How to recognize Troyes andouillette?

Marc Esquerré | 12/28/23

Do you know how to recognize a Troyes andouillette? Here are a few tips and, as a bonus, our list of good places to find it.

Andouillette de Troyes is made exclusively from marinated and seasoned pork, then stuffed into chowders (intestines). It is generally "pulled with string", i.e. introduced into the gut by a string passed through it. It's called "genuine" when it comes from Troyes and the surrounding region, and has been made according to custom, but there is currently no IGP to protect it. We therefore chose to taste andouillettes from different origins.

History , short and long

If there are several towns whose specialty is andouillette, Troyes can, without disowning itself, claim to be the capital. If only because of its long history, since the famous delicatessen is mentioned here as far back as the16thcentury. Over time, the reputation of Troyes' tripe-makers grew, and the andouillette began to make frequent trips to Paris. The story goes that on Saint Lambert's Day, September 17, 1790, the surprise attack by the royalists to retake the city from the ligueurs ended in failure, partly because the assailants lingered for a moment in the tripier district to sample andouillettes. The anecdote would be amusing had it not been for the massacre of the King's supporters who remained in the city .

Andouillette AAAAA or 5A

L'Association amicale des amateurs d'andouillette authentique is a club of bon vivants, from the culinary professions and beyond, whose members are the guarantors of the label obtained after regular tastings. When it was founded, the famous Le Mondecolumnist Robert Courtine, alias LaReynière, was one of the first members. The 5A label is awarded for two years on the basis of taste, not compliance with specifications. The andouillettes offered are of the andouillette de Troyes type, with no particular constraints .

Food and wine pairings for andouillette

Andouillette is traditionally prepared and served with white wine, cream and usually mustard. A Chablis is the ideal accompaniment, but a Sauvignon from Saint-Bris, with its lovely nose of autumn fruit, will do just as well.

Two good places to find andouille de Troyes

La Champenoise ❤

Created in 1970, La Champenoise is one of the very first companies to manufacture andouilles and andouillettes in industrial quantities, now distributed in hypermarkets. The genuine andouillette de Troyes remains the company's flagship product, distinguished by the AAAAA Academy.

Tasting notes: Attractive cut, golden hue, not too shiny. The aroma is frank, not very farmy, but rather civilized. The texture is just right, of good thickness, with chunks that hold together well. The taste is clean and peppery. The texture and flesh are very pleasant for a typical, convivial andouillette.

Price: 23.15 euros per kg
11, rue de la Fontaine-Saint-Louis, 10260 Jully-sur-Sarce
www.lachampenoise.com

Gilbert Lemelle

Our ancestors Gaston, then Gilbert, created and developed the charcuterie business, then passed on their know-how to Dominique and Benoît, who have taken the family charcuterie to a European dimension. You'll find the genuine 5A"hand-dressed"andouillette de Troyes, as well as other products such as andouille de Guémené, pig's trotters and sausages.

Tasting notes: A classic andouillette, rather consensual, a little soft in appearance, which disintegrates somewhat when cooked, but presents fine qualities: the nose is frank, of grilled charcuterie, the chewiness correct, the taste typical, with a slight lack of seasoning.