NationStates Jolt Archive

The fur debate raises the issue of using the whole animal. So who here eats any offal? Or are people like my sister's family who cook a chicken and then will only eat the breast meat, throwing the rest away. Personally I love a good piece of liver with some black pudding and onions and potatoes.

I'm not fond of liver, but kidneys make good pie filling and I adore heart.

Can't stand the stuff.

It's a bit of a stretch to say that you shouldn't eat animals unless you eat the whole thing.

Yep yep, I'll eat almost anything, which is to say that I would try most things. Offal is lovlely though, heart, liver, kidney, lights, tripe umm yummy.

Heh I am an ex butcher though so I guess thats not supprising.

hat

I used to a great deal, but it makes me prone to gout now, so I have to cut back-the joys of aging

Can't stand the stuff.

It's a bit of a stretch to say that you shouldn't eat animals unless you eat the whole thing.

Naaa I disagree, why is it such a stretch? I also feel that you shouldn't eat meat unless you are properd to kill it.

I'd never cook a whole chicken in the first place. And I imagine the parts I don't buy will end up as pet food or something. I don't think they just throw it away.

I don't mind liver, but I rarely/never eat it, should try it more often. When I'm cooking though, I usually cut of arteries or parts of fat and give them to my cats. They love it, and it saves cash on catfood :)
Same with bugs really, they're healthy little things. Low on fat, high on protein, maggots fried in olive oil with a pinch of salt taste suprisingly good, like crisps.

Can't stand the stuff.

It's a bit of a stretch to say that you shouldn't eat animals unless you eat the whole thing.

I am not quite saying that - but I do think it is slightly immoral to waste food.

Yep yep, I'll eat almost anything, which is to say that I would try most things. Offal is lovlely though, heart, liver, kidney, lights, tripe umm yummy.

Heh I am an ex butcher though so I guess thats not supprising.

I found tripe a bit bland - I suppose it is more a good sauce and texture thing.

I am not quite saying that - but I do think it is slightly immoral to waste food.Yeah, there's starving people in Africa that would kill for it. So any wasted food should be send over there. Admittedly it'll be maggot invested by the time it arrives. But then they can fry the maggots in a bit of olive oil with a pinch of salt and it'll taste just like crisps. Apparently.

:p

I found tripe a bit bland - I suppose it is more a good sauce and texture thing.

Yeah just like quorn.;)

I'm vegetarian, and I'm tempted atm to go vegan.

But when I did eat meat, I had no problem with offal, liver, heart, that sort of thing. It's just not popular. Doesn't mean it's not tasty. I fail to see the problem, if you can reconcile yourself with eating a chicken's chest or a cow's arse, what's the problem with its liver?

Yeah just like quorn.;)

I used to have some quite strange images in my head about Prince Charles being a member of the Quorn Hunt, until I found out Quorn was a village in Leicestershire.

I used to have some quite strange images in my head about Prince Charles being a member of the Quorn Hunt, until I found out Quorn was a village in Leicestershire.

Bwahahahha no. lalalalalala I aint listening. There is no such village, and Charlie boy does indeed hunt the wild quorn!:)

I fail to see the problem, if you can reconcile yourself with eating a chicken's chest or a cow's arse, what's the problem with its liver?The problem with liver is the smell and quite probably the taste (I was probably forced to eat it once, but the smell's enough to keep me from trying to relive repressed childhood traumas).
Besides, most guys like a bit of breast and ass. ;)

I wouldn't categorically say that I absolutely would never eat it, but at this moment the only offal I'd eat without hesitation is liver.

My ex loves scrapple and, never let it be said that I don't have an open mind, I tried it. Once.

*BLORCH*

Never again.

The fur debate raises the issue of using the whole animal. So who here eats any offal? Or are people like my sister's family who cook a chicken and then will only eat the breast meat, throwing the rest away. Personally I love a good piece of liver with some black pudding and onions and potatoes.

I'd probably even eat the moo if I could figure out how...

I am a bit picky about a few bits - no brains (BSE worries) and liver must be very fresh, otherwise the tase and texcture are just yucky.

Naaa I disagree, why is it such a stretch? I also feel that you shouldn't eat meat unless you are properd to kill it.

I'm agreed - if you don't personally understand that how meat = a dead animal, and what that entails, you probably shouldn't be eating meat.

I found tripe a bit bland - I suppose it is more a good sauce and texture thing.

A good sauce does indeed make tripe.

The problem with liver is the smell and quite probably the taste (I was probably forced to eat it once, but the smell's enough to keep me from trying to relive repressed childhood traumas).
Besides, most guys like a bit of breast and ass. ;)

:P

Yeah, liver deteriorates very quickly smell and tastewise.

I like liver and I eat kidney, heart and tripe, but the latter ones really only because they come in dishes with yummy sauces. With tripe, I have to make sure not to think too closely about what I'm eating.

I used to eat brain, too (cut into tiny pieces and served in broth) but brain has gone out of favor with the advent of mad cow disease.

The one piece I'd never want to try is lung.

And I hate tongue. The taste as well as seeing a giant cow tongue in a butchers display. ><

Mmm liver.

I'd never cook a whole chicken in the first place. And I imagine the parts I don't buy will end up as pet food or something. I don't think they just throw it away.

Don't kid yourself the bits the supermarkets don't sell as prime cuts go to takeaways and processesed food manufacturers.

The fur debate raises the issue of using the whole animal. So who here eats any offal? Or are people like my sister's family who cook a chicken and then will only eat the breast meat, throwing the rest away. Personally I love a good piece of liver with some black pudding and onions and potatoes.

I couldn't possibly bring myself to throw away 'offal'. And what a silly term that is. 'Offal' should refer only to what cannot be eaten, what holds no nutritional value. The feathers of the chicken (which we use for other purposes), the beak etc.

When we hunt, we often make blood sausage. I can't stand the stuff, by my relations love it, so we share. Organ meat is a delicacy. I happen to be madly fond of breaded/fried chicken hearts and gizzards.

With tripe, I have to make sure not to think too closely about what I'm eating. I never could eat tripe. My mother-in-law makes this Chilean dish with tripe that smells great and probably tastes fine...but it's the consistency of the tripe that I can't get over. That and the smell of the tripe cooking pre-sauce. My father's father was mad for tripe, and chicken feet soup. I can do without.

The fur debate raises the issue of using the whole animal. So who here eats any offal? Or are people like my sister's family who cook a chicken and then will only eat the breast meat, throwing the rest away. Personally I love a good piece of liver with some black pudding and onions and potatoes.

I can't get why your sister's family buy whole chickens instead of chicken breast, then :confused:. Also the legs of the chicken taste far more better than the breast.

I eat kidneys (in a ragout), liver (fried in the pan with butter), brains (fried), stomachs (tripe! yum!), have tried the hearth (bleah), I hate the lungs (megableah). I never tried fried testicles yet.

And what a silly term that is. 'Offal' should refer only to what cannot be eaten, what holds no nutritional value. The feathers of the chicken (which we use for other purposes), the beak etc.
I thought for the longest time that that was what it referred to. Even when I saw this thread I was all "eww" till I clicked it and remembered.
In German, it's just called "Innereien" - i.e. entrails, organs.

When we hunt, we often make blood sausage. I can't stand the stuff, by my relations love it, so we share. Organ meat is a delicacy. I happen to be madly fond of breaded/fried chicken hearts and gizzards.
I don't like blood sausage, mainly because the way it's done here has it seasoned with all these spices that also go into christmas-y baked goods. And the consistency is odd.
I do like one kind of blood sausage, though. It's eaten cold and looks like this (http://farm1.static.flickr.com/236/457844244_bcecae5194.jpg)and tastes much more like regular smoked sausage than blood sausage.

I can't get why your sister's family buy whole chickens instead of chicken breast, then :confused:. Also the legs of the chicken taste far more better than the breast.

I eat kidneys (in a ragout), liver (fried in the pan with butter), brains (fried), stomachs (tripe! yum!), have tried the hearth (bleah), I hate the lungs (megableah). I never tried fried testicles yet.

I think she likes doing the whole Sunday roast thing...I like the dark meat too, definitely more flavour too it.

I don't eat organ meats. It's icky. I ate lamb fries once, they weren't bad, but thinking about what they are, kinda grosses me out.

I only eat the muscles of animals.

We do use all of the actual "meat" on chickens though, we eat the breast one day and the dark meat I use the next day for enchiladas.

I love calves liver, especially the way it's prepared in Greek and Turkish restaurants. And tripe, if it's prepared well. And well, if you like sausage, you've eaten intestine. (and probably a lot of bits you don't want to think about -- ears, lips, etc.)

Yeah, there's starving people in Africa that would kill for it. So any wasted food should be send over there. Admittedly it'll be maggot invested by the time it arrives. But then they can fry the maggots in a bit of olive oil with a pinch of salt and it'll taste just like crisps. Apparently.

:p
Sounds better than eating chicken liver.

I wouldn't categorically say that I absolutely would never eat it, but at this moment the only offal I'd eat without hesitation is liver.

My ex loves scrapple and, never let it be said that I don't have an open mind, I tried it. Once.

*BLORCH*

Never again.

Agreed. Too much gelatin and fat for too little meat.
Gimme bacon instead.

I couldn't possibly bring myself to throw away 'offal'. And what a silly term that is. 'Offal' should refer only to what cannot be eaten, what holds no nutritional value. The feathers of the chicken (which we use for other purposes), the beak etc.

Agree as to the name offal. Oddly enough, here in Japan, at least in the Kansai area, offal's called "horumon" or "discarded thing(s)".

And I've actually had roasted chicken beaks...

When we hunt, we often make blood sausage. I can't stand the stuff, by my relations love it, so we share. Organ meat is a delicacy. I happen to be madly fond of breaded/fried chicken hearts and gizzards.

Blood sausage is one I've not tried yet, but would give a go.

And now for one that I quite like that I'm sure will have some running for the exits: a great little yakitori place I know does an awesome raw gizzard dish - very fresh, chilled but not frozen sliced gizzards, with a soy-ginger sauce.

I can't get why your sister's family buy whole chickens instead of chicken breast, then :confused:. Also the legs of the chicken taste far more better than the breast.

I eat kidneys (in a ragout), liver (fried in the pan with butter), brains (fried), stomachs (tripe! yum!), have tried the hearth (bleah), I hate the lungs (megableah). I never tried fried testicles yet.

A hearth would be bleah indeed - although the charcoal and ash are probably good for the digestion. :P

I like haggis, and not just because I'm 'supposed to'

*shrug*

Can't stand the stuff.

It's a bit of a stretch to say that you shouldn't eat animals unless you eat the whole thing.

Thats why we started keeping dogs

Is it just me, or did the thread title make it seem like the topic at hand was totally different (and rather nasty)?

Offal is awful.

I'm vegetarian, and I'm tempted atm to go vegan.

But when I did eat meat, I had no problem with offal, liver, heart, that sort of thing. It's just not popular. Doesn't mean it's not tasty. I fail to see the problem, if you can reconcile yourself with eating a chicken's chest or a cow's arse, what's the problem with its liver?Its liver is its waste filter. Would you have eaten its colon?

i not only dont eat offal, it makes me queasy to walk past that section of the meat department.

*shudder*

not that i mind a bit of chicken gizzard or heart. but thats not the same as the huge hunks of tripe in the grocery store.

Offal is awful.

Its liver is its waste filter. Would you have eaten its colon?

Why not, once it's cleaned out?

And I've actually had roasted chicken beaks...


Quite good if you are feeling peckish....I'll get my coat.

Offal is awful.

Its liver is its waste filter. Would you have eaten its colon?

In a wolfpack only the alpha couple get to eat the liver So presumably it has to be pretty good.

Why not, once it's cleaned out?

Because I'm a spoiled American and it's icky. I was vegan for a while so meat itself kinda icks me out, but organs, blood, bile........these things are not for Smunkee consumption.

In a wolfpack only the alpha couple get to eat the liver So presumably it has to be pretty good.

When I was a kid, we got a piece of the raw liver right after the kill.

I still have a soft spot for it, though I'm more repulsed now than I was then.

Because I'm a spoiled American and it's icky. I was vegan for a while so meat itself kinda icks me out, but organs, blood, bile........these things are not for Smunkee consumption.

Seems slightly at odds with what you are saying in the fur debate.

Seems slightly at odds with what you are saying in the fur debate.

I have no problem with killing animals for my comfort. Many animals have died so I can have the pharmaceuticals I need so that my bones don't crumble and such. I'm kinda icked out by eating them sometimes. I don't eat organ meat. Something probably to do with growing up with dietary restrictions imposed by my grandparent's church and the mixture of spending 7 years not eating anything animal.

I have no problem with killing animals for my comfort. Many animals have died so I can have the pharmaceuticals I need so that my bones don't crumble and such. I'm kinda icked out by eating them sometimes. I don't eat organ meat. Something probably to do with growing up with dietary restrictions imposed by my grandparent's church and the mixture of spending 7 years not eating anything animal.

I was a vegetarian for about fifteen years, somehow since I have started eating meat again I have got more adventurous about what I eat. Horses for courses...there's an idea.

I was a vegetarian for about fifteen years, somehow since I have started eating meat again I have got more adventurous about what I eat. Horses for courses...there's an idea.
Meeh, horse is plain stuff, didn't fancy it. Deer and cow, that's the stuff.

Hmm... there should have been another option... "some bits are ok."

I HATE the taste of kidney, and never have liver as liver, but do use rabbit liver to make pate sometimes.

Heart is delicious :D just rub it with coarse sea salt and cracked pepper, and roast in a crockpot/slow cooker until nice and tender. makes WONDERFUL sandwiches :D it's a very very sweet meat that needs a tasty sauce or relish to be at it's best.

Why not, once it's cleaned out?

Indeed. And as has already been pointed out, intestine is the traditional sausage casing.

Quite good if you are feeling peckish....I'll get my coat.

Twas rather like a burnt bone...

Meeh, horse is plain stuff, didn't fancy it. Deer and cow, that's the stuff.

A while back I had some really nice dried, smoked horse meat at this little Hokkaido place near my house. It was very tasty.

I'm a big fan of poultry liver.

Why not, once it's cleaned out?I can't imagine they could clean it out enough.

In a wolfpack only the alpha couple get to eat the liver So presumably it has to be pretty good.Sure, but canines have been known to eat their own vomit.

Indeed. And as has already been pointed out, intestine is the traditional sausage casing.


Sausage casing phooey. I prefer it chopped in chunks and crispy fried before it's dunked into sweet roast pork broth, garnished with spring onions and thin ginger strips. The Chinese have long had practice at the art of turning what the Western world calls offal into tasty stuff.

I can't imagine they could clean it out enough.

Not difficult at all. A good washing and proper cooking are all that's needed.

Also note that intestines are used for surgical suture material.

1. Surgical Gut

Surgical guts are also known as a catgut and is made from the submucous layer of a sheep 's intestine. Once cleaned, dried and twisted into threads of various sizes they are prepared for use by special processes, that include innumerable inspections of gauze and tensile strength and scrupulous sterilization. The length of time for complete absorption of surgical gut in a wound varies according to the action of certain hardening agents.
http://www.content4reprint.com/health/medical-information---different-types-of-sutures.htm