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The Offal Truth

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September 30, 2008, 08:50
wordcrafter
The Offal Truth
When you think about it, edible “meat” consists of the muscle cut from the beast’s bones.

But avant-garde restaurateurs are serving creations based upon “variety meats”, such as brains, tongue, heart, kidneys, etc. These names, though a bit disgusting when thought of as food, are familiar words. This week we’ll bravely venture deeper into the vocabulary of variety meats.

offal – the entrails and internal organs of a butchered animal; the edible “leftovers” from the butchering
[from off + fall, the stuff that which "falls off" the butcher's block. Perhaps directly from the English words; perhaps from the old Dutch term afval formed that way.]
September 30, 2008, 09:10
Robert Arvanitis
Interesting to know how many words are really just direct collisions, like offal, "off-fall" or atone, "at one."

I wouldn't necessarily include simply letter transfer like a napple = an apple / a napron = an apron / or an eft = a newt. (And no Monte Python on that last one.)


RJA
September 30, 2008, 12:34
<Proofreader>
quote:
“What have I not eaten? Offal from the streets like dogs

My mother called them leftovers.
September 30, 2008, 13:04
goofy
quote:
Originally posted by wordcrafter:
Perhaps directly from the English words; perhaps from the old Dutch term afval formed that way.]


German Abfall, "garbage"
September 30, 2008, 16:25
Valentine
Tripe and sweetbreads are two things I never pass up when I see them on a menu.
September 30, 2008, 20:20
wordcrafter
giblets – the edible innards of a chicken or other fowl: liver, heart, gizzard, and neck (usually removed before the bird is cooked)
[Old French gibelet game bird stew, prob. from gibier game hunted for sport]Bonus word:
gizzard
– a muscular, thick-walled part of a bird’s stomach for grinding food, typically with grit [birds have no teeth to grind their food]
[Old French, from Latin gigeria cooked entrails of fowl]
October 01, 2008, 20:09
wordcrafter
sweetbread – the thymus gland or pancreas of an animal, used for foodMy sentiments exactly.
October 02, 2008, 21:21
wordcrafter
head-cheeseU.S.: portions of swine’s head, or head and feet, cut up fine, seasoned, and pressed into a cheeselike mass [another source says “he ears and feet of swine cut up fine, and, after being boiled, pressed into the form of a cheese”.] In the UK, called brawn. Served as a sausage?
October 06, 2008, 07:36
wordcrafter
I’ve gotten a bit behind, so let’s have extra words today.

tripe – a cow’s (or similar animal’s) first or second stomach, used as food [from this: nonsense; rubbish (informal)]

umbles – the entrails of a deer, or, entrails in general
[Mid. Eng. numbles meant "offal", and the phrase a numbles changed to an umbles. There was another development later. In the word humble the h was silent, and so the word sounded just like umble. Hence the phrase humble pie was a pun!]Bonus words:
frumenty
– a spiced porridge, made of hulled wheat boiled in milk and flavored with sugar and spices
perry – pear cider; an alcoholic drink, often effervescent, made from fermented pear-juice
October 07, 2008, 13:46
wordcrafter
Today’s dish, of international though limited appeal, has inspired numerous names as well as witty commentary.

rocky mountain oysters; prairie oysters – testicles of animals (usually cattle), served as food. A delicacy; usually flour-coated, seasoned, then deep-fried, and served as an appetizer.

animelles – testicles of animals (esp. of young rams), used as food (sometimes called lamb fries), formerly much in vogue in France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy.