Before refrigeration, wasting any part of a slaughtered animal wasn't just frugal—it was survival. That's how blood sausage became one of humanity's oldest preserved foods, mentioned in Homer's Odyssey around 800 BCE. When Odysseus describes soldiers roasting blood-filled stomachs over fire, he's basically talking about the world's first blood sausage barbecue.

Every culture that raised livestock developed their own version. The British have black pudding (often served with a full English breakfast), the French prize boudin noir, Germans love their blutwurst, and Spaniards swear by morcilla. In Korea, sundae is stuffed with glass noodles and vegetables alongside the blood. What's fascinating is how each region adapted the recipe to local tastes—some add oats or barley, others prefer rice, and many throw in spices ranging from marjoram to cinnamon.

Here's the thing most people don't know: blood is an incredible binder and packed with iron and protein. Medieval cooks understood this instinctively, using it to create a sausage that stayed fresh longer than most meats. Today, blood sausage has gone upscale, appearing on trendy restaurant menus as chefs rediscover "nose-to-tail" eating. That ancient survival food? It's now considered a delicacy, proving that what goes around really does come around—just like sausage casings.