Blutwurst is the German sausage traditionally made with blood and ingredients such as barley or groats.
Blutwurst, literally “blood sausage,” is made using animal blood, commonly pork blood, combined with fat, meat, and regional ingredients. Barley, oats, or other grains may be included, depending on the local recipe. The sausage is seasoned and cooked, and some varieties are sold ready to eat or prepared by reheating.
German regional versions have different names and compositions. Flönz is a blood sausage associated with the Rhineland, while Thüringer Rotwurst is a well-known Thuringian variety. These examples show why the general term does not describe one completely uniform recipe.
Blutwurst is sometimes confused with liver sausage because both belong to Germany’s broad cooked-sausage tradition. Liverwurst, however, is defined by liver as a principal ingredient, whereas Blutwurst is defined by blood.