Why offal is awesome

I remember hearing somewhere (it might have been ‘The Cook & The Chef, it’s a very educational show) that using every part of the animal shows the utmost respect for that animal’s sacrifice. The thought being that you show a level of disrespect by throwing away any part of the slaughtered animal; metaphorically ‘throwing away its life’ if you will. I guess vegetarians would argue that you should just shun meat altogether but I tend not to listen to most vegetarians after I see them wearing leather shoes and eating gelatine-based foods.

This was a light-bulb moment for me. I’ve always loved the parts that many other people would turn their noses up at and I know I’m in good company; Maggie Beer is a well known offal enthusiast, and why not? Offal is packed full of flavour!

It got me thinking; of course it’s a terrible waste to throw away whole parts of an animal because of our hang ups about what they are. Who cares what function it used to serve?
I get that some people just don’t like the taste, and that’s fine, at least they gave it a go. But on some of the occasions when I have dined out with groups and ordered an offal based dish (and when given the option, I will always go for it if it’s there) there is an inevitable ‘ewwww’ moment from one of my fellow diners. When I press them if they’ve ever tasted what I have been served, 9 times out of 10 they say no. How on earth can you say you hate something you’ve never even tried?

We Aussies are such a squeamish lot, we don’t like mould in our cheeses, we don’t like our sausages to be made with blood (but we’ll eat hot dogs, go figure?!) or our milk to be un-pasteurised. I guess I wouldn’t have survived evolution as I’ll pretty much put anything in my mouth. I’d be the person trying deep fried crickets in Thailand or eating the maggot-cured cheese in Europe (though I admit that last one may be a stretch if they’re not removed). I suspect it’s often not about the taste (ok, sometimes offal can be overpowering in large amounts) but what it did when it was ‘working’. Funny no one complains about eating what is essentially muscle tissue or in the case of eggs – a giant ovum.

Sparrow Kitchen & Bar in North Adelaide has the most divine Chicken Liver Pappadelle (I like to try new things but it’s hard to go past this favourite so I end up ordering the same thing when I go there). I think if most people tried this and other offal dishes that have been prepared correctly they might change their minds a bit. Perhaps they are scarred by unpleasant childhood memories (I wouldn’t know, all I remember is the tripe with white sauce and pressed tongue that my grandmother used to serve and I loved those).

I guess some offal items are a bit hard to prepare too (think tripe, brains), and a bit stinky when raw (Kidneys) but my theory is that it’s generally worth the extra effort. That and I don’t mind spending inordinate amounts of time in the kitchen. Anyway, some are ridiculously easy; chicken livers would have to be one of the easiest things to prepare (just don’t overcook them!) and they taste great. Don’t forget about the high iron levels in lamb’s fry! Liver Pate is surprisingly easy to prepare, if a little time consuming and kicks the butt of most store bought varieties (with some high end exceptions).

Access might be another thing, offal can be hard to find at times. When I asked a local butcher if they had any lamb kidneys a while back; their response was that the extra effort of removing these/getting rid of the surrounding fat (why not leave it on!!? I don’t care!) was not worth the measly amount that they can sell them for. What a waste, and they call themselves a butcher (I don’t shop at this particular place anymore, not just because of that reason though).

I am starting to notice though; my local supermarket has started to keep a small selection – most of the time kidneys and livers and the occasional heart or tongue. Not much variety but it’s a start. Problem is; if you don’t get there early their small selection is usually sold out. Obviously there is a small group of other converts in my area, which is promising.

In Europe, offal is reportedly very expensive (supply & demand, people actually WANT to buy it) and here we throw it away like garbage. In these lean times you’d think we’d make things stretch a little bit more and not be so wasteful.
If I’m completely honest, I do hope that Aussies continue to shun offal, as it will keep the prices low for devotees like me. Maybe one day it will go the way of the lamb shank, a once delicious but un-fashionable cheap cut that can cost as much as $10 for one shank.