This blog post isn’t about the muscles on you or me. Or your co-worker. Or that person that just happens to be really muscle-y all the time, almost no matter what. Nor baby muscles.
No, this article is about the muscles that are on plenty of our plates.
That’s right, the animal muscles we call meat. Protein. The stuff we eat. The stuff some of us go crazy for, the stuff some of us don’t eat at all. What I want to talk about today is… what about the other 75% of the animal? Have you ever thought about how or why we don’t talk about that so much? Why the idea of tripe (what?) or eyeball freaks us out?
Aside from the cultural norms that play into our dietary choices and have informed why it’s seemingly commonplace to only eat muscle meat in this day and age, if we step back from those and assess then nutritional merits of the rest of the animal, it can suddenly become apparent that strictly eating only muscle meat from animals (if you choose to eat animal products) is:
- not as economical
- not as nutrient-dense
- not as flavorful
- not as socially or ethically responsible
- and, dare I say, not as fun
…as eating the whole animal. So come take a ride with me! Let me explain. What are the other edible parts of animals? How are they integrated into dishes and why are they chosen to be eaten?
Parts of the animal and their uses:
- Organs: This is the most varied category, and many, many animal organs are consumed for their nutritive value. Livers? Check. Kidneys? Check. The brain? Check. Etc and etc. Many cultures believe that if a certain organ needs help in your body, eating an animal’s same organ can be useful to help restore nutrients needed. The supplement industry also provided dried, desiccated organs that have been encapsulated for similar purposes. Liver is a wonderful source of iron, zinc, B vitamins, and essential fatty acids. Brains can be high in niacin, vitamin b12 and vitamin C.
- Shells: Shells are really the exoskeleton of a creature, and are treated similarly to bones. Depending on the source, the whole shell can be eaten (ever tried a roasted cricket? I did once, in chile powder, in Mexico! It was delicious. A friend’s friend also start the company Chapul, which uses cricket flour as a source of protein. Exo is an option, well.) whereas other option the shells are removed in order to eat the meat, but can be reserved in order to add flavor by making stocks or stews. Read more about bones below.
- Tripe: Tripe is the stomach lining of an animal, typically from cattle or other farm animals. High in protein and lower in fat, tripe is the main ingredient in Menudo, a traditional Mexican stew.
- Skin: Perhaps one of the more often eaten “other” parts of the animal, think of a rotisserie chicken or a beautifully cooked piece of salmon, descaled but the skin crisped to perfection. Skin is fatty and a great source of high quality, easily digestible fats. Salmon and fish skin in general contains nice levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which help keep our cell membranes soft and pliable and provide us with long-burning energy throughout the day.
- Cartilage: Cartilage is rubbery animal tissue found between bones in the joints so that those bones do not rub up against each other when they move. More research is coming out about the huge health benefits of eating cartilage and its importance in aiding our immune systems, arthritis, psoriasis, and general inflammation.
- Marrow: Marrow is found inside bones, and while the creature in question is alive is where blood cells are produced. It’s 97% fat and has a wonderfully mellow, unctous flavor. Marrow in restaurants is typically beef or from the bones of larger animals. As it’s a source of animal fat, its benefits include being a source of the fat soluble vitamins, essential fatty acids, is soothing on our digestive tracts, for skin and joint health. Plus it’s darn delicious.
- Blood: Blood can be found in blood sausages (traditionally mixed with oatmeal, chestnuts, barley, meat, etc.), to thicken sauces or in some traditional soups. It’s a source of protein and varied nutrients.
- Fat: The marrow and skin are both fatty parts of the animal but wait, there’s more! Lard, tallow, schmaltz are all names for fats we cook with that are derived from animals. There can be different grades of animal fat, take for example lard. All lard is rendered pork fat, but leaf lard in particular comes from the visceral fat that surrounds the pig kidneys and loin. Because of their higher level of the more stable fats, animal fats are a great option to cook with and can withstand being exposed to higher cooking temperatures.
- Intestines: Mmm, has a sausage ever tasted so good? That traditional casing is cleaned out intestinal lining, friends. Rich in protein and helps us preserve food by providing a natural casing to store and age meat.
- Bones: My all-time favorite, second perhaps only to cartilage. Bone broth, stocks, consomme, they all come from cooking animal bones in water, flavored by the type of animal chosen, herbs and added vegetables. The water draws out minerals, amino acids, gelatin and more from the bones as they get cooked. Gelatin is highly soothing for our digestive tracts, making it a wonderful addition for those looking to heal or improve their gut heal. Many of us tend to be mineral deficient, so having bone broth on the regular is an easy way to bump up the mineral content of our meals. Soups, stews, braises, sautes, these can all incorporate plenty of bone broth. Or just a straight hot mug to start your day, too.
So if you’re interested in starting to use more of the animal, think about joining my October 15th Bone Broth workshop here at Solcana Wellness. We’ll taste some samples, I’ll give you some basic recipes and ideas for use, and you’ll learn why making your own bone broth is a big boon to your health. Come see how starting to use other parts of the animal can be an easy and not-so-weird addition to your kitchen routine.
Finally, this was really just an overview of some of the types of other parts of the animal that people can choose to consume, and the health merits of choosing these. Animal parts that are different than just muscle can often seem sad or scary, because it can remind us that what we’re eating was once part of a functioning being. While the ethics of eating animals is a vast and deep subject, for me, learning that eating more of that animal was not only a possibility (and a very nutrient-dense one) but also a way to support honoring the whole animal, made the idea of other animal parts on the plate exciting to me. What do you think?