Sweetbreads [General]
2007 Feb 15
Thanks for clearing that up HOT. I had a sweetbread dish at LES FOUGÈRES a couple years ago, and had 'thought' it was pancreas, but had seen in so many places people said it was brains.. I was confused. I usually only get confused like that after a couple bottles of my favourite Amarone....mmmm
FOOD is HOT!
Sweetbreads are not brains, they are the "thymus gland" which is located in the throat/neck/gullet(y'know that excess hanging skin stuff on a cow's neck for example?) AND there is also a pancreas sweetbread refered to as belly/stomach/heart sweetbread. Thymus sweetbreads are slightly longer and more irregular, with pancreas sweetbreads being larger and more rounded. Even though the 2 organs have totally different functions, they are still both considered sweetbreads for the purposes of cooking as the preparation, flavour, and texture are similar. The animal must be young - older animals HAVE the organ/gland, however once the animal is over about a year old, the sweetbreads will be mostly fat and won't have a nice texture or flavour. Sweetbreads usually come from calves, lambs and sometimes piglets.
The stomach sweetbread is most prized because of its larger size and oval shape. Some claim that the throat sweetbreads have less flavor than their counterparts. Because the throat sweetbreads are elongated they are usually reserved for dishes like stews and ragouts where they will be presented in small pieces. Lamb sweetbreads are much smaller and have a less delicate flavor compared to veal sweetbreads.