For those who dare, I ate this last night.
Cecil said, There are two kinds of sweetbreads: stomach sweetbreads (also known as heart or belly sweetbreads), which are an animal's pancreas, and neck (AKA throat or gullet) sweetbreads, an animal's thymus gland. (The animal in question can be a hog or calf or just about any other large mammal, I gather.) They're called sweetbreads for the obvious reason that if you called them thymus glands or whatever you couldn't give the damn things away. The art of euphemism goes back a long way.
and, prized by gourmets throughout the world, sweetbreads are the thymus glands of veal, young beef, lamb and pork. There are two glands--an elongated lobe in the throat and a larger, rounder gland near the heart. These glands are connected by a tube, which is often removed before sweetbreads are marketed. The heart sweetbread is considered the more delectable (and is therefore more expensive) of the two because of its delicate flavor and firmer, creamy-smooth texture. Sweetbreads from milk-fed veal or young calves are considered the best.
7 comments:
Let me be the first to admit I am not a multicultural eater or an adventurous foodie, so don't anyone be offended when I say YUCK! Ewwww! Gross! Bleah!
Lol and that's without tasting it ... problem was, it was rather stunning.
I'm sorry to say this--and I say it with all due sincerity--but I LOVE sweetbreads. I do, do, doodly-do.
Funny...they're quite popular with enlightend folk in many countries, including Spain and the US. It was amusing to read your post, because I really don't consider them to be adventure food. They're (in my eyes) on the same level as liver (which I also love).
BTW...between Alison, V-grrl and me, your blog is becoming an after-hours pub for Expatica writers.
Sal
I loved the sweetbreads but hated reading of them ... and I grew up thinking that 'liver, kidneys, onion and bacon in a thick gravy' was my favourite food in the world.
Mmmm but brought up by a mother who told us lamb brains were oysters (I think they were lamb brains) ... they were something oyster-like fried in an egg batter.
Oh and I like the idea of being the after-hours pub, she writes as she sits here exploring whether or not bacardi is a possible drink for herself. Alison partook of a vodka before leaving tonight :)
I hadn't read this part yet, oops, reacted too soon... I'm glad you liked it!
Sorry, forgoyt to fill in my name.
Lol, thanks Jessica ... like I did but the next day I was less sure.
Post a Comment