The days when humans had to eat every single piece of the animals they hunted to survive are long gone. But somebody forgot to tell that to the jokers who enjoy ingesting the following list of meat products. Some come straight from the cow, pig, sheep, and even moose. Others were created by mankind in what we can only figure was some kind of major double-dog dare:
8. Potted meat
This is the canned food product that survivors find stashed in some bomb shelter in postapocalyptic movies. Besides the name (which we guess was developed before the advent of marketing), the ingredients list is also unappetizing: beef stomach, mechanically separated chicken, beef hearts, and beef and pork fatty tissue.
Woody Allen once remarked of a cow's tongue that he never wanted to taste something that was tasting him back. Sounds logical. Tongue can be pickled or boiled and is commonly used in sandwiches (dare we say open-face sandwiches).
6. Haggis
Again, another unappetizing name. This sausage is a traditional Scottish dish and is made of sheep's lungs, liver, and heart. We're guessing this is part of what led to the stigma that the UK knows little about good food.
The lining of cow's or pig's stomach is eaten across the globe. There are actually three linings of the stomach, but the one most commonly put into our own stomachs resembles a honeycomb or, if you prefer, the skin of some alien creature. It's often cut up and served in stew. 4. Scrapple
A northeastern -- especially Philly and southwest Jersey -- specialty, scrapple is made of the least desirable parts of the pig, including the snout, heart, liver, and pretty much any other nasty thing you can think of. The pig parts are then combined with cornmeal and flour, and it comes in brick-like packages, which is fitting considering that's about how it sits in your stomach. It's usually pan-fried and served for breakfast.
3. Jellied moose nose
Not much to describe here. The name says it all. The upper jaw bone (just below the eyes) of a moose is boiled until it turns into a gelatinous mess. Oh yeah, halfway through, you are supposed to pluck the nose hairs out of it -- unless you prefer keeping them in. There are two kinds of meat from this heap: white meat from the bulb of the nose and dark meat from along the bones and jowls.
2. Sweetbreads
Maybe the euphemism of all euphemisms, this is actually the thymus gland of a cow (located in the neck). It tastes rubbery, as you'd expect glands would, and is often grilled.
Yeah. Exactly what it sounds like: sausage lining around coagulated blood and some other fillers. Argentines are famous for preparing this, known as morcilla, but a bunch of other countries indulge. They call it blood pudding in England. And here we thought that was a vampire dish.
