Okay, so offal might not be the most glamorous food out there, but hear us out - it can actually be really good for you and really tasty too! Offal is just a fancy way of saying organ meat and other edible parts of an animal - think liver, heart, and tongue. Gross? Maybe to some people, but it's packed with protein and has lots of vitamins and minerals like iron and B12. Liver alone is known to be the most nutrient dense food on the planet! Chicken liver for example has 28X vitamin B12, 15X Iron and 3X Zinc when compared to chicken breast.
Plus, it's a more sustainable and eco-friendly option since it makes use of parts of the animal that may otherwise go to waste. This is also known as nose to tail eating, which most probably will require a blog on its own.
Now, we know what you're thinking - "I can't even look at it, let alone eat it." But trust me, offal can be really tasty when it's cooked right. And no, I'm not talking about liver and onions (although that's a classic). Maybe hot smoked tongue or deli beef tongue?! There are tons of delicious offal recipes out there - just do a quick search online and you'll see what I mean.
So how do you enjoy offal? Well, you can try adding it to stews, soups and curries, or using it to make pâtés , bolognaise sauce or offal burgers. There are tons of ways to cook offal too - you can roast it, sauté it, grill it, or even fry it. There are certain online butchers (ahem CarniStore) that will sell you mixed offal mince to incorporate into the kids’ spaghetti or a lasagna or even as a great starter for a tartare recipe. Alternatively, the more courageous would just go for some lightly salted raw liver. If you chose to follow a keto diet or carnivore diet, these will come in handy to meat (pun intended) your daily nutrient intake.
So don't knock it until you try it - give offal a chance. Your body (and the planet) will thank you. And who knows, you might just find a new favorite food!
You can get non-awful offal (grass fed organ meats) here!