Dan Barber Says We Need to Like Organ Meat
Duck parts. [Photograph: Chichi Wang]
According to chef and food activist Dan Barber, we don't know a lot of things.
We don't know where our meat comes from, we don't know what the animal we're eating ate, and we sure don't know how to get behind the stove and take control of what we put in our mouths.
In this article in The Nation, Barber writes about the "protein paradox," or the huge waste of edible animal parts such as liver, kidney, and tripe. Barber really wants us to like, or learn to like, organ meat—the bits and bobs typically saved for hot dogs, sausage links, and yes, dog food. He hopes that people will eat meat modestly, and when they do, consider the carcass scraps. Ignoring them requires farming output to increase and mass-production practices to remain environmentally toxic.
If you need some hand-holding in the organ meat department, try reading our Nasty Bits column, which spotlights a different meat-bit with a recipe each week. And if you're not quite there yet, but would consider cutting back on the more mainstream meats, try our Meat Lite column.
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10 Comments:
Hear! Hear! I am trying to do the same thing with my fellow hunters -- getting them to eat more than just backstraps and endless meals of random ground venison, etc. I do find that hunters are far more likely than "regular people" to like heart and liver, however, which I think is a good sign.
Just one thing about the image, though: Since when were chicken wings considered "nasty bits?"
HunterAnglerGardenerCook at 6:27PM on 09/15/09
Agree with 'Hunter Angler' about all those special possibilities...and the photo does no justice. Photo captions would be appreciated...what exactly are we looking at?
gutreactions at 9:46PM on 09/15/09
Kudos to Dan Barber! Love his closing sentence: "Democratizing the carcass should be the future of food".
Here in Indonesia, as well as most of Asia, 'democratizing' the whole animal is already an integral part of cooking, and as Barber made the point: it makes a whole lot of economic sense.
Just to give one example of the nasty (but tasty) bits we enjoy here: one very popular dish is the "Goat Feet Soup", served in the humblest of settings. Yes, the feet of the goats are the main attraction (hooves intact, how's that for not wasting anything?), plus other organs that would never grace the menu in America... even, ehm, the goat's 'family jewels'. Click this link and browse through the photos, if you have the stomach for it... (ha! :)).
cucumberpandan at 1:11AM on 09/16/09
I don't disagree with the premise, but if I had to sign up for this I'd move over to the vegetarian line. (The exception is giblets in my thanksgiving stuffing.)
lemonfair at 7:28AM on 09/16/09
Oh - and I believe the picture is fowl necks, wings, and gizzards. Not exactly the nasty bits.
lemonfair at 7:29AM on 09/16/09
lemonfair is correct—those would be necks, gizzards, and wings. Definitely not the most nastiest of bits, I have to agree. If you are unsatisfied, click over to: kidneys, tripe, and whole hock.
Erin Zimmer at 10:25AM on 09/16/09
Where's the haggis and sweetbreads?! Love the article, Barber's such a sensible man.
OuiChefCook at 11:10AM on 09/16/09
I certainly wish the "nasty bits" were more mainstream. I'm a big fan, particularly of liver in any concoction and head cheese. Though I could never serve these dishes to guests. And when folks raid my fridge for leftovers they're sometimes aghast :)
I was actually drawn to the "nasty bits" because of how economical they are and quickly fell in love with the strong flavors and variety of textures. Those very textures seem to flip people out who aren't used to them though.
EliEats at 12:06PM on 09/16/09
I love organ meats.
candk at 10:35PM on 09/17/09
Lamb tongue tastes exactly like bologna. Grilled sweetbreads (thymus glands) on a bun is like a fishwich without the fishy taste. Try them some time.
ChefR0bert at 4:59PM on 10/20/09