Eating freaky foods like organ meats has long been a healthy tradition that can be traced back centuries. Some cultures believe that eating the organs from a healthy animal supports the organs of the eater. In our Western world, eating organs is reserved for our grandparents’ era, zombies and the Greyhound bus (too soon?).
Eating organs may sound gross to many of us, but traditionally it was seen as a way of treating people for specific ailments in conjunction to the organ they were eating. For example, a person with a weak heart would eat the heart of a healthy animal. Similarly, eating the brains of a healthy animal was believed to support clear thinking, and animal kidneys were fed to people suffering from urinary maladies.
Weston A. Price, a Cleveland dentist also nicknamed the “Isaac Newton of Nutrition”, found that nearly every culture placed a high value on consuming animals in their entire form, including organs, blood, bones, and everything else you can think of, and are probably cringing at. A far cry from Western culinary snobbery, in which we limit animal foods to muscle tissue.
We clearly need to live a little and get down with the many other edible parts of the animal. Or, like myself, you might feel OK with the parts you are currently eating after reading what’s happening around the world. Most people are already eating like the zombie apocalypse is here to stay, and in some countries it’s not uncommon to eat animals while they are still alive (yes, that’s really a thing). Some of us are already resorting to zombie-like behavior.
Let’s take a look at some of the funky delicacies around the world. But be warned, this is not for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach. In fact, I gagged several times reading about some of these.
Blood Tofu
Duck, sheep, chicken and cow’s blood come together in a playful union to look like chocolate chunks; but chocolate this is not. The blood has a jelly-like consistency, I guess to satisfy your inner Vampire. Thanks for this one, China.
Kopi luwak
Need your morning coffee fix? Don’t worry Indonesia has you covered! But it will cost you, and I hope you like your coffee with a side of feces. To make kopi luwak, coffee berries are fed to a raccoon-like creature called the Asian palm civet, which then excretes the coffee beans, which are collected and turned into coffee. Because of its high price, farmers have taken to factory-farming civets and force-feeding them berries for their sweet sweet, delicious poop.
Habu Sake
On the beautiful island of Okinawa, Japan, they are doing interesting things with their booze. They are drawing snakes in jars of sake so that they release their venom into the wine, to create a beverage that is said to enhance the male libido, giving a whole new meaning to the phrase “trouser snake”.
Balut
We can thank Southeast Asia for this weird trend of eating developing duck embryo boiled alive and served in the shell. It’s no wonder that it’s usually served with beer: you need something to help you forget what you just ate.
Shiokara
Marine animals cooked in a sauce of their own fermented organs. That is all.
Recipe: Liver and Onions
Caramelized onions:
1 medium chopped onion
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper
Directions:
• In a pan on medium heat, add onion, salt, pepper, butter and apple cider vinegar
• Cook until onions are brown, about 15-20 minutes
Liver:
1 organic grassfed cow liver
Dash of chili powder
Salt and pepper
½ tsp dried rosemary (powder)
1-2 tbsp butter (don’t worry, butter is a healthy fat!)
Chickpea flour (or any kind of flour)
Directions:
• Season liver with chili powder, salt, pepper and rosemary
• Coat liver with flour
• In a pan on low/medium heat, add butter
• Pan-fry liver, 2-3 minutes on each side
• Serve with warm onions, over rice
