Nose to Tail

Chew on This: Nose to Tail

During a time when food was mainly associated with survival, it was crucial to keep the waste of food to a minimum. This practice was common with fruits, vegetables, grains, and most importantly, meat. Meat was essential in providing the protein, iron, and fats the body needed. Not to mention it is extremely tasty. Whether you were a serf working your Lord’s fields or with the Colonial militia at Fort William Henry, if you were lucky enough to have that pig or cow, you will find a way to preserve or use every bit of sustenance that animal can provide. Ears, nose, organs, fat, bones, skin, and tails all had their purposes. As my grandmother used to say as she was preparing any portion of her pork, “You can eat everything but the squeal.”

 

Very little of the muscle meat would be eaten fresh. More often than not, it would be dried or preserved in pots to last months at a time. The fat was especially important for cooking oil, lamp oil, candles, sealing wax for meat jars, and making suet. (Stay tuned for our blog on suet and how its made) Blood, if harvested correctly, made an amazing base for sausage and meat puddings. Bones were boiled down to create broth and the natural gelatin, which kept longer during storage. (Yes my dears, your jello jigglers are made with bone marrow. You’re welcome.) Meat from the head, feet, tails, and organs were commonly used for things like headcheese. Imagine the 18^th century version of bologna. The list goes on for how many uses our ancestors had for their animals. I encourage you to do more research if you wish to better understand your own past.

 

This mentality carried on right until the turn of the industrial revolution. Meat packaged in cans, no longer needing to preserve the spring slaughter, and the increasing production of pre-made foods started to alleviate this need of eating nose to tail. Today we live in a world where food waste runs rampant even with the hunger population. Most certainly, it begs the question as to where we went wrong. Even though certain parts of the animal are unappealing to us, with the proper knowledge and work, they can be quite exceptional fair.

 

I am not insisting you need to start slaughtering your own pigs, cows, or chickens. Let’s face it not everyone up to that kind of work. However, if you do a little research about your supermarket, I’m sure you will find things that will make you almost want to be a vegetarian. Simply taking a step backward away from the supermarket, and going back to the local farmer, butcher, or even meat center can make a huge difference. You will find the meat you consume is more flavorful, more filling, and even healthier. The cruelty rate maintained well with small farmers who can tend to the animals more efficiently. Most importantly, you put money in the pocket of everyday individuals, like yourself, who are trying to pay those bills just like you. Down with the bloody big head corporations who could care less about how their hormones are morphing your children.

We live in a world where information is at our fingertips, and yet we have ‘manufactured’ a generation that cannot get their brain past the fluffy bunny videos and expand their knowledge of better things. Not only are we wasting food, but also we are wasting resources, time, and even ourselves.

 

There will be many recipes and future blogs related to the topic of Nose to Tail. But, I just wanted to leave something to macerate in your thoughts until next time.

 

 And as always….Eat your history.