offal

offal
/aw"feuhl, of"euhl/, n.
1. the parts of a butchered animal that are considered inedible by human beings; carrion.
2. the parts of a butchered animal removed in dressing; viscera.
3. refuse; rubbish; garbage.
[1350-1400; ME, equiv. to of OFF + fal FALL; cf. D afval]

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also called  Variety Meats,  

      any of various nonmuscular parts of the carcasses of beef and veal, mutton and lamb, and pork, which are either consumed directly as food or used in the production of other foods. Variety meats have been a part of the human diet since the invention of cooking, which rendered the otherwise indigestible animal parts edible. In nutritional terms, several variety meats are richer in certain vitamins, minerals, and forms of protein than muscle tissue; calf's liver, for example, is a major dietary source of iron, and sweetbread (thymus) is considerably higher in the water-soluble protein albumin than is beef.

      Beef offal includes the stomachs, tripe, or large stomach, brains, heart, liver, tongue, and kidneys. For young beef, or veal, a number of additional parts, such as spinal marrow, trotters (feet), mesentery, and the sweetbread, are counted among the variety meats. Mutton and lamb offal includes the kidneys, tongue, brains, feet, stomach, heart, liver, and lights, or lungs. In pork, the designation includes the liver, kidneys, brains, trotters, and head. Pigs' intestines are used as containers in the manufacture of sausages, and pigs' blood is an ingredient in black pudding.

      The variety meats figure prominently across the full spectrum of Western cuisine. Some offal, notably the brains, liver, tripe, lights, and trotters, have long been associated in the United States with rural cookery, with pork intestines, or chitterlings, being considered perhaps an archetypal fare of the rural poor. In this context, the parts are typically prepared by boiling or frying and served highly seasoned. Several of the same foods, such as calf's liver for frying and jellied tripe and pickled beef tongue for use as cold cuts, are routinely stocked in the average urban food store; other variety meats are generally available by special order. In the haute cuisine of Europe, variety meats form the basis of numerous classic dishes, such as tripe à la mode de Caen and grilled sweetbreads.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • offal — of fal, n. [Off + fall.] 1. The rejected or waste parts of any process, especially the inedible parts of a butchered animal, such as the viscera. [1913 Webster +PJC] 2. A dead body; carrion. Shak. [1913 Webster] 3. That which is thrown away as… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • offal — (n.) late 14c., waste parts, refuse, from OFF (Cf. off) + FALL (Cf. fall) (v.); the notion being that which falls off the butcher s block; perhaps a translation of M.Du. afval …   Etymology dictionary

  • offal — *refuse, waste, rubbish, trash, debris, garbage …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • offal — ► NOUN 1) the entrails and internal organs of an animal used as food. 2) decaying or waste matter. ORIGIN probably from Dutch afval, from af off + vallen to fall …   English terms dictionary

  • offal — [ôf′əl] n. [ME ofall, lit., off fall] 1. [with sing. or pl. v.] waste parts; esp., the entrails, etc. of a butchered animal 2. refuse; garbage …   English World dictionary

  • Offal — Some offal dishes, like pâté, are considered gourmet food. Offal can also be a cheaper type …   Wikipedia

  • offal — [14] Etymologically, offal is simply material that has ‘fallen off’. English borrowed the word from Middle Dutch afval, a compound formed from af ‘off’ and vallen ‘fall’ which denoted both the ‘extremities of animals cut off by the butcher, such… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • offal — [14] Etymologically, offal is simply material that has ‘fallen off’. English borrowed the word from Middle Dutch afval, a compound formed from af ‘off’ and vallen ‘fall’ which denoted both the ‘extremities of animals cut off by the butcher, such… …   Word origins

  • offal — [[t]ɒ̱f(ə)l, AM ɔ͟ːf(ə)l[/t]] N UNCOUNT Offal is the internal organs of animals, for example their hearts and livers, when they are cooked and eaten …   English dictionary

  • offal — subproduktas statusas Aprobuotas sritis mėsos produktai apibrėžtis Šviežia mėsa, išskyrus skerdeną, įskaitant vidaus organus ir kraują. atitikmenys: angl. offal vok. Nebenprodukt pranc. abats šaltinis 2004 m. balandžio 29 d. Europos Parlamento ir …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

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