Offal as food, by region
Europe
In some parts of Europe, brain, chitterlings or andouilles (pig's large intestine), feet or trotters, gizzard (bird's crop), heart, head (of pigs or calves), kidney, liver, lights (lung), sweetbreads (thymus or pancreas), tongue, and tripe (stomach) from various mammals are common menu items.
he traditional Scottish haggis consists of sheep stomach stuffed with a boiled mix of liver, heart, lungs, rolled oats and other ingredients. In the UK Midlands faggots are made from ground or minced pig offal (mainly liver and cheek), bread, herbs and onion wrapped in pig's caul. Steak and kidney pie (typically featuring veal or beef kidneys) is widely known and enjoyed in Britain. Brawn is an English term for "head cheese" or the collection of meat and tissue found on an animal's skull (typically a pig) that is chilled and set in gelatin.
Iceland has its own version of both haggis and brawn. The Icelandic brawn is always a sheep and it is eaten either hot or cold off the bone or set in gelatin.
In Greece (and similarly Turkey), splinantero consists of liver, spleen and small intestine, roasted over an open fire. A festive variety is kokoretsi (from Turkish kokoreç): pieces of lamb offal (liver, heart, lungs, spleen, kidney and fat) are pierced on a spit and covered by washed small intestine wound around in a tube-like fashion. Kokoretsi is then roasted over coal fire. It is a traditional Easter feature food. Another traditional Easter food is Mageiritsa: a soup made with lamb or kid's offal and lettuce in a white sauce. Tzigerosarmas (from Turkish Ciğer Sarması - meaning Liver Wrap) and Gardoympa are two varieties of splinantero and kokoretsi made in different sizes and with extra spices to improve the taste.
In Italy consumption of entrails and internal organs is quite widespread, among the most popular preparations are fried or stewed brain, boiled intestines (Trippa), often served with tomato sauce, lampredotto (the fourth stomach of the cow), boiled in broth and seasoned with parsley sauce and chili, liver (stir-fried with onions, roasted), kidneys, heart and coronaries (coratella or animelle), head, eyes, testicles of pig, several preparations are based on chicken entrails. In Sicily, many enjoy a type of sandwich called "pani ca meusa," or bread with spleen and caciocavallo cheese.
In the French city of Marseilles pig's feet and a package of pig tripe are a traditional food under the name 'pied paquet'.
Latin America
In some Latin American countries, tripe is used to make menudo; in others, like Peru, cow heart is used for anticuchos - a sort of brochettes.
In Brazil, churrasco often includes chicken hearts, roasted in a big skewer. The typical feijoada often contains pork trimmings (ears, feet and tail). Gizzard stews, fried beef liver and beef stomach stews are also popular dishes.
Asia
In China, many organs and animal-parts are used for food or traditional Chinese medicine.
In Singapore, pig's organ soup is a common feature of hawker centres.
In Japan chicken offal is often skewered and grilled over charcoal as yakitori, to be served alongside drinks in izakayas (Japanese food-pubs). Offal originating from cattle is also an ingredient in certain dishes (see yakiniku).
In Philippines, people eat practically every part of the pig, including snout, intestines, ears, and innards.
In Pakistan, a goat's brain (Maghaz), feet (Paey), head (Siri), stomach (Ojhari or But), tongue (Zabaan), liver (Kalayji), kidney(Gurda), Udder (Kheeri) and testicles (Kapooray) as well as chickens' heart and liver are enjoyed. One popular dish, Khata-Khat, is made up of a combination of brains, liver, kidneys and other organs.
In the state of Karnataka in southern India, a strong-smelling dish called rakhti, made of heavily spiced porcine offal and cartilaginous tissue, is considered a homely indulgence by the local Christian community (observant Hindus and Muslims avoid pork products).
In Bangladesh, a goat's brain (Magoze), feet (Paya), head (Matha), stomach skin (Bhuri), tongue (Zihba), liver (Kalija), kidney and testicles are delicacies. Chickens' heart and liver are also enjoyed.
In Lebanon, lamb brain is used in nikhaat dishes and sometimes as a sandwich filling.
US and Canada
In the United States, offal is infrequently used for human consumption. Sometimes the euphemism "variety meats" is used. Offal is somewhat more popular in the American South, where some recipes include chitterlings and hog maw. Scrapple, made from pork offal, is somewhat common in the Northeast US. Fried-brain sandwiches are a specialty of St. Louis, Missouri. Traditional recipes for turkey gravy typically include the bird's giblets.
Food safety issues
Certain organs of certain animals are unsafe to consume. The liver of Polar bear and other polar animals is so high in vitamin A that it can have a toxic effect on human metabolism. The internal organs of the Fugu pufferfish are highly toxic and in Japan can only be prepared by trained master chefs, working under extremely strict regulations and licensing. Some animal intestines may be very high in coliform bacteria and need to be washed and cooked thoroughly to be safe for eating. Other offal (especially nervous tissue) may be contaminated with TSE prions; in some jurisdictions these offal classified as specified risk materials are subject to special regulations.
Offal is usually very high in purines. People suffering from gout should avoid offal in their diet.
The practice of feeding raw offal to work dogs on farms and ranches is known to spread echinococcosis.
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