With less than a week left to go in Argentina, I realize there is no way I can do it. I was very eager early on, but then as I ran out of the popular cuts and was left with lots of organs, I lost my appetite. When faced with the choice at a restaurant – the best, most tender rib-eye steak you’ve ever had, or kidneys, it was not a hard choice.
So, I continued to eat lots and lots of beef but stopped trying to eat all the parts. I did recently add one new part of the cow to my list, and a scary part of a pig.
First the pig, no it’s not a pig head.
Blood Sausage
I love sausage of all types. But, there is something disturbing to me about blood sausage, it’s not even the name or idea of blood sausage. It’s the color. Blood sausage is really dark, almost black. I think if it was bright red it wouldn’t be so disturbing.
So when our friends Nati and Frankie came over for an asado (Argentinian barbecue) with blood sausage, I knew now was the time to try it.
Jeff cooked it up and left it on the fire until it sort of split open.
And then I tried it. Here’s the thing, blood sausage is amazing! It doesn’t taste like blood, it is soft and slightly sweet. I’m not sure what it tastes like in other countries, but in Argentina, cooked over a wood fire, it’s incredible.
Mollejas
Mollejas are also known as sweetbreads or the thymus gland of a cow. When our friend Leandro came over for an asado he brought all kinds of meat including mojellas. One last thing to add to my cow list.
I have to admit, they didn’t look pretty raw.
He doused them with fresh squeezed lemon juice and salt. Once on the grill they started to look better.
And then, when we actually ate them, they were really good. The texture is a big weird, sort of spongy, but they taste great.
So, that’s it for the cow eating on this trip. I plan to eat several more pieces of cow between now and when we go back to the US, but they will be my favorite cuts bife de chorizo and bife de lomo. Not only will I not be eating an entire cow in one sitting, I won’t be eating an entire cow in one country. The rest of the parts will need to be eaten on other trips.
Hi Sheryl
Brilliant decision to delay the rest of the cow. A much more memorable use of your time might be to maximize the number of wineries left to taste!!
We did try to fit in as much wine as possible in those last few days. I already miss it! Thank God they export. Now we’re on to Chicago food and White Castles. Yum!
Well, your intentions were good. I’m glad you didn’t force yourself to eat the rest of the cow parts before leaving Argentina. This site has been a great example of an online travelogue and allowed us to keep in touch with your experiences and insights. Thanks for doing it! And have a safe remainder of your stay there and good trip back to the States.
Kevin
Thank Kevin! It was realy fun to do it and have people follow along. I may try to continue in Chicago and Seattle. Even if no one reads it, I can still amuse myself. 🙂