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PGI — Franche-Comté
Golden-smoked and fragrant with caraway — saucisse de Montbéliard is the queen of choucroutes and potées franc-comtoises, little sister to the Morteau and an inseparable companion to long winter gatherings around the table.
Charcuterie speciality from Franche-Comté, PGI (IGP) since 2013.
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The tradition of cured meats in Franche-Comté is one of the oldest in France. As early as the 1st century BC, the Mandubii, a Gallic tribe, developed a great mastery of meat salting — a know-how they passed on to the Sequani and the Aedui, peoples established across what is now Franche-Comté; the cured meats of the Sequani would in turn become renowned as far afield as Rome. In 58 BC, Caesar himself was already praising the quality of the region's land and pork; the remains of Gallo-Roman smokehouses unearthed at Mandeure (Epomanduodurum), near Montbéliard, bear witness to the antiquity of this craft. By the 14th century, the sausage — then called andouille or andouillette — was already distinguished by an original recipe: a blend of lean and fat from local pork, seasoned with garlic and caraway (a local plant also referred to as cumin), dried at length in a chimney over burning softwood.
Saucisse de Montbéliard and saucisse de Morteau share the same family, the same terroir and the same softwood smoking technique. But they are not twin sisters: the Montbéliard is slimmer and shorter, closed by twisting — without a wooden peg —, and its product specification strictly requires pepper as well as cumin and/or caraway, this local seed with aniseed and peppery notes. Its minimum smoking time is also shorter than that of Label Rouge Morteau (24h in a traditional tuyé), giving it a more delicate smoky flavour and suppler meat.
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As with the Morteau, artisans from the Pays de Montbéliard mobilised to protect the authenticity of their sausage against imitations: a brotherhood, the Compagnons du Boitchu, came into being as early as 1977 to defend and promote it, followed in 1992 by a first regional label, the 'véritable saucisse de Montbéliard'. The pork sector lodged its application for European recognition in 2001; following a national opposition procedure opened in 2010, saucisse de Montbéliard obtained its PGI in 2013 — later than the Morteau (2010), but with the same ambition: to guarantee consumers a sausage made and smoked in the four Franc-Comtois departments, in accordance with precise specifications.
Saucisse de Montbéliard has a slightly curved cylindrical shape, with a minimum diameter of 25 mm at stuffing, and is generally marketed in pairs. Its uncoloured natural casing, closed by twisting, takes on an amber colour during smoking, between brown and golden — yet non-homogeneous, revealing through translucency the darker areas of lean meat and lighter areas of fat. The meat, pink to dark red, is coarsely minced but remains well bound when sliced. It stands out from the Morteau at first glance: no wooden peg, closed simply by twisting the casing, and a slimmer format.
Appearance
Slightly curved sausage, uncoloured natural casing closed by twisting, amber colour between brown and golden, sold in pairs.
Aroma
Softwood smoke aroma clearly pronounced, particularly on the raw product.
Taste
Balanced smoky flavour lingering on the palate, never sour nor acrid; meaty taste heightened by pepper and cumin and/or caraway.
Texture
Tender and supple when cooked, firm and juicy in the mouth, coarsely minced and well bound, not falling apart when sliced.
The Montbéliard's defining distinction compared to other Franc-Comtois smoked sausages is this mandatory seasoning with pepper and cumin and/or caraway — a local seed that brings aniseed and subtly peppery notes. Its flavour remains balanced and accessible, with a more delicate smokiness than that of the Morteau, making it the ideal sausage for choucroute, where it blends in without overpowering.
Pork reared in Franche-Comté, lean and fat selected for the mince mixture.
(optional) — Resting in the open air, in a cold room or in a drying room, until the sausage is dry to the touch.
Raw, cooked or frozen, generally sold in pairs.
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Saucisse de Montbéliard is cooked for 20 to 25 minutes in simmering water, immersed in cold water then heated gradually, without ever bringing it to a rolling boil — at the risk of bursting the casing — and without pricking it before cooking. It can also be baked en papillote in the oven (200–210°C, 20 to 25 min), wrapped in aluminium foil to concentrate its aromas. Its traditional pairing par excellence is choucroute garnie — bringing a smoky freshness and aniseed notes that answer the cabbage's juniper berries. It also pairs wonderfully with a potée franc-comtoise with winter vegetables, a raclette or simply potatoes coated in cancoillotte. As for wine, a Beaujolais Villages or a light, fruity red Bourgogne perfectly balances its spicy and smoky notes; a Poulsard d'Arbois or a Crémant du Jura as an aperitif also work wonders.
Since: 2013
Area covered: Doubs (25), Jura (39), Haute-Saône (70), Territoire de Belfort (90)
Key requirements: Uncoloured natural casing, pepper and cumin and/or caraway mandatory, min. diameter 25 mm at stuffing, smoking min. 6h over softwood, pork reared in Franche-Comté
Family-run
Family-run artisan
Artisanal manufacturer
Family business
Family business
Artisanal industry
Artisanal manufacturer
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