20 Offal (Variety Meats)
Offal, also referred to as variety meats, is the name for internal organs and entrails of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, which varies by culture and region, but includes most internal organs excluding muscle and bone. Some cultures shy away from offal as food, while others use it as everyday food or in delicacies.
Some offal dishes are considered gourmet food in international cuisine. This includes foie gras, pâté, and sweetbreads. Other offal dishes remain part of traditional regional cuisine and may be consumed especially in connection with holidays such as the Scottish tradition of eating haggis on Robbie Burns Day. Intestines are traditionally used as casings for sausages.
Depending on the context, offal may also refer to those parts of an animal carcass discarded after butchering or skinning. Offal not used directly for human or animal food is often processed in a rendering plant, producing material that is used for fertilizer or fuel or, in some cases, it may be added to commercially produced pet food.
Table 37 lists the most common types of offal from the various species.
| Species | Common Offal | Uses/Notes |
| Beef | Heart | Beef offal is more commonly retailed |
| Liver | ||
| Kidney | ||
| Tongue | ||
| Tripe | ||
| Oxtail | The only external offal meat | |
| Veal | Heart | |
| Liver | Veal offal is more commonly served in restaurants than other types. | |
| Kidney | ||
| Tongue | ||
| Brains | ||
| Sweetbreads | Thymus gland | |
| Pork | Liver | Pork offal is stronger in flavour; the liver is most commonly used in pâté. |
| Heart | ||
| Kidney | ||
| Intestines | Used for sausage casings | |
| Skin | Used to make cracklings or chicharron | |
| Blood | Used for blood sausage and black pudding | |
| Lamb | Liver | Lamb offal is milder in flavour |
| Heart | ||
| Kidney | ||
| Tongue | ||
| Intestines | Used for sausage casings | |
| Chicken | Heart, Liver, Gizzard | These three are often referred to as giblets as a whole. |
| Duck/Goose | Liver | fatty livers. |
Table 37 Common types of offal
- Liver: Liver is very fine textured and is almost devoid of the characteristic fibre bundles found in red meat (liver has no grain). Consequently, it is very tender and can be sliced in any direction needed to attain the best yield. It can be prepared using dry heat. It has a very distinct flavour and is relatively inexpensive.
- Kidney: Kidneys are either smooth, bean-shaped (in lamb and pork) or irregularly shaped with reddish-brown lobes and deep clefts (beef). Beef kidneys are very tough and require intense moist heat cookery.
- Heart: Heart is retailed whole, halved, or cut into slices depending on species and size. The inside of the heart contains string-like sinew, which should be removed if the heart is being stuffed and cooked. Dry heat is suitable for cooking heart. It is commonly stuffed and roasted whole or slices are seasoned and pan-fried.
- Tongue: The sur