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Lorraine
Smoked over beechwood in the southern Vosges, the andouille du Val d'Ajol has had its fair since 1831 and its brotherhood since 1965: a village pride, jealously guarded by five charcutiers.
Charcuterie speciality from Lorraine.
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For centuries, Le Val-d'Ajol has been a festive commune. On 6 August 1831, an ordinance by King Louis-Philippe set the date of the andouille fair on the third Monday of February. During Lent, the inhabitants used this occasion to finish off their store of pork from the December slaughter; by February, only a few sausages remained, which they brought to the market to sustain themselves. This fair, initially a livestock fair where farmers replenished their herds, declined after the Second World War.
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A handful of convivial companions with a Rabelaisian spirit then gave the fair a second lease of life by founding a gastronomic brotherhood to celebrate a local product: andouille. On 15 February 1965, the Confrérie des Taste-Andouilles et Gandoyaux du Val d'Ajol was born. According to the tourist office, the fair now draws 30,000 to 40,000 people over three days, featuring a costume parade, a gourmet food market, a flea market, and an induction chapter of brotherhoods.
In 1984, five charcutiers and the Confrérie registered the trademark "l'Andouille du Val d'Ajol". The registration with the INPI limits production to the territory of the commune, and only five Ajolais butcher-charcutiers now hold the ring certifying the recipe's authenticity.
Appearance
Andouille stuffed into a natural casing.
Aroma
Smoky fragrance, as the sausage is smoked over beechwood.
Flavour
Pork seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg, shallot, and garlic, splashed with white wine.
According to the tourist office, the recipe combines roughly 60% pork meat and 40% stomach and large intestine.
The mixture is stuffed into a natural casing.
The andouille is smoked over beech logs for six to eight hours, depending on the charcutier.
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It simply needs to be gently cooked for thirty to thirty-five minutes in simmering water, without piercing it. It is enjoyed with a warm potato salad, lentils, cabbage, or a potée; the tourist office also suggests serving it with choucroute or potée lorraine. The best opportunity to taste it remains the Foire aux Andouilles, every third Monday of February.
Andouille du Val d'Ajol does not benefit from any official quality mark (PDO (AOP), PGI (IGP), Label Rouge). Its name is protected by a trademark registered with the INPI in 1984 by five charcutiers and the local brotherhood, which restricts its use to the commune; only five Ajolais butcher-charcutiers hold the ring that guarantees the authenticity of the recipe. Le Val-d'Ajol is also a Site Remarquable du Goût — an association award, not an official mark.
No producer is listed for this product yet.