Pigs feet, chicken feet, offal and the like

[mitmondol]

I was reading posts on another forum and so many people stated that they would rather die than eat any of those.
That made me wonder how everybody here feels about these?
I'm also curious what happens with those parts of the animals in the US?
Couldn't find chicken feet anywhere except Chinatown.
Where I come from every bit of an animal is used. Nothing goes to waste.
So is it a sign of wealth that ppl here do not want to eat those parts?

 

[Rom]

offal....offal is good!!!!!!!
trotters...mmmm YUMMMMM
chicken feet..well i never tasted those. guess i never thought to, doesn't mean i won't

 

[buckytom]

i'm guessing you haven't been in california long, mit.

i wouldn't say it was a sign of wealth, necessarily, that the majority of americans don't eat "those" parts.

i would think it more a function of a society that has little time to enjoy all of the parts of every animal, especially the parts that require long cooking times to render their flavor and/or make them edible. i'd add that the more "ethnic" a community here in the u.s, be it asian, or eastern or western european, african/caribbean, or south american, or what have you, the more likely you are to find dishes using these parts.

the people from the other site you've mentioned are either not very informed, or possibly are english , so ignore them and spend more time here...

 

[mitmondol]

i'm guessing you haven't been in california long, mit.

i wouldn't say it was a sign of wealth, necessarily, that the majority of americans don't eat "those" parts.

i would think it more a function of a society that has little time to enjoy all of the parts of every animal, especially the parts that require long cooking times to render their flavor and/or make them edible. i'd add that the more "ethnic" a community here in the u.s, be it asian, or eastern or western european, african/caribbean, or south american, or what have you, the more likely you are to find dishes using these parts.

the people from the other site you've mentioned are either not very informed, or possibly are english , so ignore them and spend more time here...

You're funny Tom!
I've been living here plenty long, 18 years now...geez, time flies when you're having fun...
I understand what you are saying about a fast paced society. But I don't think that is the reason.
Granted, I grew up in a different society. But my parents, even my grandparents worked their behinds off, long hours etc, and yet everything was made from scratch and canned at home etc etc.
I did the same raising 3 kids.
So no, don't think it's the "being too busy to take the time" thing.
Gosh, I've even heard a sweet American girl say about foie gras (AKA goose liver) wheeeeeeeew it's discusting! Go figure...

 

[buckytom]

believe me, that sweet american girl may have actually been just from sucralose.

did you, your parents, grandparents, etc, take time out for entertainment on a weekly or monthly (or daily, as in tv) basis; for daily cultural and educational, and sporting pursuits; to think about the amount of time spent preparing those foods, v.s. what else they could be doing while still providing a good and healthy meal for thier loved ones?

were they (and you) in a traditional relationship? ya know, mom as house slave, dad as work slave?

being american isn't as plastic or shallow as i originally joked about. it just slightly more self centered than much of the world to be able to understand. we're just trying to drive a wedge of a little personal happiness in what otherwise IS a form of slavery. if things like feet and liver go by the way side, then i hope someone is left to remind us of these "delicacies".

just wait a few generations, you'll see.

 

[ironchef]

I've tried chicken feet and many types of offal, but I don't like how a lot of it tastes. The two that I do love are foie gras and sweetbreads.

 

[justplainbill]

I was reading posts on another forum and so many people stated that they would rather die than eat any of those.
That made me wonder how everybody here feels about these?
I'm also curious what happens with those parts of the animals in the US?
Couldn't find chicken feet anywhere except Chinatown.
Where I come from every bit of an animal is used. Nothing goes to waste.
So is it a sign of wealth that ppl here do not want to eat those parts?

Perhaps-
The situation you describe is a result of the food industry's shift to an emphasis on 'value added foods'. The industry looks to increase their profit margins by shifting away from the sale of individual ingredients towards combining the ingredients and selling them for a higher markup.

During good times (like when a plumber can extort $50+ an hour and a receptionist expects to make $500+ per week) many people feel their time is too valuable to bother with making meals from scratch.

The increasing prevalence of big box stores, decline of specialty stores, replacement of small farmers with food factories and lack of exposure on the part of increasing numbers of Americans to the sources of their food also contribute.

In my lifetime I've seen the most common form of chicken go from something easily obtainable from a live market, to whole chicken, to chicken parts and soup bones go from something a butcher would give to his regular customers to something that's sold by the pound.

In the last few decades the butcher has gone the same way as the baker and candlestick maker.

On a brighter note, trichinosis seems to have declined in the US.

 

[Lynan]

I am amazed at just how much we have to pay for sweetbreads/lambs brains now that they are ' trendy'. Lamb shanks fit into that category also.
I love all offal. The only thing I wont eat are mountain oysters but that is because they are removed by mouth here and I sure dont want to eat something that spent a little time in anothers oral cavity. Yucko!
I have eaten chicken feet and coxscombs in a Chinese restaurant, ate a lot of stuffed heart and tripe when young, love pickled pork trotters, et al.

Now, how many of you have had lambs tails? Just throw the freshly cut tails onto a chicken wire frame over embers, fleece still on and wait until they are charred. Peel off fleece and eat lovely sweet fatty tail meat. Heaven. Used to coincide with Guy Fawkes day years ago so we had fires going anyways! lol. Nowadays, lambs start arriving in June for the export market. Its just not right.
And salsicce di sangue..blood sausages. With a salad of raddichio and some wee boiled potatos...bliss.

 

[DramaQueen]

I eat pig's feet but only in a jar and pickled. I love them. Years ago my mother made the best chicken broth in the world. She used a whole chicken and lots of necks, backs and feet. The feet have a tremendous amount of flavor because they're cartiledge and skin. I don't think anyone actually eats the feet. There is no flesh there. I can only get them in Asian markets because Asians make their soup with chicken feet too.
I had forgotten all about the cock's combs until I read Lynan's post. I do remember my mother throwing a few of those into the soup pot, but I never ate one.

 

[GrillingFool]

It's simple....
When home butchering and raising of livestock and poultry became
uncommon, so did exposure.

Most people don't ever SEE chicken feet or offal, unless they run
across some in the grocery store. So of course they aren't going
to cook and eat them.

When the chickens met their end on the stump in the yard, and when
Bessie the cow got butchered by Tom the Abbatoir down the road,
people ate more "offal", because it was cheap and supplied.

Last time I saw "offal" regularly on the table was when I was a kid
and spent summers on the family farm with my grandparents....
who still raised their own livestock.

 

[sparrowgrass]

I worked for a brief time at a Tyson chicken plant--the feet were packed up and sent to China.

 

[Robo410]

old enough to have had parents who came from families who raised and butchered their own chickens. (you really can't do that anymore in small towns in the US there are ordinances against raising livestock of any type) Also mom's family was recently enough from Europe that we were a make it at home, cook together, nothing goes to waste family.

Love all the nasty bits! Luckily I can still get lamb necks for my stews and curries and have a ready supply of goat here in PA.

 

[CharlieD]

I would not eat chicken feet, but would use them in cooing. The produce a lot of glue like substance that is used for jello like dishes. Same with cow or pig feet.

P.S. What is offal?

 

[mitmondol]

Charlie offal is the general name for organs and other "stuff" inside the animal.
You know, wonderful things like liver, kidneys,stomack, lungs etc.

By the way, how come one can not buy lungs in the US?

 

[CharlieD]

Thank you. Not sure about lungs. But in all the truth all the organ meats is not good for you, too much cholesterol, I used to love it, still do, but do not cook any.

 

[justplainbill]

Charlie offal is the general name for organs and other "stuff" inside the animal.
You know, wonderful things like liver, kidneys,stomack, lungs etc.

By the way, how come one can not buy lungs in the US?

I think if you take a careful look at the contents of some frozen 'all beef' hamburger patties you'll see some interesting stuff- like noses and lungs.

 

[ChefJune]

I was reading posts on another forum and so many people stated that they would rather die than eat any of those.
That made me wonder how everybody here feels about these?
I'm also curious what happens with those parts of the animals in the US?
Couldn't find chicken feet anywhere except Chinatown.
Where I come from every bit of an animal is used. Nothing goes to waste.
So is it a sign of wealth that ppl here do not want to eat those parts?

I don't think it's a sign of wealth. It's a sign of not having been exposed to them. A&P and Jewel don't include the feet in with the chicken parts, etc. Altho every soup maker knows the chicken feet add amazing depth of flavor and gelatin to chicken soup. We can get them easily in Chinatown, or from a farmer at the Greenmarket. Many other parts are not so easy to come by. Many of them are used for dog and cat food, and are rarely offered to the retail customer.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Pickled pigs feet are one of my favorites!! While I don't make them myself, I find it unfortunate that these days I only find one brand - Hormel - in the markets, where years ago, growing up in NY, there were several brands & jar sizes to choose from.

As far as other offal or "specialty" meats, as they are sometimes politely called, I also like chicken liver, pork liver, beef kidneys, & lamb kidneys. Brains & sweetbreads are both items that I've never had, having a hard time getting past the visual/textural thing.

And while I've never had chicken or ducks feet, I do remember my grandparents buying them all the time for soup.

 

[carolelaine]

When I was in Jamaica several years ago they had chicken feet and all sorts of other interesting things at their farmers market. I had soup made with the feet and it was great. I was lucky enough to stay in a private home that had local cooks come in and prepare the meals and everything they made was incredible. I have wanted aki and onions ever since, but I have never seen them here, the avacados from the tree in the yard and the pumpkin soup were the best I have ever, ever had. I wish we had more interesting and diverse foods to select from, but when there is little demand there is little supply.

 

[justplainbill]

Would seem conceptually that an argument could be made as to the undesirability of consuming organs that perform a waste / toxin removal function.