Morcilla, also known as blood sausage, is a traditional Belizean delicacy that combines rich flavors and unique ingredients, creating a memorable dish. This traditional Belizean food is commonly found in the Mestizo culture in Belizean villages like Santa Clara in the Corozal District. This savory sausage is typically enjoyed as part of a hearty breakfast or as a side dish during special occasions and gatherings. Also sometimes found with alternate spelling: “Murcia.” The preparation of Morcilla involves a mixture of pig’s blood, chopped pork, herbs, and a blend of spices, encased in the pig’s intestines. Here’s how to make Belizean Morcilla at home.
Murcia Prep & Cooking Time:
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes (including cleaning intestines)
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Morcilla Blood Sausage Recipe Ingredients:
- 5 lbs chopped or ground pork shoulder or leg (roughly ground)
- 2 cups fresh pig’s blood
- 1/2 cup diced onions or scallions
- 1/4 cup finely chopped culantro (Eryngium foetidum, similar to cilantro but stronger — the key Belizean herb)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorns
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
- Pig intestines, cleaned and prepared for sausage making
- Water for boiling
- Cooking oil (optional, for frying)
How to make Belizean Murcia or Blood Sausage:
- Prepare the Intestines:
- Thoroughly clean the pig intestines with running water. Soak them in a bowl of water mixed with a bit of vinegar or lemon juice for about an hour. Rinse again and set aside. Cleaning the intestines thoroughly is labor-intensive. Natural hog casings are available on Amazon.
- Mix the Filling:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the fresh pig’s blood with, diced onions, chopped culantro, minced garlic, salt, pepper, allspice, and cloves. Mix well until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Stuff the Sausages:
- Using a sausage stuffer or a funnel, carefully fill the intestines with the blood mixture. Be sure not to overfill to avoid bursting during cooking. Tie off the ends of the sausage with kitchen string to secure the filling.
- Cook the Sausages:
- In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Gently add the stuffed sausages to the boiling water and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until the sausages are firm to the touch.
- Puncturing the sausage casing with tiny holes may help prevent the sausage casing from splitting as it cooks.
- Remove the sausages from the water and let them cool.
- Optional Frying:
- For additional texture and flavor, you can fry the sausages. Slice the cooled sausages into 1/2-inch thick pieces. Heat a small amount of cooking oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the sausage slices until they are crispy on the outside.
- Serving:
- Serve the Belizean Morcilla warm, as a standalone dish or alongside your favorite Belizean breakfast items such as fry jacks, beans, and eggs.
Tips:
- Ensure the pig’s blood is fresh; you can usually source it from a local butcher. Salting the blood and cooling it quickly helps preserve the texture.
- Be gentle when mixing the blood with the other ingredients to keep the texture smooth. When mixing the ingredients use a needing motion.
- Adjust the spices according to your preference; Belizean cuisine is regional to the village level. Some add cooked rice to their Morcilla.
Morcilla Blood Sausage Recipe Yield:
- Serves: Approximately 10-12 servings, depending on sausage size.
Nutritional Information (per serving, based on 12 servings without frying):
- Calories: Approximately 350 kcal
- Protein: 24 g
- Fat: 26 g (Varies with pork cut)
- Carbohydrates: 0 g (excluding optional rice addition)
- Sodium: 200 mg (Varies with added salt and preparation method)
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
Note: Nutritional values are estimations and may vary. Adding rice or frying the sausages will alter these values.
Enjoy this traditional Belizean Morcilla, a dish that offers a rich and unique flavor profile, representing the cultural diversity and culinary heritage of Belize. Murcia makes a great Belizean Breakfast sausage.
In Belize, morcilla — also called murcia, black sausage, or moronga — is tied to pig-killing season. When a family slaughters a pig, nothing is wasted. Neighbors come to help with the butchering, and the sausage is shared among those who worked. It is a Mestizo tradition, strongest in Corozal and Orange Walk. Seasoning varies by family and region: some add mint or habanero alongside the allspice and culantro, making each batch distinct.
Frequently Asked Questions About Morcilla
What is morcilla?
Morcilla is a traditional blood sausage popular in Belizean Mestizo communities, especially in the Corozal District. Known locally as both “morcilla” and “murcia,” it is made from fresh pig's blood, ground pork, and aromatic herbs stuffed into pig intestines and boiled until firm. In Belize, morcilla is traditionally served as a breakfast sausage alongside fry jacks, eggs, and beans.
What is blood sausage?
Blood sausage is a type of sausage made primarily from animal blood—most commonly pig's blood—mixed with meat, fat, and spices, then encased and cooked. It appears in many world cuisines under different names: morcilla in Spanish-speaking countries, boudin noir in France, and black pudding in the United Kingdom. The Belizean version uses pig's blood with culantro and allspice for a distinctly Caribbean flavor.
How do you eat morcilla?
Poach first, then pan-fry to crisp the casing and drive off moisture. Common ways to serve it: sliced alongside fry jacks and eggs, or removed from the casing and scrambled directly into eggs. It also goes into Chirmole de Frijol — black beans seasoned with apasote, garlic, and onion, with the murcia serving as the meat. See the Belizean Chirmole recipe for the base.
What is morcilla made of?
Belizean morcilla is made from fresh pig's blood, ground pork shoulder or leg, diced onions or scallions, culantro, garlic, salt, ground black pepper, allspice, and optional cloves. The mixture is stuffed into cleaned pig intestines and boiled for 45–60 minutes. Some village recipes also add cooked rice to the filling for extra body.
What pairs well with morcilla?
The traditional Belizean breakfast plate: fry jacks, scrambled eggs, and stewed black beans. Fresh habanero and pickled onion cut through the richness. Corn tortillas if you are eating it Yucatan style.
More from the Belizean Kitchen
- Belizean Fry Jacks Recipe — the classic breakfast pairing
- Belizean Tamales Recipe — communal dish from the same tradition
- Belizean Relleno Recipe — whole pig, Mestizo roots
- Belizean Chirmole Recipe — the base for Chirmole de Frijol with murcia
Shop This Recipe
Whole Allspice
Jamaican or Central American origin
Whole Cloves
Recado blanco, chimole, and braised meats all call for whole cloves ground or simmered into the dish. Frontier Co-op’s whole cloves keep their volatile oils longer than ground.
About Chica Post
Chica Post is Belizean by marriage and love. She has traveled across Belize — Corozal, Orange Walk, Dangriga, Stann Creek, and everywhere except Toledo — and has been to Mexico many times. She is raising two bilingual boys and keeping Belizean food alive in an American kitchen. She co-authored many of the original recipes on this site and took the photographs. She writes for the Belize News Post.
