 'war of the andouilles'; yet nothing confirms with certainty that the early texts, poems and folk songs evoking the andouille refer specifically to the one from Vire, in Calvados. What is better documented, closer to our own time, is the role played by Paul Danjou, a charcutier in Vire, who enabled this small artisanal andouille to leave the farm kitchens of the Bocage and finally make its way into a shop.
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The twentieth century gave Andouille de Vire its most familiar face. Charles Amand, a charcutier renowned for his andouille recipe inherited from his grandmother, set up in Vire in 1947 and began specialising in andouille from 1963; his products quickly met with success across the Normandy region. His business grew into France's largest producer of andouilles, with two factories — one in Vire (Calvados), the other in Pontorson (Manche) — reaching an output of around 3,000 tonnes a year in 2005. Today, the product is no longer made in a single workshop: seven artisans and businesses, based in or near Vire-Normandie, share production under the name 'Véritable andouille de Vire'.
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Founded on 27 October 1995 in Vire-Normandie, the Confrérie de la véritable andouille de Vire does not champion a trade guild, but aims to 'make the genuine Andouille de Vire known and appreciated, distinguish it from imitations, and promote Vire and the Bocage'. Each year, it organises a competition where jurats — volunteers from Normandie, Mayenne or the Dreux area — assess the samples submitted by makers; whoever receives the accolade, along with a medal and diploma, must first take an oath: 'I swear fidelity to the véritable andouille de Vire and to honour its black coat throughout my life, at all times and in all places'. This very black coat is the hallmark of the beechwood smoking that concludes the production process.
Appearance
Natural casing of irregular, bumpy shape, unlike the regular rings of Andouille de Guémené; black outer coat, imparted by smoking.
Aroma
Pronounced smoky notes, imparted by several weeks of beechwood smoking.
Taste
Assertive flavour, poised between the smokiness of the casing and the saltiness of the brine, without the added fat typical of other regional andouilles.
Texture
Flesh in slender strips, firm after slow cooking, contrasting with its greyish, striated appearance when sliced.
Roughly 3 kg of raw ingredients are needed to yield 600 g of finished andouille.
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Andouille de Vire is traditionally eaten cold, thinly sliced on crusty farmhouse bread with beurre d'Isigny, or hot, in a salad with cooked apples, or even in a pie with camembert. It pairs wonderfully with caramelised onions or fresh local apples.
The name 'Andouille de Vire' is generic and has fallen into the public domain: it may be used by any charcutier, wherever they are based, without any official mark (AOC, PDO (AOP), PGI (IGP), Label Rouge) protecting either the recipe or the geographical origin. Only the designation 'Véritable andouille de Vire', championed since 1995 by the Confrérie de la véritable andouille de Vire, distinguishes andouilles genuinely made in Vire-Normandie — an industry recognition, not an official quality mark.
Artisanal industry
Artisan charcuterie
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