It’s no secret that I can be a twinge weird sometimes. I am fascinated by the animal 
odd bits. I spent last summer figuring out how to make tongues and kidneys delicious. To me it was a fun task and adventure, but to my friends it was gross. They are missing out. I believe those hunter gatherer’s they talk about so much were grubbing on the fatty, nutrient dense insides rather than the tougher muscle meat. Plus I am a little bit tight so I don’t mind saving money chowing on the bits people don’t want rather than splurging on a big grass-fed steak. It’s true offal comes at a great price. And there is so much variety, there are so many organs and odd ends you can try to make edible and yummy. Yesterday I fried some chicken livers and they were awesome, I think I could have served them to my mom and she wouldn’t have known they were livers (and I would totally hide that bit of information from her until the end too).
So back to sweetbreads. Last year I purchased my first sweetbreads, consumed with the nostalgia that sweetbreads were such a delicacy. Then I held and thought, ‘what the hell do I do with it now?’ I had to to a little searching to figure how to prep an fix the sweetbreads. and I have to say for my first attempt I didn’t hate them. If you can get past the conventional thinking of ‘yuck’ that has been introduced to us in this modern age, you’ll be find. Once I stopped think about the fact that I was eating kidneys, I was able to focus on enjoying the bites I was taking. So what is a sweetbread? Where does it come from? They are the thymus glands of veal, lamb, and pork. There is an elongated lobe by the throat, and there is a larger gland closer to the heart (which is considered the more delectable of the two. Nutrient wise?
- Good source of protein and fat
- vitamin C
- Zinc
- B vitamins (B12, B6, thiamine, niacin)
Don’t delay and stale with fixing them, prepare them soon after purchasing. Look for firm, plump, white sweetbreads. Expect a creamy-smooth texture. Don’t think about it, just bite in!
