Haggis, plum pudding, menudo
– among the world’s culinary pleasures are some truly strange
foods. Ever wonder what’s in them? It’s time to find out
At one time or another, everyone has sat down in a restaurant, perused the menu and come across a truly mysterious-sounding food. Although some diners stick to what they know, others are adventurous and order something they can’t identify.
In the interest of expanding the horizons of the former, we’ve taken the mystery out of various food items that have deceptive names. Now you’ll know what you’re ordering – and, in some cases, you may be grateful to know what to avoid.
Beef feet, hearts and tripe – all ingredients in menudo – are sold at Nob Hill Foods in Hollister, said butcher Joe Martinez. The store used to sell lamb and beef heads but stopped because the items didn’t sell well and customers complained about them, he said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has restricted the sale of beef brains as a safety precaution since a couple of isolated cases of imported beef tested positive for mad cow disease, Martinez said, though the store once carried brains as well.
Items such as tongue, oxtails, tripe and sweetbreads are in high demand in some markets but are very unpopular in others, said Bruce Berven, vice president of marketing at Harris Ranch Beef Company in Gilroy.
“Most people eat what you get used to, what you develop a taste for and what you have the knowledge and ability to prepare,” Berven said. “I’ve sampled many of these items, and they’re very, very tasty.”
Tradition can make people turn their noses up at certain foods, Berven said, but people should be willing to try new things. They may find themselves pleasantly surprised.
Sweetbreads
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 of the two because of its delicate flavor and firmer, creamy-smooth texture.
Tripe
The tripe found in most markets today is the lining of beef stomach, though that from pork and sheep also fall under the definition. There are two beef stomach chambers and three kinds of tripe, all of which are tough and require long cooking.
Rocky Mountain Oysters
Also called mountain oysters and prairie oysters, these are the testicles of an animal such as a calf, sheep or boar. Mountain oysters can be special-ordered through most meat markets. Though they’re not terribly popular in the United States, testicles are considered a delicacy in Italy and France.
Giblets
Generally, this term refers to the heart, liver and gizzard of domesticated fowl and game birds. Sometimes the neck is also included in this grouping. All but the liver are used for flavoring stocks and soups. The liver is usually cooked separately and, in the case of ducks and geese, is considered a delicacy.
Sweetmeats
A sweetmeat is a small piece of something sweet such as a petit four, candied fruit, nut or candy.
Plum Pudding
The “plum” in plum pudding does not refer to the fruit. Plum pudding dates back to the Middle Ages and contains flour, suet, raisins, nuts and various spices with sugar. Back then, the ingredients were tied in a cloth and boiled until they were “plum” – that is, until they had swelled up to fill the cloth wrapping tightly.
Menudo
Long touted as a hangover cure, menudo is particularly popular in Mexico on New Year’s morning. It’s a hearty, spicy soup made with tripe, calf’s feet, green chiles, hominy and seasonings. It’s usually garnished with lime wedges, bowls of chopped chiles and onion and served with hot tortillas.
Head Cheese
Not a cheese at all, head cheese is a sausage made from the meaty bits of the head of a calf or pig (sometimes a sheep or cow) that are seasoned, combined with a gelatinous meat broth and cooked in a mold. When cool, the sausage is unmolded and thinly sliced.
Suet
Found in beef, sheep and other animals, suet is the solid white fat found around the kidneys and loins. Many British recipes call for suet, which lends richness to pastries, puddings, stuffings and mincemeats. Suet was once widely used to make tallow candles.
Mincemeat
Mincemeat was originally a medieval English sweet, spicy mixture of chopped lean meat (usually beef or beef tongue), suet and fruit. It was generally served as an entree. Gradually the meat content was reduced, and today the mixture contains nuts; dried fruits such as raisins, apples or pears; citrus peel; beef suet; spices; and brandy or rum, but no beef. Mincemeat is used primarily in pies and tarts.
Haggis
This Scottish specialty is made by stuffing a sheep’s (or other animal’s) stomach lining with a minced mixture of the animal’s organs (heart, liver, lungs and so on), onion, suet, oatmeal and seasonings, then simmering the sausage in water for about four hours.
Black Pudding
Also known as blood pudding, this large link sausage is made of pig’s blood, suet, bread crumbs and oatmeal. Almost black in color, blood sausage is generally sold precooked. It’s traditionally sautéed and served with mashed potatoes.
Spotted Dick
Spotted dick is a traditional English dessert, similar to a small sponge cake made with raisins and covered in a custard sauce.
Sources: www.foodreference.com; “The New Food Lover’s Companion,” Second Edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst
