Bloody offal...



Got an email from a publisher at work today extolling the virtues of their new cookbook which covers a - so they say - neglected area of the culinary arts but one in which interest is rapidly growing: offal. Yes, you read that right, cooking offal. The PR blurb said:



"A book destined to become an instant classic. The Fifth Quarter is the only book dedicated exclusively to the subject of offal. A book dedicated to offal ­ currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity and fashion ­ in all its many and surprising forms. Neatly categorised, stylishly designed and of interest to any offal eater ­ from the tame and curious to the daring and decadent. From foie gras and cod's roe to sheep's head and testicles, this book draws on recipes and traditions from all over the world."



You know, between this and watching Supersize Me this weekend I've not been so happy to be a vegetarian since the Mad Cow outbreak. But on thinking about the subject of offal cooking I can't help but reflect that perhaps many people already do regularly dine on cooked offal - think on that next time you bite into a fast-food burger (no brand names, don't want to get sued!) or cheap sausages or a 'meat' pie at a footie match... Yeuch.