New Eyes in Culinary Arts? Or We Just Don’t Know It All
The other culture
Ewww! Do you eat this? As my friends shun parts of animals eaten in some cultures, I thank veteran writer Julia E Hubbel for saying it so eloquently in How to “See With New Eyes”: The Proustian Journey of International Travel:
We have no right to impose our values on others, most particularly in other countries, who may see our attachments to our animals as idiocy.
(Julia E Hubbel)
I’m not talking about pets. And Julia (who doesn't need my shout-out) is referring to something other than the culinary arts. But her point hits as “us versus them”, that “we” know better. Do we?
Modern fast-paced American culture mostly says if you eat meat, eat it neat — clean-cut chunks only. To many other cultures, that’s wasteful and hypocritical. Not maximizing all parts nature makes available is possibly because of the United States’ approximate long affluence since the Great Depression.
Unthinkable organic matters became food from necessity in countries that went through historical periods of hardship. Wisdom of geniuses found some of these not only nutritional but medicinal, thus becoming part of the culture. Much like twigs and roots of plants we might step on and ignore — and turn out to be precious, some parts of the animal world work the same way.
Opulent Greco-Roman festivals? Speculations say ancients chopped up profuse leftovers into delectable mounds, added fat (horror!), wine, and spices, and stored them in earthenware. A precursor of gourmet terrines and pâtés across Europe today. The “no-waste” culture sees no economic boundaries.
The French arguably win the medal for refining the art of using all parts possible of the animal in the western world. In the east? I have a couple of nominees in mind. I won’t creep anyone out with the weirdest food from around the world (feel free to google that — sweetbreads and headcheese included).
Check Out These Functional Foods
Unusual yet common edibles boast fantastic reasons these are on a pedestal:
Black pudding — the blood
I had a bowl of simply cooked, salted coagulated pork blood chunks while in Hong Kong. It was smooth, light, and tasty! Almost addictive.
“Superfood”, claimed MuscleFood (a nutritional oracle) in 2016 of the high-pro, low-carb pig’s or cow’s blood mixed with suet, cereal, onion, and herbs stuffed in animal intestines —national cuisines of the United Kingdom and Ireland. A version on skewers is a popular street food in Taiwan. Italians make it sweet, adding chocolate, milk, pine nuts, raisins, and sugar in the intriguing Sanguinaccio dolce.
You might not believe in single superfoods. Yet there’s no denying black pudding is chock full of essential nutrients, a good ingredient for balanced, super diets when used in moderation. British dietician Rebecca McManamon believes it benefits peri-menopausal women and teenagers. Moms?
Fish milt — the life-giver
Shirako in Japan. Telur ikan In Indonesia. Lapti in Romania. Moloka in Russia. Lattume in Sicily, Italy (yes, a regular topping for pasta). These are all seafood milt — sperm sacs containing the semen, most commonly from cod fish, but also salmon, snapper, sea bream, herring, squid, and more. As these are life-giving sperms, you can imagine they are extremely nutritious!
My first experience of milt came in the belly of a male carp. Serendipity. I sautéed it with a sprinkling of salt. Tasted like a silky pâté. The gourmet version came later, with a texture like custard, slightly charred.
Asians use it for invigorating the body and the mind. Well-known European gourmets loved it too, starting in the 1800s. Scientists reiterate the benefits of milt beyond Omega-3: Phosphorus and arginine, quintessential in energy storage and muscle building. Some tout Marine DNA — very close to human DNA — for healing and immunity boosting. It counters osteoporosis, early aging, and chronic fatigue.
Fish milt — now a functional food — may be the answer to malnutrition in developing countries.
Chicken feet — the collagen
Now, now. You don’t need to have them fried. Chinese use them in soups and stews, a lot. No, not the yellow outer layer of the skin or any parts untoward. Cooks remove them before cooking. Oh, they gel so well — perfect for quality stock, and take on the flavor of whatever sauce or seasoning you fancy.
Chicken feet are abundant in collagen: Skin, cartilage, tendons, and bones. Do the words chondroitin and glucosamine sound familiar? Yes, supplements for arthritis and joint support. Plenty in chicken feet. These lessen joint pain, help regrow connective tissues, and minimize inflammation and stiffness in the back. I’d rather have a nutritious meal than take a pill.
Wait, there’s more. The rich gelatin in chicken feet heals mucus membranes within our gastrointestinal tracts. Everything about our health starts from our stomach.
And according to this article, because of the rich bone content, broth from chicken feet improves sexual function and promotes fertility.
The Department of Animal Science of National Chung-Hsing University in Taiwan summarizes the collagen-rich chicken feet as the go-to for healthy skin, blood circulation, joints, bones, and digestion.
Cow tripe — for selenium +
Bite into the tiny pockets of the lean honeycomb tripe, generously holding a flavorful stew — and oh dear — robust clove, star anise, sweet soy sauce, and numerous spices burst open on the palate. Yummo…
That’s the Chinese stewed version, often attached to the book-tripe (牛百葉), sometimes stir-fried with garlic, ginger, and scallions. The French use tripe in andouille, the sausage. Italians cook trippa alla romana with pomodoro sauce and grated parmigiano. Mexicans cook menudo the tripe soup with hominy, tomatoes, oregano, and bay leaf to cure hangovers. The Spanish stew it with chorizo and chickpeas in callos.
Used in moderation, tripe is an excellent source of selenium — and very lean proteins — important for our bodies’ signaling and defense systems, and according to WebMD, reduces the risk of heart conditions, infertility, and arthritis.
That’s clean food. No unnecessary calories.
Anthony Bourdain poured his heart out in his book A Cook’s Tour on why he would respect chefs in making every use possible of an animal sacrificed in the food chain, after his trip from New York to Portugal to help slaughter a pig.
Some don’t eat internal organs for health reasons — cholesterols for one, allergy another. Understandable. That aside, the cultures that consume Mother Nature’s provisions — which many Americans discard — have been thriving long before the American culture was born.
Here, I’m not talking about humongous fast food chains’ camouflage of unspeakable animal parts in their “everyday” food items. That’s pulling wool over eaters’ eyes on an enormous scale.
I am talking about respecting the animal parts — and plant parts — when using them in cuisines. Decent chefs make them gourmet but let diners know what they're eating.
No one diet fits all. If we are to minimize animal consumption, could this be a new way of looking at food? Think environmental friendliness is new?
We don't have to force ourselves to eat things we don’t find healthy or appetizing. But we can look at different cultures with new eyes.
What’s your experience with unusual foods? I would love to meet you in the comments column.
(Not medical advice, unaffiliated with links above)
© Pseu Pending (Seu) 2022
