Offal

Offal is called not only internal organs, but also some other parts of animal carcasses and birds that are of agricultural importance. Despite the fact that many people classify them as second-rate foods, a large amount of vitamins and healthy minerals are present in the offal. The calorie content of offal depends on its variety and composition, but in general it is approximately 241 kcal per hundred grams.

Most often, offal is used to prepare a variety of meat products - for example, pates, fillings for pies, second dishes, canned food, various smoked meats, pour and jelly, livery sausages. These dishes are very tasty and are in no way inferior to dishes based on pure meat.

In view of the fact that some types of offal are quite whimsical in the preparation, in order not to spoil the dish, you need to follow some rules. So, if you decide to cook the liver, keep in mind that you need to salt it only before use, otherwise it will be too tough and dry. First of all, the lungs must be thoroughly washed, transferred to a saucepan and crushed with oppression, and only then poured with water - thus they will not be able to surface.

By-product types

In general, pork, beef, chicken and lamb offal stand out, which, depending on the taste and their nutritional value, are divided into 2 main groups-categories. The former includes the liver, tongue, brain, heart, udder, kidneys, diaphragm, and lamb and beef tails. The second type of offal is of lower value. These are the heads, ears, stomach, lungs, legs, trachea, as well as the meat-and-bone tail of the pig.

Composition of offal

The by-products, which are obtained from sheep, pigs and cows, contain vitamins of group B, A, PP, E, K, as well as useful minerals - phosphorus, iron, potassium, magnesium and zinc. Proteins of by-products, which belong to the first category, do not differ at all from these substances of animals of the second category and are characterized by the presence of a full set of important amino acids. In addition, sufficient collagen and elastin are present in the offal of the second category.

The liver, tongue and heart are often used in dietary nutrition. Many by-products contain biologically active substances in their composition, which are necessary for the correct hematopoietic process. Therefore, dishes made from kidneys, heart and bone marrow are advised to eat for various infectious diseases, diseases of the nervous system and kidneys, as well as after injuries and burns.