Offal: A Global History

Whether you call it offal, variety meat or organ meat, or prefer to eat it unwittingly in burgers and sausages, the whole spectrum of an animal’s glands, essential organs, skin, muscle, guts and every unmentionable in between can be and is eaten across the globe. But can we enjoy a pig’s heart, a cow’s eyes, or a sheep’s brain when it reminds us so viscerally of our own flesh and blood? As Nina Edwards shows in this intriguing history, offal has been consumed and enjoyed across ages and continents, though it is often hidden by the rich variety of terms – like foie gras and sweetbreads – that have evolved to veil its origins. There are offal dishes that are specific to regional cuisines and holidays, such as Scottish haggis, Jewish chopped liver and Southern states’ chitterlings. Offal is a food of contradictions – it is high in nutrients but also dangerously high in cholesterol, and it can range from expensive haute cuisine to a cheap alternative for the impoverished. Offal explores our complicated relationship with nose-to-tail eating and the extreme reactions it inspires.From tongue in Sichuan and gizzard stew in Rio de Janeiro to spicy cartilage in Calcutta, Offal sheds new light on the sometimes stomach-churning foods we consume