chittlins

chittlins

• chefjeb 18 years ago
  Now let's talk about chittlins. Stump whipped to get the corn out. Fried or boiled? Many restaurants in this area have chittlin nights. All you can eat for a set price. And the local Willie-world has hogs heads (frozen) for the hispanic workers in this area. Ever made Head cheese? Ever had Spam. Or, potted meat? Or Tripe? Or, Brains and eggs? Or, Chicken Feet? Or, Calf Fries? OR, possum? Or Coon? Or, Alligator (this is good). Some uneducated people don't like chicken livers (recipe posted), Or gizzards, or calf's liver. Or, sardines? To each his or her own.
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• pressurecooker 17 years ago said:
  The definition of disgusting is almost completely based on what you grew up eating and the IDEAS of people around you (popular culture). And the next part of that equation is: How hungry are you really?
  
  In answer to your questions, chefjeb, in the order you asked them: Ain't had chitlin's yet in a traditional chitlin recipe, but I've eaten link sausages which are encased in the intestines, so what's the difference. But head cheese? Yes--and how good it is all depends on the recipe. [By the way, what's the difference between meat off of a pig's head and meat off of it's leg??] We didn't put the brains in our head cheese. Spam is far worse than head cheese, any day. Potted meat--had it, and don't really like it much and I don't like hot dogs, which happen to be made out of similar stuff. Tripe, yes. Brains & eggs--haven't had. Chicken feet--there's not enough on them to eat, so we threw them away. Calf fries--my brain somehow causes my stomach to feel distaste for them even though they are consdered a great delicacy, so I've never had them. Possum--I tried it for the first time about a week ago, and it tasted very similar to pork, though my mind was somewhat resistant to it, I suppose because in America we've been conditioned to think it is disgusting. I could eat it again, but it was a bit greasy. Gizzards--I love, yes, I do, and goose gizzards are better than chicken gizzards. Calf's liver--I've had, but I have never liked the taste of liver, though I can choke it down in a starvation situation (and non-starvation too, when my mother was standing over me with a big stick saying "eat it or else"). And yes, I love sardines, but I've never had them with beer. We eat them on plain rice, sometimes with homemade fresh salsa on the side.
  
  I don't remember if I've eaten pig's feet before, but think I could without too much trouble. But I grew up in a large, unwealthy family, and we were hungry. We ate food with weevils in it. My mom would just tell us to pick them out if we found one that she missed before cooking. And she'd also say, "Just look at it this way--you're getting a little more protein." She didn't do that because she was cruel. It was a matter of we had to have something to eat. And getting food with a couple of tiny bugs was better than not having anything to eat at all.
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