Andouille! Sausage Cajun style!

It is made with chunks of lean pork meat rather than ground and usually has lots of garlic. I can guarantee it will make your gumbo better than mass produced sausage. Much better...... Some are made from turkey rather than pork. Turkey has an authentic taste and texture with even less fat. I recommend it.

A very lean and flavorful sausage, it originates from France or Germany or both it is thought. What is known is the French people who settled south Louisiana brought recipes and cooking techniques with them. Cajuns perfected the sausage into what we know today.

This cajun sausage is well known in Louisiana and cooks prize it's qualities for spicing up gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice or ettoufee'. It is usually smoked with pecan wood and sugar cane to give it a unique flavor you would expect to get from Louisiana.

I always buy an authentic Cajun sausage made by Tony Chacheres's or Savoie's and my freezer is well inventoried for year round gumbo cooking. When vacuum packed and frozen it will stay fresh for more than a year.

It is unlikely that you will find andouille outside of Louisiana. Some specialty stores in southern locales may carry it. But you can have it shipped to your home no matter where you live.

I recommend Cajun Grocer an online retailer located in south Louisiana. They carry many brands of this authentic Cajun sausage and they will be happy to keep you supplied. I use them often and I find they are a trusted source.

LaPlace, located just outside New Orleans, is affectionately known as the Cajun smoked sausage capital of Louisiana and producers there offer a really authentic product. The annual FESTIVAL is held in October. It's a place to Pass a Good Time, enjoy good music and eat some fantastic food.