The average supermarket meat department could almost convince you that cows and chickens are made solely of fillets and breasts. Of course, the truth is that there are many parts of an animal that don’t always end up on those shelves. A stroll through the farmers’ market where I shop would remind you that cows also have tongues, livers, and marrowbones, and at my favorite San Francisco taco truck, you can order burritos with cabeza (head) or tripa (tripe). These meats may not be pretty, but plenty of people still consider them tasty and delicious.
In the eyes of much of the world, Americans are culinary dilettantes. We eat only the tender, the lean, and the attractive parts of our feed animals, and that’s a reflection of our relative wealth compared with much of the world. For most of human history, only the rich could afford to eat those choicest cuts of meat, and the poor had to make do with whatever was left over, no matter how tough, stringy, or distasteful. Today, these leftovers are called “variety meats” or “offal,” and many chefs consider the ability to skillfully prepare them to be the truest test of culinary prowess. After all, anybody can grill a steak, but only a consummate professional can make calf’s brain palatable. With the rise of Slow Food, locavore cuisine, and “nose to tail” cooking styles, offal is making a remarkable comeback, and the variety meats found in restaurants today not only are delicious but also have significant nutritional value.
Liver
Whether or not they enjoy it, most people have consumed liver at one point or another. They’ve eaten beef liver stewed with onions, they’ve tasted goose liver foie gras or duck liver pâté, or they’ve tried chicken liver, which is often made into a mousse and served with toast points. Regardless of what animal it comes from, liver is an excellent source of vitamin A, which promotes healthy skin, teeth, and eyes, as well as full of iron, zinc, B vitamins, vitamin C, and vitamin D. Beef liver contains huge amounts of copper and good amounts of healthy fatty acids.
Heart
Since the heart is a hardworking muscle, the texture can be a bit tough, so heart is often served stewed or braised in order to allow the meat to become tender. Heart is low in sodium and very high in iron. It also contains selenium, zinc, phosphorus, niacin, and riboflavin.
Brains
Brains are a delicacy in many parts of the world, especially Asia and Europe. Calves’ brains are popular items in French provincial cooking, and some peoples in Africa and Indonesia even eat monkey brains. They are high in niacin, phosophorus, B12, and vitamin C. Eating brains can potentially transmit bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, so it’s important to procure brains for consumption from a reputable source.
Tripe
Just about every cuisine in the world features some form of tripe, from Italian tripa alla Romana with tomato sauce, Cajun andouille sausage, and Vietnamese phờ. Since it consists of various kinds of stomach and intestinal tissue, tripe must be cleaned meticulously before it’s served. It contains vitamin B12 and significant amounts of protein. Tripe is also commonly used in making processed meats like commercial sausage and hot dogs.
