Another book that could go on your list (in French) is "Beurk, c'est bon!" by Julien Fouin and Blandine Boyer. Offal is a tradition in France, as you aready know, and these authors have tried to reintroduce it to a younger generation who didn't grow up eating "les bas morceaux."
I grew up in midwest farm country and grew up eating tongue, blood sausage, head cheese, etc. i moved to NYC after college, and only ate those when I went to visit family. My the husband and young daughter were grossed out. One day in D'Agostino's of all places, there was tongue in the meat counter. My daughter threatened to leave the store if I out that in the shopping cart, but I did so anyway. When we got home she immediately turned to my husband saying, "Daddy, you won't believe what Mommy bought.". I immediately called my mom to find out how she cooked it. I followed her instructions to the letter and had a feast all to myself. My husband prepared dinner for our daughter and himself.
It's interesting about tongue. I didn't grow up in a family of adventurous eaters but tongue was part of the normal dinner rotation. We never thought it was either weird or disgusting. In fact I--who was not a great eater as a child--really liked it. I don't remember for sure, but I think it was accompanied by split peas. And tongue sandwiches are great!
I'm laughing a bit that I read the portions about offal with interest and recoiled when it got to the pollen. (I can't abide the least amount of anise flavor - please take my share of the world supply!)
What's so awful about offal 😉? It's been served as a prized delicacy in other parts of the world for centuries.
We love it cooked in all the ways you mentioned. We also love "horumon" prepared in traditional Japanese fashion – sliced super thin and just lightly poached in miso broth or seared briefly over fiery hot coals.
The next time you're in Southeast Asia, you must try "paru rendang" – beef lungs cooked in a heady blend of spices. And Koreans do incredible dishes with "gopchang".
So glad to see the tongue recipes! Tongue was one of my favorites growing up. Cow tongue, but also pork tongue, served with mashed rutabaga.
I like the fennel pollen on roasted winter veggies & omelettes. Also bought it from Dario Checchini (!), but in early October. :) Looking forward to trying some of your suggestions!
Our family served tongue, I think my Dad cooked it and it may have had pickling spices. He was originally from Boston. My Mother made liver and onions, and I think we had heart from our landlord, a retired butcher. I think some of these selections were overcooked and they were not my favorites. By coincidence, I was in a large Asian supermarket yesterday and saw many examples of offal on offer. I thought to myself that if I was served any of it in a dish that was presented in a traditional and delicious fashion, I would eat it.
I did buy two duck legs and two chicken quarters. I know what to do with those! Thanks for a very interesting article!
I'm glad to be a vegetarian when it comes to offal - with one exception. Before I became a vegetarian I experiemented with cooking many kinds of meat including kidneys and tongue. My favorite recipe was smoked pickled tongue. You could eat it cold, sliced thin in a sandwich with lots of mustard.
I remember serving it to my husband many years ago when we were first dating. He said if I ever served him tongue again it was over. Of course he grew up in the culture of Upstate New York where a proper meal consisted of a large portion of beef, with a side of potatoes and a small portion of another cooked vegetable. There was also gravy but the portions of food did not touch each other on the plate.
Ah, Gribiche!
Another book that could go on your list (in French) is "Beurk, c'est bon!" by Julien Fouin and Blandine Boyer. Offal is a tradition in France, as you aready know, and these authors have tried to reintroduce it to a younger generation who didn't grow up eating "les bas morceaux."
I grew up in midwest farm country and grew up eating tongue, blood sausage, head cheese, etc. i moved to NYC after college, and only ate those when I went to visit family. My the husband and young daughter were grossed out. One day in D'Agostino's of all places, there was tongue in the meat counter. My daughter threatened to leave the store if I out that in the shopping cart, but I did so anyway. When we got home she immediately turned to my husband saying, "Daddy, you won't believe what Mommy bought.". I immediately called my mom to find out how she cooked it. I followed her instructions to the letter and had a feast all to myself. My husband prepared dinner for our daughter and himself.
I find offal exciting. A highlight meal of my life was the deviled kidneys at St. John in London. Also love sweetbreads and heart!
I love tongue and now will need to go search one out!
Just sent a link to a friend drifting around LA of Saap Coffee House. He is currently there and super happy!!
It's interesting about tongue. I didn't grow up in a family of adventurous eaters but tongue was part of the normal dinner rotation. We never thought it was either weird or disgusting. In fact I--who was not a great eater as a child--really liked it. I don't remember for sure, but I think it was accompanied by split peas. And tongue sandwiches are great!
I'm laughing a bit that I read the portions about offal with interest and recoiled when it got to the pollen. (I can't abide the least amount of anise flavor - please take my share of the world supply!)
What's so awful about offal 😉? It's been served as a prized delicacy in other parts of the world for centuries.
We love it cooked in all the ways you mentioned. We also love "horumon" prepared in traditional Japanese fashion – sliced super thin and just lightly poached in miso broth or seared briefly over fiery hot coals.
The next time you're in Southeast Asia, you must try "paru rendang" – beef lungs cooked in a heady blend of spices. And Koreans do incredible dishes with "gopchang".
It’s simply offal that you’d write about this a week before Burns Night and not mention haggis!
It's only a matter of time before there's an article on cannibalism.
So glad to see the tongue recipes! Tongue was one of my favorites growing up. Cow tongue, but also pork tongue, served with mashed rutabaga.
I like the fennel pollen on roasted winter veggies & omelettes. Also bought it from Dario Checchini (!), but in early October. :) Looking forward to trying some of your suggestions!
Our family served tongue, I think my Dad cooked it and it may have had pickling spices. He was originally from Boston. My Mother made liver and onions, and I think we had heart from our landlord, a retired butcher. I think some of these selections were overcooked and they were not my favorites. By coincidence, I was in a large Asian supermarket yesterday and saw many examples of offal on offer. I thought to myself that if I was served any of it in a dish that was presented in a traditional and delicious fashion, I would eat it.
I did buy two duck legs and two chicken quarters. I know what to do with those! Thanks for a very interesting article!
I’m offally glad to be a vegetarian. More for you 🥳
I love tongue...fortunate enough to have had a mother who served it often...cold
And anything Fergus cooks, I eat!!!!!
We can't wait to try some of the recipes you provided, thanks!
I'm glad to be a vegetarian when it comes to offal - with one exception. Before I became a vegetarian I experiemented with cooking many kinds of meat including kidneys and tongue. My favorite recipe was smoked pickled tongue. You could eat it cold, sliced thin in a sandwich with lots of mustard.
I remember serving it to my husband many years ago when we were first dating. He said if I ever served him tongue again it was over. Of course he grew up in the culture of Upstate New York where a proper meal consisted of a large portion of beef, with a side of potatoes and a small portion of another cooked vegetable. There was also gravy but the portions of food did not touch each other on the plate.