I was surprised to see something new in our local supermarket's meat department.
I was then somehow shocked to read the label; it said (and I translate literally from the Hebrew) "TAIL OF A CALF."
I was really curious by then because never have I seen a whole long tail for sale!
After sneaking a photo for the blog, I came home and started googling.
OK, so I did already know there is something called oxtail, but oxen are not used for that anymore; and if you do see it for sale, the tail bone is chopped into smaller pieces.
Apparently there is a new approach to eating meat based on a 2004 foodie classic, The Whole Beast, Nose to Tail Eating by chef Fergus Henderson.
As one kosher butcher explains it,
"Nose to tail eating is a philosophy in which one eats the entire animal thereby honoring the animal's sacrifice and reducing food waste."
Here is how an Australian organic food blog talks about it.
I am not qualified to explain about the historic complications of kosher tail requirements.
There is something about having to remove the sciatic nerve and having this nikkur done by specially trained menakrim.
In fact many Jews believe/d -- mistakenly -- that eating beef hindquarters is forbidden.
But if you are interested please see "Cow butts are kosher" in the blog The Kosher Omnivore's Quest.
Your input is welcome, dear readers.
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P.S. Speaking of beef, here is a favorite photo of mine from Jerusalem's shuk (open market):
http://jerusalemhillsdailyphoto.blogspot.co.il/2013/03/a-heavy-yoke.html
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(Linking to ABC Wednesday. My K is for kosher.)
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Oxtail soup is popular in Hawaii
ReplyDeleteThat's the first I've heard of that.
ReplyDeleteI am not 'in to' endsof an animal: heads, brain, tongue nor tail, hooves or claws. I too would have taken a photo.
ReplyDeleteYes many still Jews DO believe that eating beef hindquarters is forbidden. Now it is not a problem for me because I would never touch beef, lamb, kangaroo or any other four legged animal. But if eating the entire animal honours the animal's sacrifice and reduces food waste, then let us not waste the hindquarters. They could go into soups, pies, sausages, dogfood or any other productive purpose.
ReplyDeleteOh my!
ReplyDelete...this is all new to me, but then I'm not a foodie!
ReplyDeleteKnowing about it for the first time.
ReplyDeleteHappy ABCW!
I wouldn't eat a cow tail or a tongue!
ReplyDelete"Cow butts are KOSHER"
ReplyDeleteThat's not a sentence I've ever read before, I'm positive!
Hmmm Every now and then one reeds about things which are called food.... something which knows many differences from one country to another
ReplyDeleteHave a splendid, ♥-warming ABC-Wednes-day / -week
♫ M e l ☺ d y ♪ (ABC-W-team)
http://melodymusic.nl/22-k
That was my parents' feelings about food. They ate every part of an animal. Me, almost. The foodies have managed to make many of the least expensive cuts, such as oxtail, become too expensive for me to want to buy, regardless of how much I like it.
ReplyDelete