Let's talk about Haggis

[Teleku]

Consider this subject like you might consider traditional Asian cuisine. It may contain some things you are not used to eating in your country, but given people have been eating it for centuries, the problem is your prejudice not the food.

Another very Scottish example is black pudding (blood sausage) which is also perfectly good to eat. It's just ignorant to give an American-style "ew" about any of this. Look at the production process for a fast food hamburger, and you encounter a much more frightening food.

Your intolerance against American cultural norms is both ignorant and prejudiced.   

But seriously, some shit is just gross for other cultures to eat.  Look at the cheese thing for an extreme example, but theres lots of shit around the world Im sure you find disgusting as well.  In America, we tend to avoid organs and bugs except in rural areas (all sorts of farmers I know eat tongues, rocky mountain oysters, pigs feet....).  Thats not ment to slam any of the cultures that do enjoy this shit, but I feel perfectly knowledgable and unprejudiced when I saw EWWW at shit, like when the Japanese were passing around the raw octopus chunks and the concentrated crab brains last night at the restaurant we went to.

Its just cultural and I recognize that.  I mean, I'm sure as fuck never going to eat a cat or dog, even though I know they probably taste not unlike most meat.

Fast food hamburgers though, those cross all cultural boundries.  Nobody can resist them aparently.  The fucking Japanese are all over that shit, and China is filled with a glut of them as well.  Doesnt matter where the hell in the world you are, or what you normally eat, people fight for McDonalds 

[Ironwood]

If you're ever able to go to a proper Burns Night, GO.  Don't even think twice.

Similarly, visiting Scotland 'around that time' is well advised too.

Try to learn at least one of the poems tho.

[Endie]

If you're ever able to go to a proper Burns Night, GO.  Don't even think twice.

Similarly, visiting Scotland 'around that time' is well advised too.

Try to learn at least one of the poems tho.

This is very true.  Not only do you get one of the more authentically Scottish traditions ( for all that it's only about as old as America  :-D ), if you're a foreigner and can do even one of the shorter, 20-odd line poems then you'll be spectacularly appreciated by the whisky-downing locals, who will happily forgive your dubious pronunciation if you choose one in Scots.

People who tell people what is in haggis before they eat it are doing them no favours, though: it tastes spicy and delicious and has none of the textures you might expect from the description.  Plus, it has none of the bad mojo in it: no central nervous system.  As has been pointed out, it is a lot more wholesome than the average burger, and a million miles more palatable than stuff like the French Ortolan, where you force-feed a small bird, keeping it in a box not much bigger than a cigar case, drown it in Armagnac, roast it then eat it whole, unfilletted and with the giblets in place.

[Oban]

Ok, wow, I am avoiding this thread now.

You catch the ortolan with a net spread up in the forest canopy. Take it alive. Take it home. Poke out its eyes and put it in a small cage. Force-feed it oats and millet and figs until it has swollen to four times its normal size. Drown it in brandy. Roast it whole, in an oven at high heat, for six to eight minutes. Bring it to the table. Place a cloth—a napkin will do—over your head to hide your cruelty from the sight of God. Put the whole bird into your mouth, with only the beak protruding from your lips. Bite. Put the beak on your plate and begin chewing, gently. You will taste three things: First, the sweetness of the flesh and fat. This is God. Then, the bitterness of the guts will begin to overwhelm you. This is the suffering of Jesus. Finally, as your teeth break the small, delicate bones and they begin to lacerate your gums, you will taste the salt of your own blood, mingling with the richness of the fat and the bitterness of the organs. This is the Holy Spirit, the mystery of the Trinity—three united as one. It is cruel. And beautiful. According to Claude Souvenir, chewing the ortolan takes approximately 15 minutes.

[Zetor]

I thought Surströmming was among the nastiest foods in the world, but after reading this thread, I have a newfound respect for (and fear of) Sardinia.

Sadly, Hungary doesn't have any foods that can be considered 'vile'; the most controversial Hungarian food I can think of (tökösmákos rétes = strudel with poppyseed and pumpkin filling) is merely described as "odd". We need to try harder or something.


-- Z.

[Endie]

I love Hungarian food, and as you say, have never come across anything in all the times I've been there that struck me as particularly gag-inducing.  It's not great if you don't like heavily smoked meats, but that's about it.  Actually, I remember one Jewish restaurant in Budapest in particular that was very good - Bel Canto - that was serving some sort of stuffed goose neck dish that I was dubious about (goes back to avoiding the spinal column and CNS) but that's about it.

[DraconianOne]

Squirrel paté. 

Yum.

[Big Gulp]

I love Hungarian food, and as you say, have never come across anything in all the times I've been there that struck me as particularly gag-inducing.  It's not great if you don't like heavily smoked meats, but that's about it.  Actually, I remember one Jewish restaurant in Budapest in particular that was very good - Bel Canto - that was serving some sort of stuffed goose neck dish that I was dubious about (goes back to avoiding the spinal column and CNS) but that's about it.

You really can't go wrong with any Central European cuisine, it all tends to be of the dependable meat and potatoes variety.  That's the kind of eating I can appreciate.  Keep your fancy froo-froo cheeses to yourself, thanks, I'll go with some form of fried dead animal and a starch.

[Bunk]

Hmm, lots to comment on.

Tripe - just hit any Pho place and it will be one of the options for the soup.
Haggis - always been curious, but never tried it.
Octopus - doesn't even count as exotic - its a standard on most assorted nigiri plates

Liver - ah liver. About once a month I'll hit one of the restaurants favoured by the senior community just so I can order a nice plate of beef liver. Best served with onions and bacon with mashed potatoes. Really don't like beef kidney though. No steak and kidney pie for me.

Chicken livers aren't bad, my mother does an outstanding pate with them.

Other oddities I love: escargo, unagi (fresh water eel), oh, and my favorite nigiri; local place calls it tobi-tama. Its a tobiko (flying fish roe) nigiri with a raw quail egg on top.

Local "delicacy" I have never tried: Salt Spring Island Abelone. They call it that to get you to try it, its actually bbq'd sheep balls.

[Ironwood]

Let's be honest, chaps, if you're hungry enough, you'll eat anything.


Anyone who says different doesn't actually know what hungry means.

[Chimpy]

I hate this thread.    I very much prefer V-Lily's food threads. 

But, but they were talking about eating brains.

[voodoolily]

I hate this thread.    I very much prefer V-Lily's food threads. 

Me too. And since you put foie gras in your Wellington I'm sure you get plenty of oral sex.

[Ironwood]

What ?

[voodoolily]

http://forums.f13.net/index.php?topic=3887.msg110199#msg110199

[Ironwood]

Ok.

 

[Murgos]

I've had Blood Sausage on three occasions.  I've hated it each and every time.  The texture and flavor are just, off.

[Ookii]

I started this thread because my co-worker gave me some Menudo to bring home with me to eat (and he didnt' know what haggis was), Menudo is:

The soup menudo is a traditional Mexican dish; a spicy soup made with tripe. It is often thought of as a cure for a hangover, and is traditionally served on special occasions or with family.

His was made with cow stomach though, and actually was quite delicious.  The texture took some getting used to, just make sure if you eat it to use lots of limon, as it significantly enhances the taste of the soup.

[Murgos]

Some of my Cuban friends growing up used 'menudo' as a euphemism for shit.  Dunno if that was because of the band or the soup though.

[WayAbvPar]

This thread is damaging my calm. To say nothing of my appetite.

[Endie]

The soup menudo is a traditional Mexican dish; a spicy soup made with tripe. It is often thought of as a cure for a hangover, and is traditionally served on special occasions or with family.

I should have thought serving it with bread would involve less legal problems.

[cmlancas]

Just as an aside, remember that any organ meat or whatever you buy from the store comes with the same quality standards as the tenderloin you eat. I'm a butcher, I would know :)

Tripe is very, very, very good.

[voodoolily]

Tripe is much crunchier than I had suspected it'd be. Not bad, but not anything to write home about.

[Endie]

My dogs eat dried tripe.  They love it.  Humans, generally, cannot be in the same room as them at the time.

[Arnold]

I've considered myself a pretty stout soul, having eaten octopus

Not much different than calimari.

Obviously  you have not sampled one(or both!) of the two.  Just because they both have tentacles does not mean they taste the same or have the same texture.

[Arnold]

[quote author=Tale link=topic=10485.msg32 Thats not ment to slam any of the cultures that do enjoy this shit, but I feel perfectly knowledgable and unprejudiced when I saw EWWW at shit, like when the Japanese were passing around the raw octopus chunks and the concentrated crab brains last night at the restaurant we went to.

You sure those were brains?  When we shoot that shit, it's the crab equivqalent of the liver.  I can only handle a couple shots because that stuff is super rich, but then I'll take some mixed with eggs, over rice.

[Oban]

While it does contain a very small amount of crab brains it is actually a mix of everything that is left in the crab after the white meat is removed (think zombie food).

[Tale]

I've considered myself a pretty stout soul, having eaten octopus

Not much different than calimari.

Obviously  you have not sampled one(or both!) of the two.  Just because they both have tentacles does not mean they taste the same or have the same texture.

Sorry I meant the sheer daring of it all. Woo, octopus.

tripe

http://www.tripesite.com/ - site of The Tripe Club of New South Wales, who meet to eat tripe.

[Sky]

Tripe is very, very, very good.

I've worked in Italian restaurants. The smell of tripe being cooked is enough for me to never even try the stuff, it's vile.

[UD_Delt]

Tripe is very, very, very good.

I've worked in Italian restaurants. The smell of tripe being cooked is enough for me to never even try the stuff, it's vile.

Being Italian myself I've tried Tripe a number of times and a number of different ways. Fried, in a brown, gravy-like sauce, in a marinara sauce, etc... Never liked a single one of them. The non-fried versions are sort of like chewing on rancid rubber.

I'm also not a big fan of another Italian dish usually just known as Agrodolce around my family. It's actually Agrodolce (sweet and sour) innards. Basically that sack of stuff you get inside a whole turkey or chicken done up in a sweet and sour and sort of vinegary sauce. Just the smell of that stuff is nauseating. Not to mention when my dad would get back around to it the next day and pop it in the microwave. You wouldn't be able to use the micro without everything tasting live vinegar and ass for days.

Thinking about tripe though reminded me that the Feast of the Assumption is coming up soon. Always the best time in Cleveland at least to head to little Italy for the festival.

[Yegolev]

I see no reason for me to eat the bad parts of animals anymore.

Also, I don't care for pickled jellyfish at all.

[Ookii]

I see no reason for me to eat the bad parts of animals anymore.

Depends what a 'bad' part is, I mean most people would consider Cow Tongue to be utter horrendous but it is absolutely delicious on rye with mustard.

[Tale]

Depends what a 'bad' part is, I mean most people would consider Cow Tongue to be utter horrendous but it is absolutely delicious on rye with mustard.

In a restaurant three weeks ago I ate beef cheeks. They weren't all that good - just very cooked beef.

[Engels]

Beef cheek meat is pretty good if cooked right. I've had it as burrito filling and I loved it. Also, the meat surrounding pig ears is absolutely delicious. Of course, you have to know that, else some wise guy will eat all the meat and leave you with the flappy cartiledge, which is just bland and has a yucky texture. Pig's feet are also a bit yucky. Its like mainlining pig fat, for the most part. Its all part of poor people food, which can be yummy if done right, but for the most part its not, so there's a good reason why we as a culture only eat the 'choice parts'.

[Yegolev]

The bad parts of animals are the ones that "taste great when cooked right" but otherwise would make you gag.  Refer to chitlins and souse, and other things.  Some animals, like jellyfish, seem to be composed of nothing but bad parts but that's probably because I don't like gristle or any sort.  My grandmother was all "Eat your gristle" and I was like "Ah, wow, I am FULL".

[voodoolily]

I have only eaten tripe julienned in pho. The French love the icky parts and use them in many dishes, but that definitely stems from their cuisine's origins in peasant culture. The icky parts are still more or less poverty food, but pig cheeks are rumored to be the most succulent of all meats.