ANDOUILLETTE 5A, THE REFERENCE

67152 Views 11/12/2022 0 comments Posted By: Emmanuel Poulet-Harmel In: Blog of gourmets

AAAAA or 5 A is not a brand and does not designate a type of andouillette. It is a quality certificate granted to manufacturers by the Friendly Association of Authentic Andouillettes Amateurs.

 This joyful assembly was born in the 1950s around five gastronomic critics, among whom we can mention Robert Courtine and Francis Amunategui. The latter organized regular meetings for pleasure to taste in a restaurant the best sausages they unearthed in their peregrinations through the land. In the mid-1970s, they decided to award outstanding makers degrees renewable every two years.

This recognition is not a formality. It goes through a tasting of the product by the members of the association together. This session takes place under the control of members representing charcuterie companies who do not have the right to vote.

A summary score out of 5 points is then awarded. At least a 3 must be obtained to be conditionally admitted. A 4 offers an “unqualified” certificate and a 5 the “congratulations of the jury”.

The certificate has no normative aspect. It may concern a Trojan-type andouillette like a Provençal recipe or a strawberry veal specimen now re-authorized for sale after the mad cow parenthesis. It simply guarantees the quality of the product when tasted.

Nearly 25 manufacturers and craftsmen now hold this famous mention. For the past two years, the association has extended its field of competence to andouille on the same principle. Several certificates have already been awarded.