A thick, dark blood sausage that is the edible emblem of the city of Tampere. Pork, pig's blood, and rye flour or crushed rye grain are stuffed into casings and griddled until the skin crisps, traditionally eaten dunked in tart lingonberry jam.
A Tampere specialty documented in Finnish cuisine since at least the 17th century and sold at the city's historic Tammelantori and Kauppahalli markets.
The crackled skin gives way to a soft, faintly grainy interior that tastes deeply of iron, pork, and warm marjoram. A smear of bright lingonberry cuts the richness with sharp tartness. It is rustic, savory, and unmistakably northern.
Rye flour and grain bind the blood's proteins so it sets into a sliceable sausage rather than curdling, while the initial poach gently coagulates the mixture before frying crisps the casing. Marjoram is the signature aromatic that defines the Tampere style.
Variations
Served with raw milk in old Tampere tradition, baked instead of fried, sliced cold for sandwiches, made with added pork liver
On the Palate
Where Mustamakkara sits in the Finnish flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
7 steps · 40 min
- 110 min
Combine ground pork, pork fat, and a little water with salt, white pepper, and marjoram in a large bowl.
- 25 min
Stir in fresh or defrosted pig's blood until the mixture is uniform and loose.
- 38 min
Work in rye flour and crushed rye grain a little at a time until the batter just holds together.
Watch outAdd the rye a little at a time and stop the moment the batter just holds together — too much and it bakes dry and crumbly, too little and it won't set.
- 415 min
Rinse natural hog casings and pipe the mixture into them, twisting into thick links about 15 cm long.
- 515 min
Prick each sausage with a needle and poach gently in barely simmering water for about 15 minutes to set.
Watch outKeep the water barely trembling, never a rolling boil — a hard boil bursts the casings and the blood curdles instead of setting smooth.
- 612 min
Drain and pat dry, then fry on a hot griddle or pan, turning, until the skin is dark and crisp.
Watch outFry hard until the skin goes dark and crackling-crisp — that browned casing against the soft inside is the whole eating.
- 75 min
Rest a few minutes, then slice open and serve hot with a generous spoonful of lingonberry jam.
