Oh, yes, I forgot a funny item. Though "cuisine" is hardly appropriate.
That was on the occasion of a trip to Norway. I took a cruise in a fjord (I forgot the name, but KeE can probably recognize the one from the story)
Well you board this small ship, they take you through this spectacular fjord, but the big idea is that when you get to some point they give you a line and with almost no bait at all, fish will just throw themselves on the hooks and each tourist can catch half a dozen fish in twice as many minutes.
Then on the way back they gut the fish and cook them for you (delicious) and throw the guts to the gulls so thousands of birds follow the ship on the way back. The fun is to see the gulls catching the guts in mid-air, almost nothing makes it to the water.
Well, the funny thing was, I thought that intestines were fine for the gulls, but what about the livers? So I kept removing the livers and ate them, raw and just fresh out of the fish. The smaller ones, of uniform brownish color, from (black pollock? coalfish? I'm pretty sure at the time I identified them as what we call "lieu noir", but I forgot the english name which of course was what was originally told us) were OK, but I soon had enough of them. But the larger spotted ones, from cod (definitely cod!) were so delicious I went through the gut bucket carefully till not a single one remained for the gulls!
For completeness sake, thanks to Wikipedia I identified this fish:
Pollachius virens a.k.a. Boston blues (separate from bluefish), coalfish (or coaley) or saithe; Wikipedia does not mention "black pollock", but it is probable that this name also exists, since this fish is closely related to P. Pollachius (a.k.a. Atlantic pollock, European pollock, lieu jaune, and just simply "pollock")
Extreme Cuisine & Strange Ingredients
Moderator: Darb
Wish I coulda been there. 
You might want to be careful about eating raw fish innards, as they can sometimes (depending on the species and habitat of the fish) can contain harmful parasites.
I love monkfish liver for instance (a delicacy available in certain finer sushi restaurants), but it's carefully steamed. I love sardine livers, but those are usually roasted right with the fish. Squid livers are good too, but those are usually rubbed into the flesh before broiling them, so the livers are (again) cooked.
You might want to be careful about eating raw fish innards, as they can sometimes (depending on the species and habitat of the fish) can contain harmful parasites.
I love monkfish liver for instance (a delicacy available in certain finer sushi restaurants), but it's carefully steamed. I love sardine livers, but those are usually roasted right with the fish. Squid livers are good too, but those are usually rubbed into the flesh before broiling them, so the livers are (again) cooked.
Oooops!Brad wrote:You might want to be careful about eating raw fish innards, as they can sometimes (depending on the species and habitat of the fish) can contain harmful parasites.
I didn't think about that. Well, it was in a Norwegian fjord, looked like unperturbed wilderness, but in fact it was a pretty busy one, a lot of tourists going there...
I did not get any problem, though.
I was thinking that cod liver oil is a medicine. It used to be a source of vitamin D, supposedly tasted horrible (my kids got it easy, their vitamin D came in little drops, in alcohol solution). But the full liver cods tasted fantastic.
I know an excess of vitamin D can be toxic but certainly there was not enough in twenty or so cod livers to be a problem.
Human is as human does....Animals don't weep, Nine
[i]LMB, The Labyrinth [/i]
[i]LMB, The Labyrinth [/i]
Fresh cod liver is either considrered bait, waste or a delicacy depending on who you talk to here in Norway.
When boiled until nothing is left but a fatty liquid it is considered medicine ("tran"), a rather foultasting one at that, but it is a vital source of essential fatty acids and vitamins. It was, and to some degree still is a inexorable part of the morning rituals through winter for quite a lot of us norwegians.
There are still a number of fjords with a large fish population here, but I'm guessing that you visited the north, probably the Lofoten region, since that's where such fishing trips for tourists are the most abundant. The area also has organized quite a lot of orca (killer whale) spotting trips.
The landscape is spectacluar- deep fjords, a lot of islets, bird colonies and alpine peaks rising out of the sea. And intersperced through it all there are always some small farm with vibrant green fields (leys for the most part), racks for drying fish (the source of baccalao) and windblown houses that tell a tale of ages of abundance and famine and hard work.
KEE
When boiled until nothing is left but a fatty liquid it is considered medicine ("tran"), a rather foultasting one at that, but it is a vital source of essential fatty acids and vitamins. It was, and to some degree still is a inexorable part of the morning rituals through winter for quite a lot of us norwegians.
There are still a number of fjords with a large fish population here, but I'm guessing that you visited the north, probably the Lofoten region, since that's where such fishing trips for tourists are the most abundant. The area also has organized quite a lot of orca (killer whale) spotting trips.
The landscape is spectacluar- deep fjords, a lot of islets, bird colonies and alpine peaks rising out of the sea. And intersperced through it all there are always some small farm with vibrant green fields (leys for the most part), racks for drying fish (the source of baccalao) and windblown houses that tell a tale of ages of abundance and famine and hard work.
KEE
It is written.
Now that you mention it, yes, that fishing trip was probably in the Lofoten. We drove (yes, drove!) all the way from Paris to Cape North and back, including the Lofoten, with the car on a ferry.KeE wrote:There are still a number of fjords with a large fish population here, but I'm guessing that you visited the north, probably the Lofoten region, since that's where such fishing trips for tourists are the most abundant. The area also has organized quite a lot of orca (killer whale) spotting trips.KEE
Now speaking of strange food, there was something else that I did not actually eat. I saw something funny in Le Mont Dore, which is not a mountain, but a thermal resort in Auvergne - for respiratory ailments, asthma and such, (not digestive tract ailments as Vichy, though Vichy probably also caters for curists' friends and relatives who accompany them), so there are a lot of high quality food stores.
In the summer they would put out stalls in the pesdestrian streets to advertise their wares, and I saw in particular glass jars (about the size you'd expect for jars of jam) of preserves of rooster products. There were "crètes" (crests) and "roupettes" (do you need a translation?).
Now I am absolutely not kidding. You can buy them on the internet, and even in a store in Paris, which I just found out this very minute, belongs to someone I actually know!
http://www.moutarde-charroux.com/fr/index.php
Human is as human does....Animals don't weep, Nine
[i]LMB, The Labyrinth [/i]
[i]LMB, The Labyrinth [/i]
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violetblue
- Viking Skald
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Those who sell these products do not claim anything of the sort. They are just supposed to be very fine-tasting delicacies. Just read the blurb on the webside I supplied, the only stress is on the taste and the quality of the products. Not having myself tasted them, I would not know.violetblue wrote:What are these rooster "parts" supposed to do? Are they touted as a cure or aid for some ailment?
That some prople who buy them, sometimes do it because of some superstition (which superstition is obvious) is their problem.
Human is as human does....Animals don't weep, Nine
[i]LMB, The Labyrinth [/i]
[i]LMB, The Labyrinth [/i]
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violetblue
- Viking Skald
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Yes, Brad, I'll get right on that. I'm ordering some as we speak (that sound you hear is the sarcasm dripping off my words).
I think I understand what sort of superstition you speak of, voralfred. But this adamant denial of it working... let me misquote Shakespeare, "methinks thou doth protest too much!" But it's OK, I'm sure you have nnnnoooo need of it.
I think I understand what sort of superstition you speak of, voralfred. But this adamant denial of it working... let me misquote Shakespeare, "methinks thou doth protest too much!" But it's OK, I'm sure you have nnnnoooo need of it.
N is for NEVILLE, who died of ennui
--Edward Gorley
--Edward Gorley
At least, if this superstition decides people do buy these products, they don't destroy an endangered species, as the superstition on rhino's horn.
But to quote their website:
"Louis XIV en faisait son met favori, on touche ainsi à l'histoire de la gastronomie français."
"It was King Louie's favorite dish. One is right into the actual History of french gastronomy."
At 60 euros per kilo (not sure what the rate of the dollar is now, but I'd say, much mOre than 30 US$ per pound) they can call it "il s’agit réellement du caviar de la volaille" "it is actually poultry caviar" it better taste really good!
But to quote their website:
"Louis XIV en faisait son met favori, on touche ainsi à l'histoire de la gastronomie français."
"It was King Louie's favorite dish. One is right into the actual History of french gastronomy."
At 60 euros per kilo (not sure what the rate of the dollar is now, but I'd say, much mOre than 30 US$ per pound) they can call it "il s’agit réellement du caviar de la volaille" "it is actually poultry caviar" it better taste really good!
Human is as human does....Animals don't weep, Nine
[i]LMB, The Labyrinth [/i]
[i]LMB, The Labyrinth [/i]
Do you mean, sympathetic pain for the biter? Well, I don't think it can taste that bad!Brad wrote:I, for one, would probably wince with sympathetic pain, watching someone bite into something like that.
Or, sympathetic pain for the rooster? Most of the poor thing had probably been eaten already! Roupettes (and crètes) are made into preserves, but "coq au vin" is cooked and eaten, usually, shortly after slaughtering the rooster.
What about sympathetic pain for the oyster? That one is eaten alive.
The way you described yourself, you are as bad as the carpenter (who ate as many oysters as he could) and even as the walrus (who ate even more oysters than the carpenter)!
Poor trusting little things!
Human is as human does....Animals don't weep, Nine
[i]LMB, The Labyrinth [/i]
[i]LMB, The Labyrinth [/i]
Sympathetic pain for the rooster.sympathetic pain for the rooster? Most of the poor thing had probably been eaten already! Roupettes (and crètes) are made into preserves, but "coq au vin" is cooked and eaten, usually, shortly after slaughtering the rooster.
As for Coq au vin, I make it at least once a year (although I usually prefer the beef version, which is beef burgundy) ... but I've never thought of pairing "Coq" with testes. A natural pairing, I suppose.
Spoiler: show
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violetblue
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You'd certainly have something to crow about if you ever cooked coq-au-vin for a whole company, and even more if that's aboard a ship!
Now this pun my son would like, it is the kind that takes 10 times longer to explain than to tell. And it does not even use any double enttendre on "crow", as a bird instead of the sound of the rooster.
Now this pun my son would like, it is the kind that takes 10 times longer to explain than to tell. And it does not even use any double enttendre on "crow", as a bird instead of the sound of the rooster.
Spoiler: show
Human is as human does....Animals don't weep, Nine
[i]LMB, The Labyrinth [/i]
[i]LMB, The Labyrinth [/i]
Today I had a piece of flattened, dried octopus flavored with chilies. My friend who gave it to me said it's a favorite snack for his friends when they're drinking beer in Vietnam.
It really hits you with the fishy taste when you put it in your mouth, but mellows out as you're chewing it.
It really hits you with the fishy taste when you put it in your mouth, but mellows out as you're chewing it.
[url=http://www.iblist.com/users/profile_view.php?id=3663]iblist profile[/url]
Last night I dropped by one of chinese takeout restaurants I occasionally frequent. Lo and behold, what do I spot simmering in one of their large woks but a large pile of fresh still-in-the-shell sea snails (ranging from lime sized to fist sized) … like small conch. I cooed delightedly, and asked where they got them. The woman's english was a bit rough, but she smiled and it sounded like one of their regulars is a local clammer, and occasionally drops some off.
Seeing the light of culinary avarice shining in my eyes, the woman grinned and offered me one, which they de-shelled, trimmed, thin sliced, and served with a small soy-ginger dipping sauce. Very tasty !
I left a nice tip, after my takeout (szechuan style tofu, which is pronounced "mapu-dofu") was ready.
Seeing the light of culinary avarice shining in my eyes, the woman grinned and offered me one, which they de-shelled, trimmed, thin sliced, and served with a small soy-ginger dipping sauce. Very tasty !
I left a nice tip, after my takeout (szechuan style tofu, which is pronounced "mapu-dofu") was ready.
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mccormack44
- Grande Dame
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Voralfred wrote:
The duck said "Coin, coin, coin" which I pronounced as best I could in French, then translated into Corner, corner, corner (which was the sense of the sound in the context of the story).
To this day, any one of us will say, "… and the duck said "corner, corner, corner." Like voralfred and cock-a-doodle-doo, we have never heard a duck say Quack. Coin (in French) is a MUCH better sound, although, English speakers, of course, would read this to mean metal money, with English-language pronunciation, thereby further confusing the issue.
Sue
My comment here has NOTHING to do with cuisine. When she was six, my youngest daughter talked the Children's Room librarian into letting her borrow a French-language picture book about life on the farm. All three children gathered around me as it read it aloud, translating as best I could on the fly.Incidentally, the etymology of "coq"=rooster in french is an onomatopea from the sound of crowing "cocorico"; I personally NEVER heard a rooster crow "cock-a-doodle-doo!!!!")
The duck said "Coin, coin, coin" which I pronounced as best I could in French, then translated into Corner, corner, corner (which was the sense of the sound in the context of the story).
To this day, any one of us will say, "… and the duck said "corner, corner, corner." Like voralfred and cock-a-doodle-doo, we have never heard a duck say Quack. Coin (in French) is a MUCH better sound, although, English speakers, of course, would read this to mean metal money, with English-language pronunciation, thereby further confusing the issue.
Sue
This past memorial day, 3 of my chef friends came to my BBQ. One of them (my sushi buddy) brought an interesting contribution for the grill:
* 4 Sockeye Salmon "collars" (same cut as "hamachi kama", only from salmon).
* 1 Grouper head, butterflied.
Predictably, my Wife's family (Irish) looked at us like we were nuts.
The former we just sprinkled with kosher salt and grilled, skin/fin side down until golden and crispy. I drizzled it with a little lime juice and dark sesame oil, and then turned it over (flesh side down) and finished them over low heat until flakey. They were fabulous. Finger food !
Sockeye has a darker color and a slightly stronger flavor than regular salmon, and its usually leaner - but since this was the fattiest part of the fish, it was still very moist and succulent ... and I was careful to get the skin cripy while not overcooking them.
The grouper head was really interesting, and in hindsight I wish I'd taken a few pictures. It was a decent sized head - about 10" across, and my friend had bled and butterflied it on both sides, so that you could spread the cheeks open like a pair of wings, and lay it flat.
{For those who are interested, this is how the chef cut it - He split the top half of the head open, with a large knife ... using a lever & fulcrum grip, with the head stood mouth to sky on a sturdy cutting surface. He told me that Grouper heads are very tough, and that less experienced chefs with weaker hands would probably need to use a rubber mallet to get their knife though, and that you need a good knife that won't shatter. Anyway, when he split the head, he left the jaw intact.}
Anyway, I did as my friend instructed - we sprinkled the butterflied head with a little salt, put it into a disposeable aluminum foil half-pan, poured in about 2/3 cup of sake, tented the top with foil, closed the lid on the gas grill, and braised it for about 12 minutes, until it was falling apart tender. Then, we just used a spatula to break it up into 4 servings (which werent very recognizeable at that point), and served it with lemon and lime wedges. To eat it, you just suck all the all the soft and tender stuff off the harder inedible bits. Messy, but delicious.
I have to get my friend to teach me how to butterfly heads like that, and from now on I'm definitely asking my local fish monger to save me the collars whenever I get a freshly cut fillet. Great stuff.
Anytime I learn how to grill something new is a good day.
* 4 Sockeye Salmon "collars" (same cut as "hamachi kama", only from salmon).
* 1 Grouper head, butterflied.
Predictably, my Wife's family (Irish) looked at us like we were nuts.
The former we just sprinkled with kosher salt and grilled, skin/fin side down until golden and crispy. I drizzled it with a little lime juice and dark sesame oil, and then turned it over (flesh side down) and finished them over low heat until flakey. They were fabulous. Finger food !
Sockeye has a darker color and a slightly stronger flavor than regular salmon, and its usually leaner - but since this was the fattiest part of the fish, it was still very moist and succulent ... and I was careful to get the skin cripy while not overcooking them.
The grouper head was really interesting, and in hindsight I wish I'd taken a few pictures. It was a decent sized head - about 10" across, and my friend had bled and butterflied it on both sides, so that you could spread the cheeks open like a pair of wings, and lay it flat.
{For those who are interested, this is how the chef cut it - He split the top half of the head open, with a large knife ... using a lever & fulcrum grip, with the head stood mouth to sky on a sturdy cutting surface. He told me that Grouper heads are very tough, and that less experienced chefs with weaker hands would probably need to use a rubber mallet to get their knife though, and that you need a good knife that won't shatter. Anyway, when he split the head, he left the jaw intact.}
Anyway, I did as my friend instructed - we sprinkled the butterflied head with a little salt, put it into a disposeable aluminum foil half-pan, poured in about 2/3 cup of sake, tented the top with foil, closed the lid on the gas grill, and braised it for about 12 minutes, until it was falling apart tender. Then, we just used a spatula to break it up into 4 servings (which werent very recognizeable at that point), and served it with lemon and lime wedges. To eat it, you just suck all the all the soft and tender stuff off the harder inedible bits. Messy, but delicious.
I have to get my friend to teach me how to butterfly heads like that, and from now on I'm definitely asking my local fish monger to save me the collars whenever I get a freshly cut fillet. Great stuff.
Anytime I learn how to grill something new is a good day.
Last edited by Darb on Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:07 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Grilled Salmon Flipper
This past week, I got a large fresh side of salmon. It came off a 14 lb fish, so it was a decent size. I got my fish monger to save me the front flipper part below the gills.
The fillet I cut, butterflied, rolled and tied into my usual boneless 'faux tenderloins', but the front flipper was a treat just for me. It was an otherwise tough and inedible 3" chunk piece of scrap that's typically discarded with the head during the butchering process, because there's little or no meat on it and it's therefore unsellable in this country ... just the flipper, it's socket, and surrounding fat and connective tissue. Hand it to someone (even most professional chefs) and unless they're experienced with making fish stock, they'll look at you like you're crazy ... and even most of those who make fish stock will boggle if you say you're going to grill it.
Anyway, I sprayed it with oil, salted it, and put it skin side down on the grill, and grilled over high heat it until the skin side was dark golden brown and crispy, then turned it over and grilled the flesh side until it was golden, then turned it back over and moved it to the low heat part of the grill, to bake for a bit, until the fin wiggled freely (a sign of doneness ... just like with a chicken or turkey, the bird is done when the hip socket wiggles freely - or, in southern parlayance "the bird is done when you can shake hands with it").
The skin was crispy and savory, and the flesh was tender, succulent, and delicious. The whole thing was edible, except for the tough inner part of the fin itself, and the cartlidge in the joint. It's a bit messy to eat, but hey - it's basically the fish equivalent of chicken wings. Literally.
p.s. I inserted a corrected description of how to butterfly a grouper head in the post immediately above.
This past week, I got a large fresh side of salmon. It came off a 14 lb fish, so it was a decent size. I got my fish monger to save me the front flipper part below the gills.
The fillet I cut, butterflied, rolled and tied into my usual boneless 'faux tenderloins', but the front flipper was a treat just for me. It was an otherwise tough and inedible 3" chunk piece of scrap that's typically discarded with the head during the butchering process, because there's little or no meat on it and it's therefore unsellable in this country ... just the flipper, it's socket, and surrounding fat and connective tissue. Hand it to someone (even most professional chefs) and unless they're experienced with making fish stock, they'll look at you like you're crazy ... and even most of those who make fish stock will boggle if you say you're going to grill it.
Anyway, I sprayed it with oil, salted it, and put it skin side down on the grill, and grilled over high heat it until the skin side was dark golden brown and crispy, then turned it over and grilled the flesh side until it was golden, then turned it back over and moved it to the low heat part of the grill, to bake for a bit, until the fin wiggled freely (a sign of doneness ... just like with a chicken or turkey, the bird is done when the hip socket wiggles freely - or, in southern parlayance "the bird is done when you can shake hands with it").
The skin was crispy and savory, and the flesh was tender, succulent, and delicious. The whole thing was edible, except for the tough inner part of the fin itself, and the cartlidge in the joint. It's a bit messy to eat, but hey - it's basically the fish equivalent of chicken wings. Literally.
p.s. I inserted a corrected description of how to butterfly a grouper head in the post immediately above.
I'm not sure whether the appropriate response shoulde beBrad wrote: Steve, Don't Eat It !!
or 
(or maybe 
?)As for
Fatty tissue is made of fat kept together by connective fibres, mostly made of collagen, which have very little nutritional value, like vegetal cellulosic fibres, but that, at the difference of the latter, are probably not even useful for the good functioning of the gut. So they take, out of fatty tissue, the calorie-carrying part (which, at least, is nourishing) to leave just junk."PARTIALLY DE-FATTED COOKED PORK FATTY TISSUE" How does one de-fat fat?
Oh, well, collagen is a protein, maybe one can digest it, so it is a protein source. Probably the cheapest and worst quality, but it is some form of protein source...
Human is as human does....Animals don't weep, Nine
[i]LMB, The Labyrinth [/i]
[i]LMB, The Labyrinth [/i]