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Composition of Organ Meats
Frattaglie
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Bone and skeletal meat—meaning the shoulder, shank, loin, and so on—make up about half of an animal’s body weight. Collectively, their purpose is to help the animal move around as needed during its life. The remaining weight is composed of nonskeletal meats—the heart, stomach, intestines, liver, brains, and so on—that are collectively referred to as organ meats (frattaglie) or offal.
Organ meats are secured inside the body and have specialized tasks (for example, storing nutrients for the body or filtering the blood of impurities) that require different cell structures. Due to their respective jobs, organ meats go through more physical stress than muscles, developing different flavors and textures as a result, and dictating certain cooking techniques.