What foods you don't ever want to see on your plate?

[simonbaker]

Sure thing. I aim to please! And someone can have mine as I don't like bacon with my liver.

I would be happy to come for dessert! My favorite part of any meal~!

 

[TATTRAT]

Offal is primarily the internal organs of food animals, including lungs, hearts, livers, stomachs, intestines and brains. And yes, it's pronounced "awful."

Chitterlings are intestines and from what I've read, they require at least an hour of cleaning and several hours of cooking to be safe to eat. I would look for a soul food restaurant if you want to try them. Don't know if you have those in PA, but we sure do in VA

Offal IS organ meat, there is no other way about it.

Also, some of the best dishes/cuisine is based off of offal because it was well, a lot more common to "average folk". People are far to quick to dismiss the benefits of cheap eats, offal is the stuff many of our parents grew up on and we(as adults) hold close to the heart. Tripe, kidneys, Chicken livers, hearts (smaller the better but even an ox heart can eat like butter), hell even chicken wings, all of this stuff holds a HIGH post in traditional Escoffier Cuisine.

Personally, I LOVE the resurgence of off cuts being center plate. Folks, mainly American, need to disconnect from the mindset that offal is bad. Humans have made it this far by eating every part of the animal. It wasn't until VERY RECENTLY that humans could afford to even be picky.

Give it a chance, make it a choice. Remember, chickens were once left for royalty and lobsters were trash food. In the words of Andrew Zimmern, "if it looks good, eat it".

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Hiya Tatt!

 

[Mad Cook]

Offal IS organ meat, there is no other way about it.

Also, some of the best dishes/cuisine is based off of offal because it was well, a lot more common to "average folk". People are far to quick to dismiss the benefits of cheap eats, offal is the stuff many of our parents grew up on and we(as adults) hold close to the heart. Tripe, kidneys, Chicken livers, hearts (smaller the better but even an ox heart can eat like butter), hell even chicken wings, all of this stuff holds a HIGH post in traditional Escoffier Cuisine.

Personally, I LOVE the resurgence of off cuts being center plate. Folks, mainly American, need to disconnect from the mindset that offal is bad. Humans have made it this far by eating every part of the animal. It wasn't until VERY RECENTLY that humans could afford to even be picky.

Give it a chance, make it a choice. Remember, chickens were once left for royalty and lobsters were trash food. In the words of Andrew Zimmern, "if it looks good, eat it".

In London in the 1700s apprentice boys rioted against diet of salmon and oysters and in the 19th century oysters were used as cheap padding in beef stews.

I read somewhere that offal was called variety meats in the US. A much more enticing name. The only offal I can't face is the dreaded tripe. There is something in the UK called "elder" which apparently is cow's udder and considered a delicacy in the North of England. We waste nowt in t' north. Never had it but it doesn't look appetising as it's grey.

 

[GotGarlic]

I don't know of any soul food restaurants in my area but there are probably some in Pittsburgh. I don't want them bad enough to go looking for a restaurant, and besides, my husband would not eat anything from said restaurant.

He won't eat fried chicken and mac 'n cheese?? Heresy!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

The only recipe I've come across for chubb is from Mrs Beeton - "Stewed Chubb" - which sounds really depressing. Chubb can be eaten but only if you are desperate. They are supposed to be good fishing though. Eating them isn't an issue in UK as most fresh water fishing is done for sport and the fish have to be thrown back (unless it's a fish farm with facilities to catch your own.).

I've caught and eaten chubs, simply dredged in flour, and pan-fried in oil, lightly salted when browned. But they are best, IMO, smoked. I've not eaten carp, but understand that in Poland, and Germany, they are considered an excellent fish. They are available in my neck of the woods, but are considered to be on the same standard as suckers, and not caught to be eaten. We have such a rich variety of really great fish in the upper great lakes, and their tributaries, that the humble carp and suckers get a bad rap by comparison.

I am going to have to catch some, and give them a try.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Offal is primarily the internal organs of food animals, including lungs, hearts, livers, stomachs, intestines and brains. And yes, it's pronounced "awful."

Chitterlings are intestines and from what I've read, they require at least an hour of cleaning and several hours of cooking to be safe to eat. I would look for a soul food restaurant if you want to try them. Don't know if you have those in PA, but we sure do in VA

Those same intestines are also called sausage casings, and stuffed with bratwurst, kielbasi, salami, pepperoni, knockwurst, Italian sausage, Chorizo, Sopraseta, etc.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[CarolPa]

He won't eat fried chicken and mac 'n cheese?? Heresy!

Mac and cheese is one of his favorites. He used to eat Kraft, but now I make a home made cheese sauce and cook macaroni to go with it. He prefers that now. That's his lunch. If I make it for our dinner, I dress it up to be more of an adult meal and bake it.

He will eat fried chicken as long as it's made with boneless skinless chicken breasts. He will not eat any meat off the bone. It all has to be boneless.

He will eat beef, as in roast, hamburgers, hot dogs, and skillet dinners out of the box. He will eat fried fish....no baked or broiled. No shellfish, Pork only if it is boneless chops cooked in sauekraut. Baked ham at Christmas and Easter, Turkey at Thanksgiving. He eats lots and lots of potatoes. Prepared any way. Some pasta occasionally, the same with rice. He will eat scrambled eggs, but if an egg is fried he will eat only the yolk. No whites. He will eat pancakes, waffles, cereal. It is very hard to cook for him. It's limited. We eat out often so I can order something different off a menu, but he will not go to a restaurant if he thinks they will not have something on the menu that he will eat. I agree....it's heresy! I love so many unusual foods and will try most anything as long as it is something that is meant to be food. No insects, living or dead.

 

[GotGarlic]

Those same intestines are also called sausage casings, and stuffed with bratwurst, kielbasi, salami, pepperoni, knockwurst, Italian sausage, Chorizo, Sopraseta, etc.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

You're right, I forgot to mention that Good stuff.

 

[TATTRAT]

Hiya Tatt!

Hey hon!

 

[GotGarlic]

Mac and cheese is one of his favorites. He used to eat Kraft, but now I make a home made cheese sauce and cook macaroni to go with it. He prefers that now. That's his lunch. If I make it for our dinner, I dress it up to be more of an adult meal and bake it.

He will eat fried chicken as long as it's made with boneless skinless chicken breasts. He will not eat any meat off the bone. It all has to be boneless.

He will eat beef, as in roast, hamburgers, hot dogs, and skillet dinners out of the box. He will eat fried fish....no baked or broiled. No shellfish, Pork only if it is boneless chops cooked in sauekraut. Baked ham at Christmas and Easter, Turkey at Thanksgiving. He eats lots and lots of potatoes. Prepared any way. Some pasta occasionally, the same with rice. He will eat scrambled eggs, but if an egg is fried he will eat only the yolk. No whites. He will eat pancakes, waffles, cereal. It is very hard to cook for him. It's limited. We eat out often so I can order something different off a menu, but he will not go to a restaurant if he thinks they will not have something on the menu that he will eat. I agree....it's heresy! I love so many unusual foods and will try most anything as long as it is something that is meant to be food. No insects, living or dead.

I'm sure he must have some wonderful qualities, or you wouldn't have married him Bummer that a foodie is with someone whose palate is so limited, though. I'm lucky that DH will try just about anything I make. He has a few specific dislikes, like anyone else, but it's not a long list.

 

[CWS4322]

Tatt!!! Where have you been hiding? Is all well (or is it offal? groan)?

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Hey hon!

Been missing you, but have been watching your beautiful pictures on Flickr.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

The only recipe I've come across for chubb is from Mrs Beeton - "Stewed Chub" - which sounds really depressing. Chub can be eaten but only if you are desperate. They are supposed to be good fishing though. Eating them isn't an issue in UK as most fresh water fishing is done for sport and the fish have to be thrown back (unless it's a fish farm with facilities to catch your own.).

What we call chubbs here in California are an artificially introduced species (who knows what jerk did it? they don't fly). They out-compete trout which are a much sought after species.

Chubs are all bony with suckery mouths. I can't see how anybody could eat a chub unless they were dying of starvation.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

A Chinese friend told me that there is no word for "offal" in Chinese.

Asians are very frugal and efficient. They will find a way to use every part of every edible animal. I admire frugality and industriousness.

Oh, BTW, I really like liver, both chicken and beef. Somehow I missed the lesson that liver is awful. (Pun intended.)

In fact I'll have to have calf liver & onions, ketchup, and a side of scalloped potatoes soon.

 

[CarolPa]

I'm sure he must have some wonderful qualities, or you wouldn't have married him Bummer that a foodie is with someone whose palate is so limited, though. I'm lucky that DH will try just about anything I make. He has a few specific dislikes, like anyone else, but it's not a long list.

Oh, yes, he does have many redeeming qualities, but this is a food related forum and none of them involve food. Except that whatever he doesn't eat leaves more for me!

 

[TATTRAT]

Tatt!!! Where have you been hiding? Is all well (or is it offal? groan)?

Not so much hiding as laying low and trying to get back to life!

Been missing you, but have been watching your beautiful pictures on Flickr.

Thanks hon! I hope you enjoy the shots!

 

[Mad Cook]

Asians are very frugal and efficient. They will find a way to use every part of every edible animal. I admire frugality and industriousness.

Oh, BTW, I really like liver, both chicken and beef. Somehow I missed the lesson that liver is awful. (Pun intended.)

In fact I'll have to have calf liver & onions, ketchup, and a side of scalloped potatoes soon.

A bit out of date here but is it true that offal products are called "variety meats" in the US? Makes it sound so much more enticing than offal.

I love hearts, liver and kidneys but can't bear tripe and it's relation, elder, and we used to feed "lights" (= lungs) to the cat when I was little but you never see them in butchers now. I'm rather partial to haggis which as you may know is a sheep's stomach stuffed with offal-y bits, oatmeal and other things and much tastier than it sounds.

We used to see grey shrivelled up bits called chitterlings in pork butcher's shop windows in the north of England but I never tried them and I haven't seen them in years. I suppose the prep required to clean them and make them fit for human consumption made them uneconomical to sell

Sausages mainly have artificial casings now but high-end makers still use intestines.

 

[CraigC]

We only use natural casings.

 

[Mad Cook]

We only use natural casings.

Much better. The synthetic ones are called that because they are man-made from artificially processed collagen from beef hides, etc. Not plastic or anything like that. Used for cheap sausages.