Offal and Game

Appears in
Nobody Does it Better: Why French Cooking is still the best in the world
Nobody Does it Better

By Trish Deseine

Published 2007

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Calf’s head and cocks crest. Hare. Boudin noir. Lambs’kidneys. Onglet. Roast boar.

This is where our French cooks’ lack of squeamishness becomes most apparent.

Cuts classed as offal are sold alongside muscle and bone in the usual shops: at the poultry shop are chicken liver, foie gras and gésier (gizzard); at the charcuterie and at the butchers’ are ears, tripe, tongue, trotters, liver, cheeks, kidneys and various innards made into sausages and pâté. Veal sweetbreads are considered to be the most refined and delicate of treats. They were much lamented during the BSE-scare ban on offal, and when it was lifted there was nationwide rejoicing.