dawallace,
there are three types of boudin that I know of. Here's a quick definition:
Boudin blanc (white boudin)
A type of sausage made from a pork rice dressing, much like dirty rice, only moister, stuffed into pork casings. Pork liver and heart meat are typically included. Rice is more frequently used in Cajun cuisine, whereas the French version tends to use milk, and is therefore generally more delicate than the Cajun variety. Although the sausage wrap is edible, the stuffing is typically squeezed out of one end. In Cajun cuisine, it is often served with cracklins (fried pig skins) and saltine crackers. Boudin Blanc dressing is also used to make Boudin balls. The dressing is not stuffed into a casing but formed into a ball, rolled in breading and deep fat fried, similar to the Italian arancini.
Boudin noir (black boudin)
A dark-hued French blood sausage or Cajun sausage containing pork, rice, pig blood, and other ingredients.
Boudin rouge (red boudin)
In Louisiana cuisine, a sausage similar to boudin blanc, but with pork blood added to it. It originated from the French boudin noir
There are as many ways to make boudin as there are mosquitoes in the swamp. In general, folks east of the Miss River leave out the liver and heart while folks west of the river put it in. Other ingredients vary widely.
