I finally decided to try boudin

I'm not a big sausage eater, so I was reluctant to try boudin, a popular "sausage" in cajun country.

I put "sausage" in quotation marks because boudin is not really sausage; rather, it's rice dressing stuffed into a sausage casing.

It was created as a way to stretch out the meat to feed more people.

The rice dressing usually consists of rice, sausage, and other spices. There are thousands of different recipes; Crawfish boudin contains, well, crawfish.

Since pre-made boudin is a staple in South Louisiana, available at every grocery and convenience store, I did not try making my own.

If you'd like to try making your own, there are sample recipes here, here, and here.

Of the kinds I tried, I really liked the Savoie brand; Richard's was too hot for me. Some like it hot.

I prepared the pre-made boudin by placing it on a cast iron griddle and heating in the oven at 300.