Mouthing Off | Why nose-to-tail dining needs more guts if it’s to gain wide acceptance, even though some of us eat chicken feet and bone marrow
- Offcuts such as chicken feet are popular in Asia, but while ‘farm to table’ is a common catchphrase, true nose-to-tail dining isn’t embraced by many diners
- Mention pig lung, pork neck, let alone worms, and sustainability focused diners grow less open-minded. Attitudes must shift for nose-to-tail dining to take off
As someone who enjoys offal and innards, I do wonder if nose-to-tail dining will ever gain wider acceptance.
Asian cuisines have never shied away from offcut ingredients. We like chicken feet, duck tongue, the crunchy head of a small roast squab, and cooking the sperm of cod and other fish.
Lately, I also see more posh Western chefs cooking up traditionally cheap and even throwaway animal parts in fancy gastronomy.
Beef tripe now appears more than ever in classy Italian restaurants. A revelation to me was the fried version prepared by Marco Xodo, head chef of Hong Kong Italian restaurant Testina – cut into golden strips to create a savoury, crispy snack. I want a big bag of it for watching the football.
I’ve also had head cheese terrine. Sweetbreads (the thymus glands of a calf or lamb) come in and out of favour.
