What Is Mutura And What Does It Taste Like?

Blood sausage has a long history. One of the earliest mentions of the food traces back to a reference seen in Homer's The Odyssey and has appeared in food cultures around the world for centuries (via Tastes of History). While the name might put you off, many of us have come to love blood sausage, and thanks to the traditional English breakfast, even seek it out in the form of black pudding (via BBC). 

For curious eaters who want to take their taste buds and love of sausage to the limit, mutura presents an experience like no other. According to Serious Eats, this Kenyan blood sausage features goat, cow, lamb, or mixtures of each meat in an intestine casing that then gets grilled over a fire and cooks in its own fat drippings. The sausage not only features a key meat — each sausage comes packed with ginger, garlic, scallions, cilantro, chile, and a healthy amount of blood to round out the richest sausage you may have ever tasted.

These days, we can find mutura everywhere throughout Kenya, but this hasn't always been the case (via Serious Eats). Originally, men had to whip up the mutura after slaughtering the animals that went into the sausages, while women had the exclusive honor of chowing down on them (via Atlas Obscura). Muturas have since moved beyond ceremonial treats, and now appear at roadside stands across Kenya (via Serious Eats). If you want to get a taste of this delicacy without a flight to Kenya, you might encounter some issues. 

According to Taste Atlas, don't expect to come across mutura very easily anywhere in America — you might even have to try to make this dish at home to capture the magic that each sausage inspires. This rich, savory sausage, defined by heavy amounts of spices and blood have stuck around for generations thanks to its incredible taste. If you ever get a chance to visit Kenya, make sure to try this local delicacy that can keep anyone coming back for seconds.