i Lead Recipes

In the Southern United States, canned pork brain in gravy can be purchased for consumption as food. This form of brain is often fried with scrambled eggs to produce the famous “Eggs n’ Brains”. They are part of the menu in many family owned restaurants throughout the region. The brain of animals also features in French cuisine, in dishes such as cervelle de veau and tête de veau. Calf’s brains, or cervelle de veau, is a traditional delicacy in Europe and Morocco. It is the brain of a calf consumed as meat. It is often served with tongue or mixed with scrambled eggs. Calf or veal brains are used in the cuisines of France, El Salvador, Mexico, etc. where they are called sesos in Spanish, and are eaten in tacos and burritos.

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Sweetbreads are the thymus glands and pancreas glands of lamb, beef, or pork. Although both are edible, the heart thymus gland is generally favoured because of its delicate flavour and texture, and is thus more expensive. Typically sweetbreads are soaked in salt water, then poached in milk after which an outer membrane is removed. Once dry and chilled, they’re often breaded and fried until crisp. It is also popular to use them as a stuffing or in pâtés. There is a lot of debate about whether or not the pancreas can be considered sweetbreads. Even though French Master Chef Phillipe Boulot says no, there are numerous resources that say yes, such as Larousse Gastronomique, the French encyclopedia of gastronomy.

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A faggot is a kind of meatball. Faggots are a traditional dish in the UK, especially the Midlands of England. It is made from meat off-cuts and offal, especially pork. A faggot is traditionally made from pig heart, liver and fatty belly meat or bacon minced together, with herbs added for flavouring and sometimes breadcrumbs. The mixture is shaped in the hand into balls, wrapped round with caul fat (the omentum membrane from the pig’s abdomen), and baked. The dish saw its greatest popularity with the rationing during World War II but has become less popular in recent years. Faggots are usually homemade and are to be found in traditional butchers’ shops and market stalls.

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A whole bird from a butcher is often packaged with the giblets (sometimes sealed in a bag in the body cavity). Although it does not technically fit the definition above, the neck is often included with the giblets, as it must be separated from the body during the process of butchering. There are a number of recipes that use giblets. If a bird is to be stuffed, the giblets are traditionally chopped and added to the stuffing. If not, they can be used for other purposes, such as giblet pie or, a Southern U.S. favourite, giblet gravy. With the exception of giblet gravy, the liver is not usually included in these recipes, as its strong flavour tends to overpower other ingredients. It may be used in liver-specific recipes, such as pâté or yakitori. Giblets can also be used to make alicot, a French stew.

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There are many recipes, most of which have in common the following ingredients: sheep’s ‘pluck’ (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in the animal’s stomach for approximately three hours. Most modern commercial haggis is prepared in a casing rather than an actual stomach. There are also meat-free recipes for vegetarians and vegans. Haggis is traditionally served with “neeps and tatties” (Scots: swede, yellow turnip or rutabaga and potatoes, boiled and mashed separately) and a “dram” (i.e. a glass of Scotch whisky), especially as the main course of a Burns supper. However it is also often eaten with other accompaniments, or served with a Whisky-based sauce.

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