The Contest

The contest was a big success since its first year in 1981. Butchers from 10 European countries send in their products. The second year the were also competitors from Canada, Thailand, and Japan. A jury reviews over 700 products every year. The jury consists of 12 international professional judges from the Netherlands, France, Germany and Denmark. The butchers know that the judgment of this international jury is very important for the improvement of their product.

If their products are winning products, they get a medal and diploma. Their customers know the sausages of this butcher are of the best quality.

But only the very best can win a cup. There is a cup for each country and there is one cup supreme for the international champion.

The Celebration party

Eight weeks after the contest the ceremony takes places in a completely re-designed church (party-centre right now) in the Netherlands.

The guests are invited for a dinner-dansant and during the dinner party the champions receive their cups. Many pictures and video films are taken as a souvenir, which has lead to many international friendships.

The chairman Robert Troost , the vice-chairman Toine Hendrickx and the other members of the board distribute the cups.

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Explanation about La Confrerie des Chevaliers du Goute-Andouille

Originally the Confrérie comes from Jargeau in France.
Jargeau is a small lovely French town along the borders of the river Loire.
This town became famous for a sausage called 'Andouille'.

It's main ingredient was tripe. In order to improve the qualiy and reputation of its sausage the Chamber of Commerce of Jargeau along with a group of independent gastronomes established a Confrérie (a Brotherhood) in 1970.

The initiative was supported and witnessed by an already existing Confrérie of sausage experts and lovers (in this case the 'Boudin') from the cities of Montagne and Paris. Since then over 2500 distinctive members (called chevaliers) have been selected. The Confrérie promotes the up most of quality of this sausage. The activities of the Confrérie were limited to the town of Jargeau and its surrounding but eventually there was a need to expand.

Though its Dutch branch was founded in 1981. It was called the Grand Bailliage des Pays-Bas. The main organization in Jargeau selected the first Dutch Chevaliers. This Dutch branch decided to organize a trade contest allowing not only the Andouille sausage to enter but in fact all type sausages such as raw or smoked pork sausages and raw hams.

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