offal

while reading a story in the nytimes about the romantic implications of dietary restrictions a couple was mentioned. she couldn't eat wheat and found a chef companion that found it a challenge. she, in turn, broadened her horizons to include foie gras and offal. i had no clue what offal was, however.

it turns out that offal is the generic term for mammal organs. everything from liver to brains to intestines. the wikipedia entry has a wonderful breakdown of the different uses of offal throughout the world.

the wikipedia entry concludes with a useful warning:
The liver of the polar bear is unsafe to eat because it is very high in vitamin A and can cause hypervitaminosis A, a dangerous disorder. This has been recognized since at least 1597 when Gerrit de Veer wrote in his diary that, while taking refuge in the winter in Nova Zembla, he and his men became gravely ill after eating polar-bear liver