One food you have never had... but are curious

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Used to be a fairly common item on the breakfast menu. Calves brains & scrambled eggs (all mixed together). At least it was common in the midwestern USA. I can remember seeing it on restaurant & truckstop "greasy spoon" menus. Seems like it was on its' way out even before BSE/CWD became an issue; now I think it's banned in some states.
Regards, GF.

Because of the mad cow scare, its hard to find cows brains. Pork and lamb's brains picked up some of that slack, but brain consumption is on a steep decline. Drainbramage brought up that the texture is offputting, but when floured and lightly fried, my first thoughts were "hmm... like fried oysters!"
 
Because of the mad cow scare, its hard to find cows brains.

That was like 5 years ago, so another 3 years without circular feeding and all cases should be flushed out.

In any case, there's no difference between eating a T-Bone or a Porterhouse; they both contain spinal cord and/or spinal column marrow. They had pulled both of them completely off the shelves here in Finland for something like 3 years (sold them all to the Germans), even though I don't think there was even one case of cows testing positive for mad cow disease reported in Finland. Might have been 1 or 2 cases, but I don't remember.

This is why it's far safer to eat Halal meat.
 
That was like 5 years ago, so another 3 years without circular feeding and all cases should be flushed out.

In any case, there's no difference between eating a T-Bone or a Porterhouse; they both contain spinal cord and/or spinal column marrow. They had pulled both of them completely off the shelves here in Finland for something like 3 years (sold them all to the Germans), even though I don't think there was even one case of cows testing positive for mad cow disease reported in Finland. Might have been 1 or 2 cases, but I don't remember.

This is why it's far safer to eat Halal meat.

Old habits die hard when it comes to sanitation and infectious disease. Just try to get an American over the age of 60 to eat a pork chop that has the smallest hint of pink on the inside...
 
Brians and eggs was apparently common in Kentucky in the past. I have alway felt that they Ohio Valley area was kind of the confluence of all quaint and sometimes strange old American peasant foods. From what I hear, brains are l kind of like foie gras in that they are damn near all fat and you can pretty much end up with nothing if you cook them for too long.
 
Old habits die hard when it comes to sanitation and infectious disease. Just try to get an American over the age of 60 to eat a pork chop that has the smallest hint of pink on the inside...

Average of 11 cases per year of Trichinosis in the USA. You have a far greater chance of getting killed by a lightning bolt. I guess most of them refrigerate their store-bought eggs, too.
 
Old habits die hard when it comes to sanitation and infectious disease. Just try to get an American over the age of 60 to eat a pork chop that has the smallest hint of pink on the inside...

That's the truth! My mom was even suspicious of ham if was too pink! If it was pork & not grey, she wouldn't eat it. But then that side of the family cooked things to death. I remember once my Aunt took a nice big piece of corned beef, dumped it whole into a big stewpot, poured several cans of sauerkraut in, put the lid on & proceeded to boil it for several hours; till the meat was like rubber & the kraut had a consistency of apple sauce. That was a depressing meal.
Regards, GF.
 
Brians and eggs was apparently common in Kentucky in the past. I have alway felt that they Ohio Valley area was kind of the confluence of all quaint and sometimes strange old American peasant foods.

The German influence is a big factor in that too, hence goetta.
 
Brians and eggs was apparently common in Kentucky in the past. I have alway felt that they Ohio Valley area was kind of the confluence of all quaint and sometimes strange old American peasant foods.

It's good to know that Madison, Indiana used to be one of the largest hog slaughtering operations in the US, and probably on the planet, due to it's central location in the US railway network. They would salt pack butchered pork and send it out across the country via train. Salted brains don't really go down to well, so of course those stayed local. The whole thing fell apart after the highway system was put into place in the US, refrigerated trucks were invented, and the slaughterhouses went local.
 
Podz, are you a transplanted American in Finland, or are you a Finn who's exceptionally well-read on many things American?
 
Average of 11 cases per year of Trichinosis in the USA. You have a far greater chance of getting killed by a lightning bolt. I guess most of them refrigerate their store-bought eggs, too.
Most of us Americans are probably unaware that Europeans DON"T refrigerate eggs. We buy ours out of refrigerated cases at the grocery store.
 
It's good to know that Madison, Indiana used to be one of the largest hog slaughtering operations in the US, and probably on the planet, due to it's central location in the US railway network. They would salt pack butchered pork and send it out across the country via train. Salted brains don't really go down to well, so of course those stayed local. The whole thing fell apart after the highway system was put into place in the US, refrigerated trucks were invented, and the slaughterhouses went local.
They also eat turkey testicles in Illinois. Hell, they even have festivals!!!:drunk: I think that people stopped eating a lot of organ meats because they no longer had to eat them. Meat got cheap and money got more plentiful, so almost everyone could eat "rich man food"
 
They also eat turkey testicles in Illinois. Hell, they even have festivals!!!:drunk: I think that people stopped eating a lot of organ meats because they no longer had to eat them. Meat got cheap and money got more plentiful, so almost everyone could eat "rich man food"

Turkey, calf, lamb and pig fries are still rather common in the Midwest and plains. Worked in a butcher shop in high school and have spent entire days slicing hundreds of lb of turkey nuts for a big dry. Everyone should attend the testicle festival in Montana at least once a cultural experience



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Turkey, calf, lamb and pig fries are still rather common in the Midwest and plains. Worked in a butcher shop in high school and have spent entire days slicing hundreds of lb of turkey nuts for a big dry. Everyone should attend the testicle festival in Montana at least once a cultural experience



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We were broke down in Portland Oregon for the Testicle Festival (moving from AK to AZ). Saw the billboards outside of Clinton Montana after we got back on the highway.
I did get the opportunity for some good elk and bison meals on my way down.
 
Turkey, calf, lamb and pig fries are still rather common in the Midwest and plains. Worked in a butcher shop in high school and have spent entire days slicing hundreds of lb of turkey nuts for a big dry. Everyone should attend the testicle festival in Montana at least once a cultural experience



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Lamb fries are a traditional dish in Kentucky as is mutton BBQ. Sheep country is actually out in the western part of the state around Owensboro. In Lexington, they slice up said Crotch McNuggets, bread and fry them and serve them with cream gravy. I have only seen old people order them a couple of times and I have thus far not succumbed to the temptation to try them. I'll stick with other less offensive Kentucky delights like country ham, Hot Browns, Derby Pie and beer cheese.:drunk:
 
Most of us Americans are probably unaware that Europeans DON"T refrigerate eggs. We buy ours out of refrigerated cases at the grocery store.

Eggs that haven't been washed can be unrefrigerated. Those eggs in the refrigerated case have had their protective coating washed off.
 
I tried natto for the first time recently, in maki. I've always been curious about it. Hey, being vegetarian limits the weird foods I get to wonder about.
 
Eggs that haven't been washed can be unrefrigerated. Those eggs in the refrigerated case have had their protective coating washed off.

That's right. The reason US companies wash their eggs is because many of them refuse to spend the extra money to vaccinate the hens against salmonella. Washing and refrigerating the eggs is apparently a cheaper solution than vaccination, therefore it's all about money.

Salmonella vaccinations for hens is common practice in EU countries. Since that practice began, there has been approx. 87.5% decrease in salmonella related food poisoning.

It's a shame, though, that in the US you can't buy what is widely regarded as the best cheese in the world, simply because it's made from unpasteurised milk: Brie de Meaux. Most of you have never had Brie de Meaux. Are you curious? ;-)
 
Rocky Mountain Oysters.
I have had dog,lizard,fruit bat,pigs brain in scrambled eggs and stuffed toads.......... but always just wondered
 
That's right. The reason US companies wash their eggs is because many of them refuse to spend the extra money to vaccinate the hens against salmonella. Washing and refrigerating the eggs is apparently a cheaper solution than vaccination, therefore it's all about money.

Salmonella vaccinations for hens is common practice in EU countries. Since that practice began, there has been approx. 87.5% decrease in salmonella related food poisoning.

It's a shame, though, that in the US you can't buy what is widely regarded as the best cheese in the world, simply because it's made from unpasteurised milk: Brie de Meaux. Most of you have never had Brie de Meaux. Are you curious? ;-)

I'm not sure pumping chickens with more stuff is necessarily an improvement just so you don't have to refrigerate eggs.
 
I also wonder how the salmonella per capita rates differ between the two methods.

Interesting question. To get an accurate answer, statistics would need to be kept for only egg-based salmonella. As it stands, salmonella can be obtained from pork, wild game, eggs, milk, even spinach. An 87.5% decrease, based solely on vaccinating hens, is so large that it's enough to reasonably convince me that egg-based salmonella has been virtually eliminated in europe and the remaining cases are from other food sources.
 
That's right. The reason US companies wash their eggs is because many of them refuse to spend the extra money to vaccinate the hens against salmonella. Washing and refrigerating the eggs is apparently a cheaper solution than vaccination, therefore it's all about money.

Salmonella vaccinations for hens is common practice in EU countries. Since that practice began, there has been approx. 87.5% decrease in salmonella related food poisoning.

It's a shame, though, that in the US you can't buy what is widely regarded as the best cheese in the world, simply because it's made from unpasteurised milk: Brie de Meaux. Most of you have never had Brie de Meaux. Are you curious? ;-)
I have had unpasteurized Camembert in France and the UK and yes, it is a bit different. Even a relatively young cheese like that has a more noticeable cheesy good stank to it in the unpastuerized form and a bit more zip. I will say this, though. Pasteurized milk sold cold in the US is INFINITELY better than that Parmalat style boxed crap that you can keep at room temp forever that they sell over there.
 
Interesting question. To get an accurate answer, statistics would need to be kept for only egg-based salmonella. As it stands, salmonella can be obtained from pork, wild game, eggs, milk, even spinach. An 87.5% decrease, based solely on vaccinating hens, is so large that it's enough to reasonably convince me that egg-based salmonella has been virtually eliminated in europe and the remaining cases are from other food sources.
As I recall, a lot of the warnings that we hear about salmonella are related to eggs and, more specifically, to letting anything with mayonnaise sit out for too long, chicken and vegetables
 
I will say this, though. Pasteurized milk sold cold in the US is INFINITELY better than that Parmalat style boxed crap that you can keep at room temp forever that they sell over there.

Indeed, but most people don't drink that UHT milk; they buy pasteurised milk sold cold in stores. Notable exceptions are places like some Greek islands, and almost entirely in the Canary Islands. And of course, armies around the world use that nasty UHT milk while they're out in the field.

Regarding cheese, I consider unpasteurised and a major sign of quality. That's The Real Stuff (tm).
 
Indeed, but most people don't drink that UHT milk; they buy pasteurised milk sold cold in stores. Notable exceptions are places like some Greek islands, and almost entirely in the Canary Islands. And of course, armies around the world use that nasty UHT milk while they're out in the field.

Regarding cheese, I consider unpasteurised and a major sign of quality. That's The Real Stuff (tm).
Back in the mid 80's they were really pushing that boxed milk hard in West Germany. I don't recall it being all that easy to buy a liter of "regular" milk when I was there back then, We had to pretty much settle for Parmalat or the German version at the supermarket. I never grocery shopped in France, but I have the sneaking suspicions that you wouldn't have had that same problem there.
 
Back in the mid 80's they were really pushing that boxed milk hard in West Germany. I don't recall it being all that easy to buy a liter of "regular" milk when I was there back then, We had to pretty much settle for Parmalat or the German version at the supermarket. I never grocery shopped in France, but I have the sneaking suspicions that you wouldn't have had that same problem there.

No, you wouldn't have had the same problem in France because it wasn't bordering the Soviet Union. The reason for pushing UHT back then was purely due to being in a constant state of high preparation for a full-scale Soviet invasion.

BTW, nearly all milk in Europe comes in boxes (Greece being a notable exception with their opaque white plastic bottles). Even the cold, pasteurised milk from the stores comes in 1-litre Tetra Pak boxes. There is no such thing as the big, plastic jugs which US residents are accustomed to seeing.
 
No, you wouldn't have had the same problem in France because it wasn't bordering the Soviet Union. The reason for pushing UHT back then was purely due to being in a constant state of high preparation for a full-scale Soviet invasion.

BTW, nearly all milk in Europe comes in boxes (Greece being a notable exception with their opaque white plastic bottles). Even the cold, pasteurised milk from the stores comes in 1-litre Tetra Pak boxes. There is no such thing as the big, plastic jugs which US residents are accustomed to seeing.
I know that one reason was that big Us style refrigerators were a MAJOR luxury back in the 80's in most of Europe. Not sure if that is the same today. Back in the old days, I knew two people who had big American style side by side fridges and they were both fairly well off. We still have a lot of beverages packages in cardboard cartons, including those Tetra Pak ones with the cap. The old UHT style milk boxes were like the ones that we use over here for stuff like chicken or beef stock.
 
I know that one reason was that big Us style refrigerators were a MAJOR luxury back in the 80's in most of Europe.

The size of people's refrigerators has nothing to do with UHT milk being prevalent or not. The standard refrigerator size in Europe is 55 cm wide and kitchens all across Europe are built with wall recesses exactly 60 cm wide in order to fit a refrigerator. Even large, new built houses are built with tiny-ass kitchens. Generally the only way to be using a US style refrigerator is to have your entire house custom built, and that carries a pretty big risk that you'd never be able to sell it because it's not stereotypical.

For sure, you can find UHT milk on store shelves here but I don't know one person who actually buys it (actually, workplaces generally keep it in their coffee rooms). With all the other stuff in my fridge, I can fit 3-5 litres of milk at a time. In a house with 3 teen girls, we go through about 25 litres per week. That means that we carry home milk from the store at least every other day. As do about 750 million other people.
 
Forgot to mention that I saw Yuengling ice cream for the first time at Giant Eagle yesterday. chocolate cappuccino was one of them. I knew they made it during prohibition, but didn't know they started making it again?!
 
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The cannibalistic natives of the Marquesas Islands called human flesh "Long pig." Considering that porcine parts have been grafted into living humans & the way raw pork smells similar to many humans, I'd venture to guess that humans probably taste more like pork than anything else. Though I'm not about to try eating human, or even simian flesh; that's a line I'm not willing to cross. I might have to rethink that if I ever crash in the Andes, but that's not too likely to happen.
Regards, GF.
 
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